Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Kakali Bhattacharya / David C. Thompson / The model for professional learning communities began in the business sector as professional learning organizations. While there have been many different structures referred to as professional learning communities, the model referenced in this study was created by Rick DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, and Robert Eaker. In their model, collaborative teams work together to answer four guiding questions: What do we want students to learn? How will we know when they have learned it? What will we do for students who already know it? What will we do for students who did not learn it? The DuFour model has been noted in research to be one of the most powerful and impactful educational reform efforts. This study examines the role of the implementation process on the overall effectiveness of the professional learning community. The purpose of this interview study was to explore the experiences of five certified teachers. This qualitative study was informed by purposeful sampling intersected with criterion-based sampling. Participants selected needed to be a certified teacher who taught at the chosen site during the implementation process. Symbolic interpretivism grounded this study to elicit experiences during the professional learning community implementation that impacted the participant’s professional responsibilities. Findings of this study indicated that the implementation process was not the determining influence on how teachers and teacher leaders navigated their professional responsibilities and, in turn, the overall success of the professional learning community implementation. Instead, success was tied to the dispositions of each teacher and the anatomy of interactions based on those dispositions. Four specific personality dispositions were found in this study: Leading with Heart, Leading with Brain, Leading with Courage, and Leading with Leadership. The combinations of these dispositions effected how each participant navigated their professional responsibilities as well as their reciprocal relationships with their colleagues. This study raised implications about how combinations of different personality dispositions can be used to create teams of educators who will naturally accomplish the tasks of a professional learning community instead of being in conflict and tension with each other. Another implication was the notion that creating effective teams of teachers and teacher leaders could be based on personality dispositions and their consequent interactions versus the knowledge of one’s pedagogy. Lastly, this study raised implications regarding the ways in which professional learning communities could be better implemented in schools nationwide by creating more awareness amongst educational leaders and policy makers about building harmonizing professional learning communities.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Debbie Mercer / The Professional Learning Community (PLC) is a model of collaborative professional development that involves teachers and administrators working together on an ongoing basis to develop shared visions, plans, goals, resources, and ideas in order to increase student learning. Research indicates that students in schools with teacher PLCs are significantly more academically successful than students in schools that do not have PLCs. The teachers in PLCs also report positive benefits. There are six equally important dimensions of an effective PLC: shared and supportive leadership; shared beliefs, values and vision; collective learning and application of learning; supportive conditions (both structural and relational), and shared personal practice (Hord & Sommers, 2008). The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of kindergarten teachers through the use of a survey and to further explore how two kindergarten teachers in Dammam describe their experiences of the conditions needed for implementing PLCs in their schools through personal interviews. The design of this study was mixed methods research conducted via a survey (questionnaire) and personal interviews. The data analysis suggests that the overall PLC dimensions in kindergartens in Dammam are somewhat supportive of PLCs. In the quantitative analysis, the mean scores ranged from 2.88 for Shared and Supportive Leadership to 3.15 for Shared Personal Practice (on a scale of 0-5). In the qualitative analysis, the participants’ descriptions of their experiences indicated that Shared Values and Vision was the weakest dimension. Keywords: professional learning community, kindergarten, conditions for PLC, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Ways of enacting effective professional development (PD) and professional learning (PL) of teachers are diverse and often contested and therefore needs sustained inquiry (Schuck, Aubussona, Kearney, & Burden, 2013). The “quick fix” mentality that is endemic to most including those aimed at educational systems leads to very superficial implementation of improvement strategies, including teacher development. These strategies are usually bureaucratically mandated and superficially implemented in a top-down manner. One of the critical drawbacks of such superficial implementation of top-down improvement strategies is that it fails to appeal to teachers because of their historical experiences of such short term and intermittent improvement interventions. This study focussed on the development of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) as a possible continuous professional teacher development (CPTD) model with a promise to deliver effective CPTD. Literature in this regard indicates this model of CPTD as highly effective to support sustained teacher development. The efficacy a PLC is predicated on a collaborative and relational approach to teacher development and professional learning underpinned by a microclimate of commonality. The initiation of PLCs is a complex task. It requires a deep understanding of the processes involved in orientating teachers to processes that involve reflective dialogue and collaborative inquiry. Hence this study sought to investigate experiences of teachers in a PLC established through an alliance involving teachers, didacticians and education officials. This study found that the PLC signifier conveys significant meaning for teachers in terms of their engagement in the PLC. Moreover, teachers’ experiences of the PLC model confirmed the generally accepted features of a PLC. The importance of having a common vision, norms and standards was shown to be an important dimension of the PLC. Besides the fact that the active promotion of this shared vision by the PLC leadership and other education administrators was highlighted, teachers in general accepted the importance of being reflective practitioners. Despite this belief in the value of collaborative reflection, this study found that it does not take place as often as one would expect. This is, to some extent, due to the timetabling arrangements at most schools in the sample. Findings of this investigation provided evidence that it is possible in a PLC to effect a shift from professional development to professional learning. This is consistent with literature in this regard, for example, Benken & Brown (2010) support this argument by indicating that CPTD should be viewed as professional learning that is sustained over time. However, the issue of sustainability is an important challenge. This study revealed that teachers see sustainability as a function of three important variables, namely, recognition by school leadership and administrators, support from the organised teacher movements and subject organisations, and teacher commitment. Important affordances of a PLC identified through this study are relational agency, epistemic agency and a micro-climate of commonality. These affordances are viewed as important enablers of collaborative inquiry and reflective dialogue and underscores the community aspect of a PLC.

In response to increasing demands placed on public education, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have emerged as a means of providing teachers with opportunities to collaborate together. Collaboration has been shown to improve teaching practices and lead to better student outcomes. Trust has been shown to be an important factor contributing to the success of PLC teams. Adherence to collaborative norms is also an important factor in the ability to collaborate successfully in PLC teams, yet few studies exist that empirically assess the relationship between trust and adherence to norms regarding the collaboration process. Participants in this study are public high school teachers, grades 9–12, who on average have been working together in their current PLC team for over three and a half years. Team trust is measured by established tool developed by Costa and Anderson (2011) based upon 4 dimensions of team trust including both psychological (propensity to trust and perceived trustworthiness) and behavioral (cooperating and monitoring behaviors) dimensions. The tool used to measure adherence to PLC team norms was based upon the Meeting Inventory by Garmston and Wellman (2009) and The Collaborative PLC Norming Tool developed by Jolly (2008). These instruments were used with permission, and some survey items were generated by the author. Multiple regression analyses assessed the strength of the relationship between PLC team trust and team norms. Four dimensions of team trust were examined by confirmatory factor analyses: Propensity to Trust, Perceived Trustworthiness, Cooperating Behaviors, and Monitoring Behaviors. All 4 showed a good fit. Team adherence to 3 different types of collaborative team norms was examined by confirmatory factor analyses: Teacher Dialogue, Decision Making, and Norms of Enforcement. All 3 outcomes showed a good model fit. Findings showed gender within the norms of enforcement regression model to be the only significant demographic variable. All 4 dimensions of team trust were significantly and positively related to adherence to norms of teacher dialogue at the bivariate level. Both significant positive and negative correlations exist between dimensions of team trust. When examined collectively, Perceived Trustworthiness and Cooperating Behaviors are directly related to adherence to Teacher Dialogue norms, whereas Propensity to Trust and Monitoring Behaviors have an indirect impact. This study confirms a positive relationship between the two constructs and presents the value of both direct and indirect relationships amongst the psychological and behavioral dimensions of team trust in impacting adherence to collaborative PLC team norms. Teachers and administrators who are aiming to improve or sustain high quality collaboration within PLC teams would do well to focus on Perceived Trustworthiness and Cooperating Behaviors, as those dimensions of team trust are directly related to adherence to collaborative team norms.

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Researchers have shown that effective use of student data by teachers can inform teaching practice, leading to improved outcomes on standardized tests. In order to improve declining test scores at the middle school under study, professional development on the use of data teams was implemented. However, a year after implementation, teachers were still not utilizing data within their professional learning communities (PLC) effectively or at all. This qualitative case study addressed the problem of the need for teachers to use data more effectively. The conceptual framework of the study was based on the models of PLCs by DuFour and of data teams by Love. The research questions addressed how teachers perceived and used data in their PLCs in order to improve instruction. Qualitative data were collected from individual interviews with 7 teachers, observations of 8 PLC meetings, and review of PLC documents. Triangulation and member checking were used to bolster trustworthiness of interpretations. The data analysis led to 4 common themes: teachers felt they were forced to use data, had excessive responsibilities within PLCs, were busy with other required tasks, and needed more training on data use. The findings led to the design of a 5-day professional development series on data teams to be implemented at the middle school. This study has the potential to increase teacher capacity in using student data to inform instruction and to improve student achievement at the local school and district levels.

Implementing the principles of a professional learning community (PLC) in public schools has become a popular strategy for meeting school quality and accountability expectations. Whether PLC implementation results in improved school ratings represents a gap in the literature. Three out of the 4 elementary schools in the participating school district experienced a significant drop in state ratings. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between the perceived depth of implementaiton of PLCs and a school's performance in terms of state ratingsGuided by the theory of the learning organization, this quantitative study was designed to identify the extent to which participants believed their schools operate as PLCs and to determine whether there is a significant difference in results between the participating schools. Participant perceptions of PLC implementation were measured through the Professional Learning Communities Assessment-Revised survey instrument. A total of 77 teachers across the 4 schools participated, and descriptive statistics were used to measure the level of PLC implementation. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to determine if there was significant differences in responses from the schools. The ANOVA revealed no significant differences in the responses between the school that did not experience a drop in ratings and the other schools. The results of this study could provide a framework to aid teachers and administrators to improve student learning by providing improved instruction. Quality instruction can lead to improved student learnings, and when student outcomes are improved, more students graduate and become productive members of their communities.

Schools are experiencing many reform initiatives, yet creating positive school climates as a way to promote increased student achievement has been omitted from the policy discussion. Whether the professional learning community (PLC) construct can predict school climate is a gap in the current literature. Using change theory and distributed leadership as a framework, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationships between the dimensions of a PLC (shared values and vision, intentional learning and application, supportive and shared leadership, supportive conditions and shared personal practice) and school climate variables (academic emphasis, initiating structure, consideration and morale). Four multiple regression models were used to analyze data collected from the Organizational Health Inventory and School Professional Staff as Learning Community (SPSaLC) survey (n = 131). According to the study results, there is a relationship between the dimensions of a PLC and school climate variables. Based on the regression analysis, shared values and vision significantly predicted academic emphasis, intentional learning and application significantly predicted morale, supportive and shared leadership significantly predicted consideration and initiating structure, supportive conditions significantly predicted consideration and morale, and shared personal practice significantly predicted consideration. The result of distributing leadership through the PLC structure can improve school climate. These findings promote positive social change through the analysis of this relationship, a first of its kind. School leaders looking to create PLCs with the intent of improving both student achievement and school climate will directly benefit from this research.

Early math, science, and STEM learning influence in young children’s educational trajectories, but not all children receive equitable access to these experiences. Many preschool educators have an interest in enhancing their STEM teaching but there are limitations in readiness to enact changes in their practice. Professional learning supports that are well-designed can positively influence these factors for preschool teachers, potentially increasing access to key early STEM experiences for all young children. Unfortunately, long-term, time-intensive supports, while effective are cost-prohibitive for many early childhood providers. One solution may be to build capacity with those who support teachers, including coaches, master teachers, and center directors, and to deliver professional learning experiences virtually. The present study examines the extent to which intensive, research-based content, repackaged into a virtual institute and focused on a turnkey model is effective in leading to changes in coaching practice and increasing reach. We investigated to what extent PSI attendees report impacts of participation on their knowledge and confidence in supporting preschool teachers in STEM and to what extent the PSI’s approach is able to expand the reach of our preschool STEM Education professional learning supports. After distributing a survey to 33 participants, we found that over 89% of participants agreed or strongly agreed with positive statements about the impact of participating in the PSI on their knowledge and confidence in supporting preschool teachers in S. T. E. M. and integrated STEM. We also learned through data collected through the attendee’s action plans that the 33 participants reported plans to support 750 preschool teachers. The projects implemented by PSI attendees included a statewide book study in spring 2022 (Iowa), expanding a STEM Lab program in a public school (Texas), creating a community garden (Connecticut), and created an Early Numeracy training based on information learned at the Institute (Washington). Reducing cost while maintaining integrity of professional learning resources can increase access to high-quality early STEM educational experiences for a larger number of educators, and ultimately, of children.

Under läsåret 2014/2015 genomfördes ett projekt med kollegialt lärande på S:t Petriskola i Malmö. Deltagande var frivilligt och deltagarna fick 35 timmar under läsåret isin tjänst till detta. En indelning i två grupper gjordes och auskultationer och träffargenomfördes huvudsakligen inom den egna gruppen. Gemensam litteratur och filmerdiskuterades på mötena.Syftet med detta arbete är att följa detta utvecklingsarbete och göra en deskriptivstudie och utvärdering av det första året. Detta gjordes genom deltagande i projektet,enkäter med deltagarna och intervjuer med gruppledarna. Svaren på enkäterna har varitpositiva. Det deltagarna varit mest nöjda med har varit att få inspiration, feedback ochdiskussionerna efter auskultationerna. Det största problemet har varit att hitta tider, bådeför auskultationer och möten.Från läsåret 2015/2016 ska samtliga lärare på S:t Petri skola delta i kollegialt lärande.Det är inte längre frivilligt, men alla får tid i sin tjänst för det. Grupperna går från att havarit ämnesöverskridande till att vara i samma eller snarlika ämnen. / During 2014/2015 a projekt with collaborative learning among teachers took place at S:t Petri school in Malmö. Participation was voluntary and the participants were given 35 hours of ther working time during the year to take part. Two groups were formed and lesson visits and meetings were primarily performed within the smaller group. Assigned literature and films were discussed during the meetings.The purpose of this work is to follow this development work and to make a descriptive study and evaluation of the first year. This was done by participation in the project, questionnaires with the participants and interviews with the group leaders. The responses to the questionnaires were generally positive. The most positive things have been getting inspiration, feedback and the discussions after the lesson visits. The biggest problem has been finding time, both for the visits and the meetings.Starting 2015/2196 all teachers at S:t Petri will take part in the collaborative learning study. It will no longer be voluntary, but time will be given for the work. The groups will cease being mixed and instead consist of teachers having the same or similar subjects.