RSA 1- Professional Learning Communities: Developing a School-Level Readiness Instrument

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RSA 1- Professional Learning Communities: Developing a School-Level Readiness Instrument

Module 2 states that a Professional Learning Community (PLC) is “when everyone works collectively to seek and share learning and act on that learning to improve their effectiveness as professionals so that students benefit” (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2003).  In order for a PLC to initiate this process, there must be a shared mission, shared vision, collective commitments, and common school goals (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010).  The key elements to help the school collaborate as a team and become acclimated to change are having a shared vision, shared leadership and decision making, and shared practice and collective inquiry (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2003).  Having a shared vision that was created by the staff’s collective decision making helps teachers commit to becoming a PLC school because they are making the decisions.  It’s a sense of ownership. Teachers are constantly reflecting to make sure that their teaching practice and assessments demonstrate the schools goals and values. Also, collaborative leadership aids in maintaining an effective PLC because it “results in increased morale, ownership, understanding about the direction and processes of change, shared responsibility for student learning, and a sense of professionalism (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2003).  But the most essential element of a PLC is sharing practices and collective inquiry to match the needs of their students. This is also guided by their shared vision.  When this occurs, it strengthens communication and improves best practices so that school goals are met and students are successful.

In education today, there are more demands for school improvement and educational reforms. However, these reforms are embedded in a bureaucratic system that do not encourage and maintain improvements in teachers or in student learning. In an attempt to answer this problem, school improvement plans have “shifted from centrally mandated, standards-based reforms toward a more collaborative site-based model” (Williams, Brien, Sprague, & Sullivan, 2008). This is the view of a school as a professional learning community. Williams et al. (2008) states that the five key components are: “shared values and vision, collective responsibility, reflective professional inquiry, professional collaboration, and promotion of group and individual learning.” When these components are utilized in schools, they are effective in maintaining student growth. The purpose of this article was to conduct an action research study that measures the school’s readiness to become a PLC, which used an instrument to monitor readiness. The instrument determined any barriers that interfered with the schools readiness to become a PLC. The four major areas that were questioned by the school instrument to measure readiness were: culture, leadership, teaching, and professional growth and development (Williams et al., 2008). The final report showed quantitative and qualitative data that confirmed barriers that interfered with the readiness of implementing the PLC model in the school.

The article by Williams et al. (2008) directly correlated with this weeks Module Two reading. In order to implement and sustain a PLC in a school, the school culture must exhibit a readiness to become a professional learning community because the implementation of this model should be long term. Both readings expressed the importance of shared values and vision, collaboration, shared practice, and collective inquiry (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2003; Williams et al., 2008). These key elements must be a priority in schools that wish to become a professional learning community because these elements are the gateway to a successful transition from a bureaucratic system to the collaborative model of professional learning communities.

References

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: A handbook

             for professional learning communities at work (2^nd ed.). Bloomington, IN:

            Solution Tree Press.

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). (2003). Sustaining

            school improvement: Professional learning community, 1-4. Retrieved from

http://www.mcrel.org/PDF/LeadershipOrganizationDevelopment/5031TG_proflrncommfolio.pdf

Williams, R., Brien, K., Sprague, C., & Sullivan, G. (2008). Professional Learning

            Communities: Developing a School-Level Readiness Instrument. Canadian

            Journal Of Educational Administration And Policy, (74), 1-17.