A SYSTEM-WIDE, COLLABORATIVE, PURPOSEFUL, AND SUSTAINABLE DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP PLAN UTILIZING TEACHER LEADERS

Oct 15, 2026

A mixed-method case study examines a system-wide professional learning initiative created through collaboration between a rural southeastern university and a high-poverty school system in southeast Georgia (Justice County School System, JCSS). The initiative uses distributed leadership by deploying teacher leaders to facilitate collaborative, purposeful, and sustainable PLCs. It evaluates changes in professional practice perceptions and produces a replicable, evidence-based plan. The study also addresses Georgia accountability requirements and offers a scalable model for improving classroom practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Professional learning mandates and district pressure

Shift to PLCs and job-embedded learning

Defining PLCs and ensuring effectiveness

Need for innovation under limited resources

A SYSTEM-WIDE, COLLABORATIVE, PURPOSEFUL, AND SUSTAINABLE DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP PLAN UTILIZING TEACHER LEADERS TO FACILITATE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES JULIANN SERGI MCBRAYER Georgia Southern University JULIE CHANCE Bulloch County School System, Georgia SUMMER PANNELL Georgia Southern University PAMELA WELLS Georgia Southern University ABSTRACT Through collaboration between one rural southeastern university and a local rural school system of high-poverty in southeast Georgia (a pseudonym, Justice County School System [JCSS]), a mixed method case study analysis was conducted to examine a system-wide professional learning initiative. The goal of this initiative was to provide professional learning that was collaborative, purposeful, and sustainable. The professional learning initiative is a semi-structured plan developed based on distributed leadership to share the responsibilities of administration by utilizing teacher leaders to facilitate system-wide professional learning. In addition, school personnel perceptions of their changes in professional practices as a result of this collaborative PLC work were explored to determine effectiveness of the professional learning communities. The outcome of this study resulted in the presentation of a replicable or modifiable plan that was formalized with evidence-based practices that could be disseminated to other districts and schools exploring similar professional learning opportunities. Georgia certification mandates require that districts and schools possess accountability measures that ensure the professional growth of all school personnel through PLCs. The mode in which JCSS approached professional learning could advance other professional learning initiatives or in many cases launch these initiatives. JCSS should serve as a model system with a proven record of using an innovative professional learning approach that distributed the responsibilities among both administrators and staff, specifically teacher leaders to effectively improve teachers’ classroom practices. Institutions of higher education and local school systems need to implement collaborative, purposeful and sustainable professional learning with fidelity by distributing leadership efforts. INTRODUCTION School leaders are continually charged with adhering to federal and state mandates to lead district and school improvement initiatives in an effort to improve teaching and learning. For reasons related to school improvement, school leaders are working diligently to identify sound professional learning to keep pace with these mandates. Embracing school improvement to achieve organizational change is a constant challenge for school leaders. These professional learning demands add to the current pressures of school leaders’ responsibilities when challenged with the overwhelming tasks required to maintain daily operations. As Walker Educational Planning 27 Vol. 25, No. 4 (2009) stated,“the increase in the principal’s responsibilities and the incongruence between what instructional leaders want to do and have time to do create serious consequences for school leaders and their work in making a difference in schools”(p. 214) . In addition, with the current fiscal state of public education at the state and national levels, making the most of already available resources is the number one priority for most school districts (for the purposes of this study, system will be used interchangeably with district), as school leaders are tasked with addressing professional learning needs with limited resources. Now more than ever, these dwindling resources require professional learning efforts to be collaborative and strategically designed. Professional learning in Georgia and many other states have required educators to attend workshops and conferences with the goal of returning to the classroom to implement and disseminate what was learned to improve teaching and learning (Georgia Professional Standar

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the system-wide professional learning initiative in the study?

To provide collaborative, purposeful, and sustainable professional learning using distributed leadership through teacher leaders who facilitate PLCs across the system.

How does the study define PLCs?

PLCs are defined as an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.

What outcome does the study aim to produce for other districts and schools?

A replicable or modifiable plan formalized with evidence-based practices that can be disseminated to districts pursuing similar professional learning opportunities.

Oct 15, 2026

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