Professional Learning Communities, Leadership, and Student Learning

Professional learning communities have become one of the most talked about ideas in education today. Many K-12 schools are working to become professional learning communities in the hope that student learning will improve when adults commit themselves to talking collaboratively about teaching and learning and then take action that will improve student learning and achievement. The researchers in this study believe that a school must understand and practice the five disciplines of a learning organization to be a true professional learning community and that leadership plays a significant role in the ability of a school to become a professional learning community that enhances student learning. The questions explored in this study of six middle schools, three urban and three suburban, were: 1) What does a professional learning community look like in a middle school? 2) What kind of principal creates a professional learning community in his/her school? 3) What are the beliefs and dispositions of such a leader? 4) Do teachers perceive their school to be a professional learning community? and, 5) Is there a relationship between professional learning communities, leadership, and student learning?