THE PRINCIPAL’S ROLE IN PLANNING ESSENTIAL SUPPORTS FOR SCHOOL-BASED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES - Article

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw

This study explores teachers’ perceptions of principal-provided supports that enable high-functioning professional learning communities (PLCs). Using a qualitative case study approach across three schools in a mid-city district, the findings identify three key supports: clear expectations for PLC work, school-based professional learning, and a learning- and collaboration-focused school culture. The study then considers implications for district and school practice, policy decisions, and directions for further research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Purpose and Research Questions

Background Literature

THE PRINCIPAL’S ROLE IN PLANNING ESSENTIAL SUPPORTS FOR SCHOOL-BASED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES REBECCA A. THESSIN The George Washington University ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’perceptions of the key supports principals provided that contributed to the development of high-functioning professional learning communities (PLCs). This study used a qualitative case study approach to learn from three schools in one mid-city district. Findings revealed three specific supports provided by school leaders: (1) the communication of clear expectations for PLC work; (2) the provision of school-based professional learning; and (3) a school culture focused on learning and collaboration. Implications for practice at the district and school level, for policy, and for further research are considered. OVERVIEW As reform efforts in education have sought to increase teacher collaboration, the term“professional learning community,” or PLC, has been applied to a variety of types of collaborative gatherings among leaders, teachers, and school staff in schools and districts. In some settings, a committee seeking to reduce the number of tardy students to school might be designated as a PLC. In other schools, teachers meeting in PLCs may analyze state test data and set goals to raise student performance. Yet, discussion of the instructional changes needed to meet these goals maybe absent from their conversations. Despite varied understandings of what aPLC is and does, current research identifies a PLC as a group of professionals in a learning organization continuously collaborating to learn and reflect on their practice, achieve school improvement by making changes that improve teaching and learning, and work toward shared and common goals through the collection and analysis of data (Hipp & Huffman, 2003; Hord, 1997; Hord & Sommers, 2008; Jones & Thessin, 2017; Louis & Marks, 1998; McLaughlin & Talbert, 2006) . In our current era in which the need for schools to improve is paramount, research demonstrates PLCs may be a key element in the process of facilitating instructional improvement and improving student achievement (Goddard et al., 2007; Roy & Hord, 2006; Stoll & Louis, 2007) . Specifically, PLCs foster a learning organization and build professional capacity for improving student achievement (Langer, 2000; Louis & Marks, 1998) . Consequently, many school principalshave modified schools’ schedules to provide time to meet in PLCs. Yet teachers have traditionally learned, taught, and succeeded or failed independently from the teacher in the classroom next door (Elmore, 2004; Goddard et al., 2007; Schechter, 2010) . To prepare teachers to engage collaboratively, a provision of time is not all that is necessary for teachers to collectively affect the instructional core (City et al., 2009; Elmore, 2004; Thessin & Starr, 2013) . Teachers need to first learn how to work together to utilize assessment data and student work to identify students’ learning needs and meet them in the classroom (Thessin & Starr, 2011) . Moreover, the degree of collaboration among teachers that is necessary to engage in the difficult Educational Planning Winter 2021 7 Vol. 28, No. 2 work of improving teaching practice requires school leaders to be actively involved in planning for, supporting, and modeling PLC work (Hord & Sommers, 2008; Huggins et al., 2011; Jones & Thessin, 2017; McLaughlin & Talbert, 2006; Thessin, 2015) . In a prior study I conducted, I examined the impact of specific research-based districtwide supports on the growth of PLC teams in one mid-city district (Thessin, 2015) . Teachers in highfunctioning PLC teams confirmed that the district-initiated supports, including the provision of professional learning on PLCs and the direction of an improvement process to guide PLC work, contributed to their PLC teams’ development. Despite the provision of the supports to all schools, large disparities in PLC growt

FAQs

What supports do teachers say principals provide for high-functioning PLCs?

Teachers identify three supports: clear expectations for PLC work, school-based professional learning, and a school culture focused on learning and collaboration.

What research method and setting does the study use?

The study uses a qualitative case study design, drawing on three schools within one mid-city district.

Why are school leaders’ actions beyond providing meeting time important for PLC success?

Teachers need guidance on how to work collaboratively using assessment data and student work, and school leaders must actively plan, support, and model PLC work to improve instructional practice.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw