Job satisfaction: assessing the impact of initiating a professional learning community at Carney Hill Community School

Working at Carney Hill Community School is emotionally draining and as a result the school struggles with the retention of its staff members. Recognizing this problem, a small group of teachers introduced a new structure that would provide a place for staff to work differently. This different way of working is defined as a professional learning community (PLC). It is a move from working in isolation to working collaboratively in an effort to achieve a shared vision and goals. This new structure would become the vehicle from which the work would be done. As part of that initiative, this research project was designed: to assess whether or not being an active participant of the professional learning community at Carney Hill Community School increased job satisfaction. In order to determine whether or not the PLC increased job satisfaction, a mixed methods approach was used, which included focus groups, individual interviews, and a before and after survey. The intent of the survey was to corroborate the focus group and interview findings. The final analysis suggests that although there was a significant amount of frustration and stress experienced during the initiation of the PLC, it has improved job satisfaction and increased the retention of those staff members and administrators who were active PLC participants.