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Factors of Professional Learning Community Implementation and Effect on Student Achievement

2017; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 28; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/10474412.2017.1385396

1532-768X

Matthew K. Burns, Meredith R. Naughton, June L. Preast, Ze Wang, Robert L. Gordon, Vicki Robb, Michelle L. Smith,

Pasture and Agricultural Systems

Professional learning communities (PLCs) promote collaboration among school personnel in an effort to stimulate student learning. Using data obtained from a larger statewide initiative in Missouri, the current study examined data from 181 schools (102 elementary schools, 32 middle schools, 41 high schools, and 6 other schools, average of 428.76 students) to determine (a) the factors that can be used to assess the effects of PLCs, (b) how well PLCs relate to student achievement, and (c) the extent to which teams differentially implement the factors. An exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in two broader constructs that represented PLC attributes, collaborative leadership process and data-driven systems for learning, both of which correlated with student achievement and together provided unique variance in mathematics beyond school variables and achievement scores from before the PLC began. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.