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

Online Article: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ807003.pdf

            This week’s readings focused on what it takes to develop a lasting professional learning community. Both the Martin-Kniep (2008) book and the McRel (2003) article pointed out that you must have a few key understandings: a shared vision or goal, shared decision making and leadership, and shared responsibility for ongoing investigation and research. Although the Martin-Kniep (2008) chapters going further in depth about who participates, how they might be organized, and how the PLC should function in regards to things like frequency of meetings, both readings summarize how a professional learning community should look and carry out its mission.  A big idea in both readings was that trust and support from members of a PLC encourages others to have honest reflection which facilitates growth of the participant and eventually provides better learning opportunities for students. Another important issue is having a climate that supports a learning community. School and even district leadership need to show support and facilitation of a PLC while teachers need to be open and willing to learn and share.

            The article read by Williams, Brien, Sprague, and Sullivan (2008) was a look at the process of developing a “school-based instrument that identifies systemic barriers” that would ultimately hinder the implementation of a PLC at any level. The article takes a hard look at school culture, leadership, as well as teaching and learning at several schools that participated in their study. They used and developed surveys as a tool for measuring whether a school was to engage in a sustainable PLC. The results of their surveys uncovered several issues hurdles that a school will face. Their first finding was that schools are often “rooted in a bureaucratic system” that does little to actually encourage meaningful growth in professional practices and ultimately learning in the classroom (Williams, Brien, Sprague, & Sullivan, 2008). They claim that unless the whole system changes from top to bottom true progress with sustainable PLC’s will not be possible. They also concluded that leadership, namely principals, are very essential to creating a climate that supports professional learning and open communication (Williams, Brien, Sprague, & Sullivan, 2008). Moreover, principals must earn the trust of the learning community by not using their power to bully or judge. They must also embrace the model by providing participants the time it takes for a PLC to function effectively.

.           Overall, the authors had the same ideas about what PLC’s are, who participates, and how they function, but after reading and reflecting on all three sources, I think that it is interesting that they all emphasize leadership and the climate they create as being key success or failure points. When you have a strong leader who is committed to creating a school culture of honesty, trust, and a willingness to learn, you will often find a school ready to implement a professional learning community. Leadership will set the tone for the staff’s willingness to share and work outside of their personal goals.  Williams, Brien, Sprague, and Sullivan (2008) go even further though stating that the entire educational system needs to reevaluate its structure and find ways to make time and supportive climates to facilitate teachers embracing the PLC model and making the standard in education.

References

Martin-Kniep, G. (2008). Communities that learn, lead, and last: Building and sustaining educational expertise (pp. 77-110). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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.