Professional learning communities: where are we?

The purpose of this project was to design a tool to identify teachers' perceptions of where they are in their Professional Learning Community (PLC) venture. I employed a quasi-qualitative research approach. I developed a survey tool which was applied in an elementary school setting to assess its usefulness. The survey tool used a Likert-like scale that drew on statements similar to those employed by Hipp and Huffman (2003) to illuminate seven dimensions of a PLC community. These dimensions included: Shared and Supportive Leadership Shared Mission, Vision and Values Collective Inquiry Collaborative Teams Supportive Conditions - Relationships Supportive Conditions - Structure, and Data Based Decision Making. Data from the survey, comments on the survey, and a focus group were used in the analyses and discussion of where teachers in this particular school are in their PLC journey. The results indicated a strong level of agreement to the statements identifying the various components of a PLC. However, the survey also illuminated a number of areas of concern that when addressed by the school administrative team will lead to a more inclusive and sustainable PLC in this school. --P.ii.