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The impact of professional learning community on teacher learning and student achievement: a qualitative approach

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The impact of professional learning community on teacher learning and student achievement: a qualitative approach

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THE IMPACT OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY ON
TEACHER LEARNING AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT:
A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

by

La Royce L. Murphy

_____________________________________________________________________

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2017

Copyright 2017 La Royce L. Murphy

ii
DEDICATION

Dedicated to: Dr. Royce Murphy

Daddy, it was you who taught me how to understand and value the benefits of being educated.
You taught me that education is the greatest means of progress and success. Thank you Daddy
and may you smile on me from heaven.

I have fought a GOOD fight
I have finished my course
I have kept the faith

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When I decided to embark upon this journey of pursuing this Doctor of Education
Degree, my family stood behind me one hundred percent. Throughout my entire educational
journey, my Mom and Dad sacrificed so much and expected so little in return. For this, I will
eternally be grateful.
To my Mom, Ms. Norma Murphy, thank you for putting yourself second when it came to
your three dolls. To my sisters, La Shunda (Shun) and La Neisha (NeeSee), thank you for
always believing in me and letting me be the BOSS. Dolls, continue to work hard and play hard.
Never stop learning and reaching for bigger and better things.
To my dissertation chair, Dr. Reynaldo Baca, thank you for your leadership, guidance,
and inspiration.
To my dissertation committee, Dr. Sandra Kaplan and Dr. Etta Hollins, thank you for
your, advice, insight, continual support and patience.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ………………………………………………………………………………… ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………………………………………………………………... iii
LIST OF TABLES ……………………………………………………………………...…….. vi
LIST OF FIGURES ………………………………………………………………..…...……. vii
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………......…….. viii
Chapter 1: Introduction ………………………………………………………………………. 1

Problem Statement ………………………………………………………………………... 3
Background of the Study …………………………………………………………………. 5
Purpose of the Study ……………………………………………………………………… 6
Research Questions …………………………………………………..…………………… 6
Significance of the Study …………………………………………………………………. 7
Theoretical Framework …………………………………………………………………… 7
Limitations and Delimitations ………………….…………………………………………. 8
Definition of Terms ……………………………………………………………………….. 8
Organization of the Dissertation ………………………………………………..………… 9

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature ………………………………………………………… 11

Documentation …………………………………………………..………………………. 11
Literature Review ………………………………………………………...……………… 12
Teacher Professional Development ……………………………………………………… 12
Teacher Learning ………………………………………………………………………… 17
Teacher Community ……………………………………………………………...……… 19
Professional Learning Communities …………………………………………………….. 20
Summary ……………………..………………………………………………….………. 31

Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology ………………………………….………….. 33
Purpose Overview ……………………………………………………………………….. 33
Research Questions ……………………………………………………………………… 34
Research Design ………………………………………………………………….……… 34
Population and Sample ……………………………………………....…...……………… 35
Site Selection and Demographic Profile …………………………...……………………. 38
Data Collection and Instrumentation ……………………………...…………………….. 39
Data Analysis ……………………………………………………...…………….………. 42
Trustworthiness and Validity Issues and Ethical Considerations ……………………….. 46
Limitations and Assumptions ……………………………………………………………. 48
Role of the Researcher ………………………………………………………...…...……. 48

v
Summary …………………………………………………...................…………………. 49

Chapter 4: Findings ………………………………………………………………..………... 50
Description of Sample …………………………………………………… ……………... 51
Results of How Teachers Learn in a PLC ……………………………….......…………... 52
Archival Records: Staff Meeting and PLC Agendas …………………….………...……. 56
Collaboration ……………………………………………………………………....…….. 58
Results of How Teachers Use Knowledge for Practice ………………………….…...…. 59
Participant Observations ………………………………………………………..……..…. 61
Continuous Learning ………………………………………………...……….………..… 63
Results of How PLCs Impact Student Achievement ………………………..………….... 64
Meaningful Learning ………………………………………………………..….………... 68
Extensive Field Notes: Informal Observations and Conversations ………..……...…….. 70
Summary …….……………………………………………………………………...….... 71

Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations ………………….………….….. 74
Analysis …………………………………………………………………..………..…….. 75
Collaboration ……………………………………………………………..………...……. 76
Continuous and Meaningful Learning …………………………………...……….……… 78
Change ……………............................................................................................................ 80
Implications …………………………………………………………………………...….. 81
Recommendations for Further Research ……………………………………….………… 83
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………..……… 83

REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………..…………… 85
APPENDIX A: Research Information Sheet …………………………….………………….. 91
APPENDIX B: Certificated Staff Professional Development Survey for Teachers ………... 93
and School Administrators
APPENDIX C: Interview Protocol ……………………………………………………….... 97
APPENDIX D: Professional Learning Community Observation Protocol ……………..... 100

vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Years of Teaching Experience of Teacher Participants ………………………….. 37
Table 2. Observation Results ……………………………………………………………... 71

vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Conceptual framework for teacher learning ……………………………………… 3
Figure 2. School report: State accountability: Academic Performance Index (API) — …. 66
baseline data: before PLC
Figure 3. School report: State accountability: Academic Performance Index (API) — ….. 67
during professional learning community

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ABSTRACT
The overarching question for the research was: Do professional learning communities promote
teacher learning and student achievement? The study looked at: (a) how teachers learned in a
professional learning community; (b) how teachers used what they learned as participants in a
professional learning community to enhance their classroom instruction; (c) the extent to which
students improved academically when their teachers participated in a professional learning
community. Survey and interview responses, observations in a professional learning community,
and student achievement data reported through California Department of Education were studied
to determine if a relationship existed between professional learning communities, teacher
learning, and student achievement. In this qualitative research study, data from several sources
were triangulated to establish trustworthy evidence of the professional learning community
process, teachers’ perceptions of professional development, and student achievement. The
participants in this study were twenty-two certificated school personnel that included one
administrator, one counselor, and twenty teachers. The major finding in this study was that
teachers at a traditionally low performing school improve their practice as they actively
participate in a professional learning community due to regular and consistent collaboration
amongst their peers on how to promote student achievement. As a result of constant
collaboration focused on teaching practices and strategies to improve achievement, there was
growth in academic success for their students.

1
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Community begins with a shared vision. It’s sustained by teachers who, as school leaders,
bring inspiration and direction to the institutions. Who, after all, knows more about the
classroom? Who is better able to inspire children? Who can evaluate, more sensitively,
the educational progress of each student? And who but teachers create a true community
for learning? Teachers are, without question, the heartbeat of a successful school. (Ernest
Boyer, 1995, p. 31)

Throughout the history of public education, there have been continuous efforts directed at
the improvement of schools. Unfortunately, schools have not successfully met all educational
challenges (Richard DuFour, 1998). There have been many movements in education, such as the
Excellence Movement in the 1980s and the Restructuring Movement in the 1990s,that aimed to
improve student achievement. Yet those movements failed. Rather than improving, the
disparities in access to well-qualified teachers worsened in the 1990s (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
Consequently, teachers are experiencing increasing pressures to address higher standards
and accountability. According to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, a teacher must
be “highly qualified,” based on four competencies:
1. A teacher must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
2. A teacher must have obtained full state certification or licensure.
3. A teacher must have demonstrated by passing a rigorous state test, subject matter
knowledge and teaching skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and other areas of
the basic elementary school curriculum (which may consist of passing a state-

2
required certification or licensing test or tests in reading, writing, mathematics,
and other areas of basic elementary school curriculum).
4. A teacher must have passed a rigorous state academic subject test in each of the
academic subjects in which the teacher teaches; or successful completion, in each
of the academic subjects in which the teacher teaches, of an academic major, a
graduate degree, coursework equivalent to an undergraduate academic major, or
advanced certification or credentialing (Student Achievement and School
Accountability Conference; U.S. Department of Education, 2002).
Ultimately, teachers are held responsible for student achievement. The quality of teachers
and teaching, particularly teachers’ abilities to teach content to diverse students in ways that
attend to the learning process, is a critical component of schools that make a difference in
achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2006). Hence teachers must be well-prepared as well as
continuously participate in professional development in order to have a strong and positive effect
on student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2000).
What teachers know (theory) and what they do with what they know (practice) have an
effect on student achievement and is at the helm of effective school reform. Over the last 20
years, teacher learning has become one of the most important concerns of the educational
establishment (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999).

3

Figure 1. Conceptual framework for teacher learning

Problem Statement
After more than 30 years of educational reform, with decreasing public confidence in the
nation’s schools and increased governmental influence, education practitioners are being held
accountable for student learning outcomes as measured by standardized tests. This new era of
accountability was influenced by the reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) under the new title of NCLB passed in 2001. This has resulted in closer monitoring of
instructional practices in classrooms, the expectation that teachers will meticulously follow the
prescribed curriculum and, in some cases, scripted instructional programs. Student performance
at each school in the school district is tracked by subgroups to ensure that members of
traditionally underserved groups make the expected academic progress.
Recent research shows that teachers have a greater impact on student learning outcomes
than do race or social class. While there are high performing schools with a high percentage of
low income and traditionally undeserved minority students, the majority of schools serving these
students are low performing. Many teachers who have recently completed pre-service teacher
preparation programs feel unprepared to teach urban and low income ethnic minority students.

4
School district administrators are struggling to provide the type of professional development and
ongoing support that will enable these teachers to improve in their ability to teach presently
undeserved and under performing students (Blank, de las Alas, & Smith, 2008).
Recent trends in research on teacher professional development favor professional
learning communities (PLCs). The term “professional learning community” characterizes an
approach to school improvement. It refers to a group of teachers committed to meeting regularly
to collaborate on shared goals in order to improve achievement for their students (Brookhart,
2009). Professional learning communities have been known to promote effective collaboration
among participants (DuFour, 1998). Participants work as a team and are collectively accountable
for team outcomes. Professional learning communities are environments created by educators
that foster mutual cooperation, emotional support, and personal growth as the teachers work
together to achieve what they may not be able to accomplish alone (DuFour & Eaker, 1998).
Active professional learning communities have been viewed as a promising strategy for
improving and sustaining student achievement (DuFour, 2007). They have been described as an
important factor for sustaining successful school improvement and effectiveness of a school
(DuFour & Eaker, 1998). PLCs afford teachers opportunities to collaborate for continuous
learning that can be expected to impact achievement for their students.
While teacher community and teacher collaboration are purported to have great impact on
teacher learning, there are limited studies that report the impact that professional learning
communities have on how teacher learning influences student achievement, especially within
low performing schools. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between
teacher learning and student achievement resulting from teachers participating in a professional
learning community.

5
Background of the Study
Research indicates that teacher pedagogy is significant. Teachers are expected to teach to
all learning modalities and preferences, and to meet the needs of all students. It is important that
teachers use different strategies and approaches to instruction. Effective teachers have a positive
impact on student learning and academic performance. Studies have shown that there are many
contributing factors to the success of student learning. These factors include, but are not limited
to, students’ socio-economic status, language, and home culture. Although these are some of the
factors that impact student success, the responsibility for student success remains with the
teachers (Tucker and Stronge, 2005).
According to George H. Noell and Jeanne L. Burns (2006),“Teachers as causal or
mediating variables for educational attainment have a long history within education” (p. 38).
Consequently, it is believed that the quality of teaching is the primary variable affecting student
performance. Therefore, teachers should focus on subject matter mastery, apply what has been
learned (theory) in their teacher preparation program to practice in the classroom and become
life-long learners who are constantly involving themselves in professional development. Linda
Darling-Hammond (1998) pointed out that skillful teaching is required in order for students to
achieve high levels of understanding.
There have been efforts made to enhance learning for teachers. Those attempts have been
in the form of different professional development activities -- many of which have failed
according to Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker (1998). DuFour and Eaker (1998) have indicated
that “[p]ast efforts to improve schools have not had the anticipated results for a number of
reasons” (p. 17). Those reasons include:
1. the complexity of the task
2. misplaced focus and ineffective strategies

6
3. lack of clarity on the intended results
4. failure to persist
5. lack of understanding of the change process
Nevertheless, evidence of excellent professional development practices that will improve student
achievement is growing. One such practice is the implementation of PLCs which, it is suggested,
improve schools. The team of educators that comprise a PLC systematically work together to
improve teaching practice and student learning (Linda Starr, 2006).
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a PLC on teacher learning and
student achievement. Specifically, the study examined the impact of being part of a PLC on
teacher learning. The study also examined how teachers utilized what they learned in a PLC to
enhance classroom instruction. Finally, the impact of teacher participation in a PLC on student
achievement was explored. By studying a newly instituted PLC and its effects on teacher
learning at a school site where student achievement is low and professional development for
teachers is very limited, it was hoped that insights would be gained on whether or not a PLC
would foster collaboration and learning for teachers and success for students. Further, this study
attempted to determine if there was a relationship between teacher collaboration and teacher
learning and if it was associated with student success on the California Standards Test (CST).
Research Questions
This study aimed to examine the impact of PLC on teacher learning and student
achievement. The overarching question for this research was: Do professional learning
communities promote teacher learning and student achievement? The three sub-questions
derived from the overarching research question that guided this qualitative study included:

7
1. How do teachers learn in a PLC?
2. How do teachers use what they have learned as a participant in a PLC to enhance
their classroom instruction?
3. To what extent do students improve academically when their teachers participate in a
PLC?
Significance of the Study
Answers to the research questions aim to provide insights on the effects of PLCs on
teacher learning. Given that traditional professional development has not been effective, this
study examines a new way of looking at professional development that shows teachers
collectively learning from their individual experiences. This study demonstrates the level of
importance that a PLC might have on teacher learning and student achievement, which could
serve to support school reform and NCLB. Furthermore, the information gathered through this
research project may be useful as a resource for future professional development that may take
place at the district and school specific level.
Theoretical Framework
A theoretical framework provides a lens through which the researcher examines patterns
in data and begins to make interpretations. For this study, the theoretical framework included
examining teacher learning and student achievement through a Social Constructivist lens
(Vygotsky, 1978). Within Social Constructivist Theory, learning is the process by which learners
are integrated into a knowledge community. In addition, Vygotsky (1978) suggested that
collaborative learning methods required learners to develop teamwork skills and to see individual
learning as essentially related to the success of group learning (Vygotsky, 1978). Learning, as
viewed by Vygotsky (1978) is a collaborative process. The PLC’s primary focus is on
administrators’ and teachers’ learning rather than their teaching, working together

8
collaboratively, and holding themselves accountable for results (DuFour, 2004). The core of
Vygotsky’s (1978) work is the belief that learning is constructed through personal understanding
based on personal experiences. This is often enhanced by the exchange of ideas and the
challenging of perceptions. Social Constructivist Theory in regards to learning also emphasizes
that learning is an active and a complex process, enhanced by engagement in active problem
solving, discussion, theorizing and analysis (Brody and Davidson, 1998).
In addition to the Social Constructivist Theory, used as the theoretical framework for this
study, Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) was used as a part of the research method to
help reveal a theory from data collected. Grounded Theory refers to developing a theory
inductively from data. The scheme of Grounded Theory is to read and reread the data to discover
patterns in the relationship among different pieces of data (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Use of this
systemic methodology highlighted the inductive and deductive nature of this project.
Limitations and Delimitations
This study took place during a six week period (November 9, 2010 - December 18, 2010)
-- a limited amount of time to collect data. The researcher considered that it might be a challenge
to detect patterns emerging from data collected over a concise time period. Also, the researcher
was, at the time of the study, a current colleague of the research participants. The participants
may therefore have viewed this investigation as support for the researcher’s dissertation and not
as a true study. Due to financial and time constraints, it was necessary to select the school where
the researcher was currently working.
Definition of Terms
Collaboration: A systematic process in which people work together, interdependently, to
analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve individual and collective results.

9
Collective Inquiry: The process of building shared knowledge by clarifying the questions
that a group will explore together.
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001:The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), is the
name given to the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act first passed
by congress in 1965. It seeks to increase accountability for student performance in public
schools, with special emphasis on traditionally underserved subgroups. The goal of NCLB is to
improve student achievement and change the culture of America’s schools. (U. S Department of
Education, 2003).
Professional Development: A lifelong, collaborative learning process that nourishes the
growth of individuals, teams, and the school through a daily job-embedded, learner-centered,
focused approach (National Staff Development Council, 2000).
Professional Learning Community (PLC): Educators committed to working
collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better
results for the students they serve. PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved
learning for students is continuous job-embedded learning for educators.
School Reform A plan or movement which attempts to bring about a systematic change in
educational theory or practice across a community or society.
Student Achievement: A standard measure of student accomplishment based on
predetermined learning outcomes.
Organization of the Dissertation
This dissertation is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 of this dissertation presented
an overview which included the introduction, the statement of the problem, the background of
the study, the purpose of the study, the significance of the study, the research questions, the
theoretical framework, and the definition of the terms.

10
Chapter 2 is a summary of aspects of the literature related to teacher professional
development, teacher community, and PLCs.
Chapter 3 contains a description of the methodology of the study used in gathering and
analyzing data and specifically includes the following elements: research design, sample, data
collection, and data coding used. It also includes a description of the organization of data.
Chapter 4 describes the detailed findings of the study and offers an analysis of the data
found. Grounded Theory was used, in addition to studies, as the framework for developing an
understanding of the data gained from interviews with the study participants.
Chapter 5 provides a discussion of the findings from the perspective of the theoretical
framework and research questions used in the design of the study, and offers conclusions,
recommendations, and suggestions for future research in the field of professional development
for teachers.

11
CHAPTER 2
Review of the Literature
The teacher community offers an ongoing setting for teacher learning (Grossman, 2000).
When teachers collectively question ineffective teaching routines, examine new conceptions of
teaching and learning, find generative means to acknowledge and respond to differences and
conflict, and engage actively in supporting one another’s professional growth, researchers
hypothesize that the conditions for improving teaching and learning are strengthened (Little,
2003). Within the last twenty years, there has been very little literature produced in the area of
teacher community, teacher professional development, and professional learning communities as
they relate to urban school reform and the influence on teacher learning and student
achievement. In this study, teacher learning was examined from within a professional learning
community centered on learning rather than teaching, working collaboratively, and developing
accountability for student learning (DuFour, 2004).
Reform initiatives have set the tone for teachers being asked to master new skills and
responsibilities and to modify their practice to better support student learning (Corcoran, 1995).
Teacher professional development is the intervention being made in urban school reform. The
literature examined for this study addresses aspects of the body of knowledge on teacher
professional learning. The first section of this literature review discusses teacher professional
development; the second section discusses teacher learning; the third section defines and
discusses teacher community; and the fourth section discusses professional learning communities
(PLCs).
Documentation
The search of the literature for this study was initiated by using the general terms
“teacher community,” “teacher communities,” and “teacher professional development.” The

12
search was refined by using more specific terms such as “teacher learning,” “communities of
practice,” and “student achievement.” Articles were selected from electronic databases such as
JSTOR and ERIC through the University of Southern California Library System, as well as from
the following selected journals: Teachers College Record, Journal of Teacher Education,
Teaching and Teacher Education, Theory into Practice, Teaching Education, Educational
Researcher, and Harvard Education Review. I focused specific attention on the work of Linda
Darling-Hammond, Pamela Grossman, Judith Warren Little, and Anne Lieberman because of
their prominence and scholarly work in the areas of teacher learning and professional
development. I gave additional attention to Richard DuFour’s work because of its popularity
with practitioners in the field.
Literature Review
During the past decade, an expanding corpus of literature has emerged on teacher
professional development, teacher learning, teacher community, and professional learning
communities. This literature review focuses on these areas and their implications for teacher
learning and student achievement. The literature reviewed suggests that in order to foster high
student achievement, a teacher’s role is very important. This increases the importance of
professional development for keeping teachers informed about current research and providing
new tools to enhance classroom instruction and improve student learning and performance.
Professional development in the form of a teacher community offers a variety of professional and
educational growth opportunities to address the diverse learning needs that exist among teachers
and assist in bridging the gap between standards and achievement.
Teacher Professional Development
The educational reform movement in the United States has established goals for student
learning (Hilda Borko, 2004). There are many factors that will help reach those goals. A

13
fundamental shift in what children learn and how they are taught is an effort that has been
launched by national, state, and local policymakers and educators in order to improve education
(Garet et al, 2001). In order to transform student learning, changes in classroom practices are
warranted. In order to make these changes, learning by teachers is necessary and must be
supported and facilitated. Teachers are at the core of change, which means that they are required
to meet high standards in the classroom (Garet et al, 2001). The qualifications and effectiveness
of a teacher plays a large part in the success of ambitious education reform initiatives. Teachers’
participation in professional development is essential to efforts to improve schools and meet
reform agendas (Borko, 2004).
School reform agendas are not new. They have been in existence for decades. However,
there has been a shift from what the student should know and be able to do, to what the teacher
should know and do to teach students. It has been agreed upon among policy makers that the
quality of the nation’s schools rests on the quality of the nation’s teachers (Feiman-Nemser,
2001). The skills and concepts that students learn come directly from the teachers and, because
of that, teachers must focus on delivery of lessons and must themselves continue learning from
their practice. Feiman-Nemser (2001) opines that if schools are to produce more powerful
learning on the part of the students, more powerful learning opportunities are needed for
teachers.
A well grounded proposal places serious and sustained teacher learning at the center of
school reform. Discussions and debates among education scholars have centered on a
professional learning continuum from pre-service teaching to in-service teaching. Feiman-
Nemser (2001) proposed a framework for thinking about teacher learning curriculum over time
by conducting literature reviews and from her own study and knowledge of teacher education.
Her framework recommends professional development as a vehicle for teacher learning.

14
Professional development is considered a key means for deepening teachers’ content
knowledge, cultivating and impacting their teaching practices (Desimone, Porter, Garet, Yoon,
and Birman, 2002). Since professional development has characteristics that affect teaching
practices, it is believed to be the foundation of systematic reform efforts to increase teachers’
ability to meet high standards. Desimone, Porter, Garet, Yoon, and Birman (2002) examined the
effects of professional development on teachers’ instruction. Using a purposefully selected
sample of approximately 207 teachers, from 30 schools, from 10 districts and within 5 states,
they looked at the characteristics of teachers’ professional development and its effects on
modifying teaching practices in mathematics and science. During the three-year longitudinal
study, they found that professional development focused on certain instructional practices
increased the teachers’ use of those practices with their students. Specifically, they found that
active learning opportunities increased the effect of professional development on teaching
practice.
Professional development for teachers is an essential apparatus for improving classroom
instruction and student achievement (Yoon, Duncan, Lee, Scarloss, & Shapley, 2007). While it is
certain that many professional development models are in place, there are very few that are of
high quality, distinguished by coherence, active learning, sufficient duration, collective
participation, focus on content knowledge, and with a reform rather than traditional approach.
With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the dearth of high quality
professional development for teachers is being recognized. Yoon, Duncan, Lee, Scarloss, &
Shapley, (2007) described high quality professional development as comprised of the following
five criteria:
1. sustained, intensive, and content-focused

15
2. aligned with and directly related to state academic content standards, student
achievement standards, and assessments
3. improves and increases teachers’ knowledge of the subjects they teach
4. advances teachers’ understanding of effective instructional strategies founded on the
scientifically based research
5. evaluated regularly for effects on teacher effectiveness and student achievement.
The ultimate purpose of professional development under NCLB (2001) is to link professional
development, teacher learning and practice, and student learning. However, Yoon, Duncan, Lee,
Scarloss, & Shapley, (2007) suggest that showing whether professional development translates
into gains in student achievement poses tremendous challenges. These challenges are
demonstrated by the few meticulous studies that address the effect of professional development
on student achievement. By contrast, there is more literature on the effects of professional
development on teacher learning and teaching practice (Yoon, Duncan, Lee, Scarloss, &
Shapley, 2007).
Productive teacher professional development consists of activities that have features
geared toward increasing teacher knowledge and changing teacher practice. Specifically,
productive professional development is characterized by long duration with follow-up,
participation of groups of teachers from the same school or department, focus on content, active
learning opportunities, and coherence consistency with other goals and activities. Based on a
national probability sample of district professional development coordinators in districts that
received federal funding from the Eisenhower Professional Development Program, Desimne,
Porter, Birman, Garet, and Yoon (2002) examined the policy mechanisms and processes that
districts can use to provide high-quality in-service professional development for teachers. They
found that specific management and implementation strategies, such as aligning professional

16
development to standards and assessments, continuous improvement efforts, and teacher
involvement in planning, are associated with the provision of higher quality professional
development for teachers.
Relevant professional development and training opportunities are important in the
survival of the new teacher and it must come early in the teacher’s career (Morgan & Kritsonis,
2008). Professional development must be early, engaging, regularly repeated, and monitored for
implementation. School site leaders such as principals can integrate into teacher professional
development other critical components to building teacher quality and commitment, such as on-
site certification preparation, graduated retention bonuses, and most importantly, weekly formal
and informal interactions between the principal and new teachers.
Teacher professional development for novice teachers needs to be offered early and it
should be systematic (Morgan & Kritsonis, 2008; Cole, 1990). In a longitudinal research study of
teacher development, Cole (1992) investigated the perspectives of three beginning teachers. As a
result of interviews with the three teachers, she noted that new teachers are aware of the
necessity for support as they learn and develop their professional skills. It was further found that
new teachers required for themselves ongoing assistance. However, the teachers did not want
the professional development opportunity to be generically prescribed, monitored, and controlled
(Cole, 1992).
In a review of more than 1,300 studies that set out to address the impact of teacher
professional development on student achievement in core academic subjects, only nine reported
a positive impact (Wilson & Berne, 1999). These nine reports found that teachers who receive
meaningful and relevant professional development increased their students’ achievement.
Meaningful and relevant professional development “deepen teachers’ knowledge of the subjects
being taught; sharpen teaching skills in the classroom; keep up with developments in the

17
individual fields, and in education generally; generate and contribute new knowledge to the
profession; and increase the ability to monitor students’ work, in order to provide constructive
feedback to students and appropriately redirect teaching (The National Commission on
Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000).
Relevant and meaningful professional development provides teachers with content and
pedagogical learning to strengthen their professional knowledge and skills. A central
characteristic of powerful professional development is that it is dynamic and engaging.
Meaningful and relevant and professional development supports teachers in gaining the
knowledge and skills that are at the heart of developing high performing schools, and improving
student learning (Noyce, 2006).
Powerful professional development has at least five positive outcomes for teachers
(leadership, increased content knowledge, decreased turnover, creates a community of learners
and improves the quality of questioning) which support the ultimate goal of improvement to
student learning.
Teacher Learning
Understanding how teachers learn is at the heart of meaningful and relevant professional
development. There are different conceptions of teacher knowledge that are closely related to
teacher learning. Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999) described these conceptions of teacher
knowledge as including knowledge-for-practice, knowledge-in-practice, and knowledge-of-
practice. Knowledge-for-practice is founded in the awareness of the association between
knowledge and practice. Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999) present this as the most prevalent
concept in teacher learning. The premise of knowledge-for-practice is that teachers who know
more subject matter, educational theory, pedagogy, and instructional strategies are better
prepared for learning teaching practice. The essential idea is that highly skilled teachers have

18
deep knowledge of their content areas as well as effective teaching strategies that support
developing powerful learning opportunities for students. Teachers learn this knowledge during
pre-service teacher preparation and professional development opportunities.
The second conception is knowledge-in-practice, which Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999)
described as knowledge in action. This is based on the idea that knowledgeable teachers
demonstrate their teaching competency through practice and by making high-quality decisions
and sound judgments in the interest of student learning. Through this concept, it is also presumed
that teachers learn when they have a chance to study and reflect on their own practice.
The third and final premise of teacher learning is knowledge-of-practice. Knowledge
making from this perspective is understood as a pedagogic act. Knowledge is not a separate
entity from practice. Its basis is that teachers across the professional experience spectrum play
vital and significant roles in generating knowledge of practice by making their classrooms and
schools sites for examination, connecting their work in schools to greater issues, and taking a
serious standpoint on the hypothesis and inquiries of others (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999).
Based on this concept, Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999) argue that teacher networks, inquiry
communities, and other school-based collectives allows teachers and other professionals to
connect their attempts to create knowledge. Knowledge-of-practice comes from inquiry about
teaching, learners, and learning.
Current initiatives in teacher learning propose that in order to improve teacher learning,
observable and politicized attempts to improve pre-service teacher education and professional
development are warranted. The teacher is a valid knower of practical knowledge (Cochran-
Smith & Lytle, 1999). Experienced teachers have and can work with pre-service student teachers
and in-service teachers to teach by example about the realism of everyday life in the classroom.
They are knowledgeable about subject matter and pedagogy, understand how to reflect on and

19
learn from their practice, and know how to participate in learning situations. These relationships
can take place through mentoring, inquiry groups, or communities of reflective practitioners.
Currently, educational attention is on teachers learning in inquiry communities, teacher study
groups, or action research projects. These efforts expand teachers’ roles as decision makers,
consultants, curriculum developers, analysts, activists, and school leaders (Cochran-Smith &
Lytle, 1999).
Each of the knowledge concepts constructs the role of the teacher as knower and agent in
the classroom and in larger educational context. These conceptions also raise some noteworthy
points for teacher learning. In understanding and analyzing the three conceptions, “inquiry as a
stance” illuminates as a new construct. “Inquiry as a stance” spotlights the relationships of
inquiry, knowledge and professional practice. Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1999) point out that this
construct is aligned to the 21
st
century’s educational climate of teacher learning in communities.
Teacher Community
Teacher Community is a form of a professional community (Grossman, Wineburg, and
Woolworth, 2001). Grossman, Wineburg, and Woolworth (2001) further indicated that a
professional community is concerned with their clientele and the improvement of professional
practice is the most common rationale in formulations of teacher community. Darling-Hammond
& Sykes (1999) says that a teacher community must be considered if teaching is to truly emerge
as a learning profession and teacher learning and development hinges on improvement of student
learning and subject matter. Cody (2009) further states that “To ensure that mandated education
reforms are carried out, classroom teachers immerse themselves in the subjects they teach and
are able to communicate basic skills and to develop advanced thinking and problem-solving
skills among their students” (p. 15).

20
Teachers, whether they are new or experienced, are professionals within a field where
they interact with people, places and things, and engage in a lifetime of learning. The workplace
is a setting for professional growth of individuals (Cole, 1992). Teachers learn about themselves
and their colleagues; within the workplace, teachers create and cultivate relationships. Cody
(1992) purported that the relationships that are formed promote growth both personally and
professionally. When new teachers begin their work within the school context, often it is a
challenging time where they experience frustrations, a sense of their own and the institution’s
shortcomings and, hopefully, feelings of fulfillment and strength. At the start of their careers,
teachers build relationships with other teachers that help them discover innovative and improved
ways of performing their jobs.
Professional Learning Communities
Teacher community is a system where teachers work collectively to develop inquiries
about their teaching performance that can be investigated through research. Teachers regularly
employ new practices and then reflect on how student learning transforms as a result. These
lessons are shared which results in valuable practices shifting the entire school community
towards improving student achievement (Cody, 2009).
The teacher professional community has sparked an interest among districts and school
sites as part of practitioner and scholarly efforts to enhance student learning (Byrk, Camburn &
Louis, 1997). Using data from a large urban school district, Bryk, Camburn and Louis (1997)
empirically tested the influence of structural, human, and social factors on school-based
professional community and the degree to which such developments support productive
organizational functioning. Data were obtained from a survey of public school elementary
teachers in Chicago administered during spring 1994 to 5,690 teachers in 248 elementary
schools. Bryk, Camburn and Louis (1997) surmised that teacher professional communities were

21
centered on three core practices: reflective dialogue among teachers, deprivatized practice, and
peer collaboration. Their findings also highlighted the importance of small school size as a
structural factor.
School systems are organized bureaucratically and have a difficult time changing
(Lieberman, 2000). However, changing the way people work, communicate, and learn in schools
is necessary to address reform agendas. New conceptions and practices to foster teacher learning
have evolved. An educational reform network is another new concept and practice like teacher
research groups, collaborative school-university partnerships, and professional communities in
school. An educational reform network is a community of practice; “Aiming to build capacity to
implement and sustain reform efforts and achieve dramatic improvements in educational
outcomes for all students (ICF International). Lieberman (2000) studied educational reform
networks and found that they are flexible, borderless, and innovative. Educational reform
networks generate a shared setting, centered endeavors, and built agendas that cultivate and
transform with their participants.
Ann Lieberman (1996) found that educational reform networks offer teachers and
administrators an opportunity to talk about their work and confront problematic issues in an
environment of trust and support. In her article, Creating Intentional Learning Communities
(November, 1996), she discusses how educational reform networks are fast becoming an
important alternative to conventional modes of teacher and school development.
Ann Lieberman and Maureen Grolnick (1996) researched the popularity of educational
reform networks by examining three networks created at the National Center for Restructuring
Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCREST, Teachers College, Columbia University). They
furthered their study by examining 13 additional networks. The conclusion of their examination
provided some answers about why and how reform networks have grown into a significant

22
element in the reform of U.S. education. Lieberman (1996) uncovered three aspects of
educational reform networks:
1. Educational networks are learning communities.
2. Educational networks have flexible activities with responsive structures.
3. Educational networks bring about a culture of continuous inquiry.
The heart of being a part of a reform network is the ability for teachers and administrators
to share and discuss their teaching practices. Staff members are able to solve immediate
problems of practice and to delve into issues in great complexity in an environment where there
is support. Educators also are exposed to innovative ideas from their peers. Education reform
networks offer ways of operating that embrace teaching, learning, and leading, which creates a
constructive community: a group of professionals engaged in a common struggle to educate
themselves so that they can better educate their students (Lieberman, 1996).
Education reform networks are flexible; participants are willing to change or try different
things, which allows for creativity. In addition, education reform networks are responsive. The
responsiveness of the network provides for a more developmental approach to adult learning by
empowering members to voice their approval or disapproval, by building commitment to the
network rather than to a particular activity, and by encouraging a more personal and professional
involvement of members in their own learning (Lieberman, 1996). Educators have an
opportunity to learn from and teach each other. Although their specific activities may differ, all
networks offer forms of adult learning that support the needs of members who seek organizations
that recognize and respect what they know and do (Lieberman, 1996).
Education reform networks encourage continuous inquiry. Educators increase learning
and professional competence. This would include, task groups engaged in action research, teams
writing school-based plans, teachers discussing assessment problems online, or networks

23
assisting schools that are restructuring their approaches to teaching and learning (Lieberman,
1996). No longer are participants passive observers, but active participants.
Studying reform networks, collaboratives, external partnerships, and school communities
teaches a great deal about the organizational conditions and practices that support and sustain
teacher learning over time (Lieberman, 2000).
Building a collaborative culture takes time and requires special effort. Some teacher
communities have been built upon specific characteristics and qualities such as communities of
teacher-researchers. Cochran-Smith and Lytle (1992) studied teacher research in schools. In their
study, they found that there is a growing support for the idea that research by teachers about their
own classroom and school practices is a functional and powerful form of professional
development.
It is important to the creation of a collaborative culture that school organization is
effective and purposeful (Cherubini, 2008). The manner in which schools are systematized
sways the collective actions of the stakeholders. A formalized school organization has
established goals and boundaries of human activity (Cherubini, 2008). Communities of
professional practice and collaboration in which the members of the organization participate in
the creation of knowledge should define school organizations.
Certain conditions, such as organizational systems, should be established in order for
teacher community development to be successful. In a study conducted by Marisa Cannata
(2007), it was hypothesized that the organizational context of charter schools facilitated the
formation of strong teacher community. Particularly, the 1999-2000 Schools Staffing Survey was
used to evaluate the teacher community in charter public and traditional public schools. By using
the Schools and Staffing Survey, an estimation of the outcomes of different charter guidelines
and domains of school autonomy on teacher community was calculated. Cannata (2007) made

24
several suggestions based on her analysis. She found that, particularly, a focused mission and
increased control over teacher hiring lead to stronger teacher professional communities. Also, the
charter schools in the study had certain characteristics; these charter schools had a supportive
principal, teachers who were encouraged to make decisions, and smaller school size. In addition,
teachers in these charter settings had flexibility over tenure requirements and the school budget
report.
The ways which teachers interact outside of their classrooms may be critical to the future
of school restructuring on student learning. Louis, Marks, and Kruse (1996) developed a
framework for analyzing teacher professional community within schools. Using data from eight
elementary, eight middle, and eight high schools across the United States which demonstrated
progress in organizational restructuring, Louis, Marks, and Kruse (1996) examined school
attributes that support the development of a professional community where teachers take
responsibility for student learning. The researchers conducted onsite visits and teacher surveys.
They found that teachers’ working conditions and indicators such as the individual’s job
satisfaction and the school’s sense of professional community are the main factors linked with
responsibility for student learning. They also found that most national, state, and local policies
designed to amplify teachers’ job performance are misdirected. In addition, professional
development is less important in producing professional community but is important for
enhancing student learning (Louis, Marks, & Kruse, 1996).
Studies building upon research on teacher professional communities are growing. One
particular type of school-based professional community aimed at furthering members’ capacities
to take on instructional enhancement and school-wide improvement is the Critical Friends Group
(CFG), founded in 1994 by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. Using the data which
included observations of CFG meetings, interviews with teachers and administrators, and

25
document collection, Curry investigated the practices of six school-based oral inquiry groups
known as CFG, which were selected as cases of mature professional communities. CFG
members seek to increase student learning and achievement through ongoing practice-centered
collegial conversations about teaching and learning (Curry, 2008). By spotlighting the
connection between student, teacher, and subject matter, CFGs rest on the assertion that
classrooms should be the center of school restructuring effort and that teachers should pilot
educational modification (Curry, 2008).
Curry (2008) used CFG as a conceptual framework that drew upon theories of
community of practice and community of learners. Her study analyzed how teachers’
professional inquiry communities at the high school level constituted a resource for school
reform and instructional improvement. The research focused on reforming a comprehensive
urban public high school with site-based management. Results from the study indicate that CFGs
augmented teacher community relationships, improved their consciousness of research-based
practices and reforms, increased their school-wide knowledge, and fostered their ability to
embark on instructional improvement.
As a result of the current educational climate of high-stakes accountability, public school
districts are struggling to improve teaching and learning for all students and finding effective
professional development approaches for teachers are a high priority (Wood, 2007). Learning
communities (LCs) have been successful in fostering teacher collaboration. Teacher learning
communities refers teachers learning within a community of teachers focusing on projects,
programs, cooperatives, and collaboratives of prospective or experienced teachers in an effort to
support the ongoing education of the participants (Au, 2002). This type of professional
development depends on teachers taking control of their work, releasing tacit knowledge and
expertise, developing critical judgment, and taking full responsibility for student learning.

26
Wood (2007) suggested that teacher LCs are a catalyst for change. She explored four
themes:
1. Defining and fostering teacher agency.
2. Determining purposes for teacher collaboration.
3. Tracking the challenges and impact on district culture.
4. Identifying enabling and constraining institutional and policy conditions.
Conducting her study in a mid-Atlantic city in the United States, Wood (2007) selected a district
that faced the challenges of closing the achievement gap between middle-class and poor children,
developing culturally responsive educational practices, providing adequate resources in uncertain
economic times, and meeting increasing federal and state accountability demands. The district
superintendent, administrators, principals, instructional coaches, and teachers volunteered as
research participants for the study. Over a period of two and a half years, data which consisted of
site-visit interviews, focus groups, observations of LC participants’ meetings and classrooms,
email correspondence with several key players, observations of LC coaches’ trainings, and
reviews of relevant documents were collected. According to Wood (2007) analysis of the data
revealed that most of the participants did not claim a connection between their collaborative
work and student learning Efforts to enhance teacher efficacy appeared to be hampered by high
stakes accountability policies requiring compliance.
Professional collaboration shows potential for improving teacher and student work
(Wheelock, 2000). Such professional collaboration includes teachers collectively examining
student work, developing new assignments, discovering strengths and weaknesses in classroom
practices, evaluating school data and research, and charting new expectations for students.
Central to this process is teachers asking each other challenging questions.

27
The research seems to indicate that if educators commit to coming together to develop
routines of collegial practice, teaching and the quality of students’ learning will improve. The
research emphasizes that professional learning best serves goals of student academic progress
when teachers learn together in the context of their own classrooms as a natural part of their
school day (Wheelock, 2000).
According to Graham (2007) education has been an important issue in the United States
for many years. The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 pushed concerns of
teaching and learning to the forefront of American awareness. The nationwide debate over the
most effective means of improving K-12 education includes issues as far ranging as the
guarantee of new technologies, creating market competition by means of school vouchers, and
the use of high-stakes accountability testing (Darling-Hammond, 2000).
By tradition, attempts at teacher improvement at the district and school levels have been
grouped under the formal header of professional development which historically have consisted
of school, district, or conference based workshops (Ball, 1996). Yet, some schools have begun to
look at other reform-type professional development activities that go past the more customary
teacher in-services. Examples of these alternative types include study groups, professional
networks, and mentoring relationships (Graham, 2007). Many researchers and experts have
proposed that these reform-type activities respond more effectively to teachers’ needs and offer a
greater tendency to direct changes in teacher instructional behaviors. However, valuable and
reliable school-based professional development programs are uncommon.
Rick DuFour (2004) advanced the idea of alternative professional development. He
suggested that teacher improvement should be approached through larger organizational
management strategies. Within this model, a school leader addresses teacher improvement
creatively, encouraging actions such as teacher collaboration, dialogue, and reflection through

28
organizational structures and anticipations. With this model implemented, professional
development becomes a part of daily routines, indistinguishable from normal organizational
performances. According to DuFour (2004), the best staff development occurs in the workplace,
not in a workshop. DuFour’s (2004) new model creates schools which function as professional
learning communities (PLCs).The PLC model consists of the following:
1. Shared mission, vision, and values.
2. Collective inquiry.
3. Collaborative teams.
4. Orientation toward action and a willingness to experiment.
5. Commitment to continuous improvement.
6. Focus on results.
Professional learning communities offer a chance for teachers to learn and think
collectively in order to improve their practice in ways that will lead to student academic success.
In order for this improved student learning to happen, teachers must work in groups, study
teaching and learning, make use of and generate ideas for improving practice, put these ideas
into action, and study the results. Bruce Joyce (2004) proposes that these practices will create the
school as a professional learning community.
Members of professional learning communities are action oriented; they move quickly to
turn aspirations into action and visions into reality (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2006).
Professional learning community members constantly search for a better way to achieve goals
and accomplish the purpose of the organization. Their members focus on results rather than
intentions.
The first goal of the current reform movement is for schools to be seen as learning
organizations and professional communities (Louis, Kruse, and Raywid, 1996). An immense

29
focus on teachers’ work is the key element of this reform effort. Needed changes in a school’s
culture and the daily practice of teachers as professionals are emphasized. The school’s reform
movement is then able to concentrate on the teaching and learning process (Louis, Kruse, and
Raywid, 1996).
Schools that operate as professional learning communities are made up of teachers and
administrators who are open to sharing their learning practices. The purpose of their individual
and collaborative effort is to advance their effectiveness as educators in order to improve student
learning (Cherubini, 2008). The professional learning communities’ concept is increasingly
recognized as the most powerful strategy for sustained substantive school improvement. The
paradigm of PLCs is that all educators continuously make inquiries to improve teaching and
learning.
The theoretical basis for professional learning communities emerged from organizational
theory and human relations literature (Huffman, 2003). Huffman (2003) studied established and
less established communities of learners to uncover the role of shared values and vision,
discovering how both have been essential in professional learning community development. She
defined established schools as communities that have purposefully created a school culture over
time founded on unambiguous goals, instructional approaches, student success, and results. She
referred to less established schools as organizations that are beginning to create the
infrastructures and links to support school improvement. Huffman (2003) found that there is a
contrast between more established professional learning communities and less established
professional learning communities. In her 5-year national study on creating professional learning
communities within schools, she gathered data from principals and teachers in 18 schools. Her
findings suggested that shared leadership, shared vision, collective learning, supportive

30
conditions, and shared personal practice are important dimensions for student success and school
improvement.
One of the most important strategies for improving student achievement and creating
socially equitable, developmentally responsive schools is for the school to become a professional
learning community (Thompson & McKelvy 2007). Becoming a PLC helps schools become
more effective at collective learning.
Innovative leaders can create the conditions which give rise to the growth of
professionals within schools. By focusing their efforts on increasing learning and community
within schools, administrators can begin to address reform issues in substantial and meaningful
ways. The work of principals in the implementation of a professional learning community is key
(Louis, Kruse, and Raywid, 1996). A principal who can lead teachers’ work in meaningful
directions accomplishes an important task.
Education policy has been promoting teacher and school development. These reforms
have hypothesized that professional communities may create the environment for teachers’
collective engagement in sustained efforts to improve their practice (Visscher & Witziers, 2004).
However, Visscher and Witziers (2004) further wanted to examine whether or not subject
departments operate as professional communities, and if they had a positive impact on student
achievement. For their investigation, they focused on a middle school mathematics department.
They studied the following concepts: departmental policy and evaluation, consultation and
cooperation, consensus, decision-making, school leadership, and the department leadership. The
results indicated that the mathematics department operated as a cohesive body regulating teacher
behavior in several aspects. The researchers also found that, as professional communities, they
did not focus on improving the quality of their teachers and instruction. However, the research

31
demonstrated that some characteristics of professional communities prove to be beneficial for
student achievement, while other characteristics do not.
Summary
Studies conducted in the area of professional development and professional learning
communities are very limited. However the few research findings available confirm improving
instructional capacity in the classroom is a significant factor in raising academic performance.
Research also indicates that the sort of professional development opportunities that best improve
instructional capacity are ongoing, embedded within context-specific needs of a particular
setting, aligned with reform initiatives, and grounded in a collaborative inquiry-based approach
to learning (Senge, 1990). In addition, research shows that professional development done in a
collaborative form enhances teacher learning and students’ academic performance. Much of the
literature suggests that when schools become professional communities there are expected
benefits in terms of teacher learning, school improvement and student achievement.
At the completion of the review of literature, a defined set of research questions on which
to concentrate were apparent. The overall research question and three sub-research questions for
this study were based on the themes that were identified in the literature about professional
learning communities. Those themes were guided by Dufour’s three big ideas (2007):
1. focus on learning
2. collaboration
3. focus on results
The research questions in this study referred to how teachers learn collectively in a professional
learning community and how they apply their learning to enhance their instruction to increase
student learning. To gain insight into teacher learning in the professional learning community,
the processes of document review, surveys, archival records retrieval and review, participant

32
observations, and interviews, helped to identify areas of strengths and needs for the themes
identified in the review of literature. These provided the information needed to answer the
overarching question for this research study: Do professional learning communities promote
teacher learning and student achievement?

33

CHAPTER 3
Research Design and Methodology
This chapter describes the rationale for the design and research methodology for this
investigation of the impact of a professional learning community on teacher learning and student
achievement. An in-depth description of the participants for this study, instrumentation used,
along with data collection methods and data analysis procedures are presented in this chapter. To
explain the study process fully, this chapter has been divided into eleven sections. The eleven
sections that are presented in this chapter are: purposes overview, research questions, research
design, population and sample, site selection and demographic profile, data collection and
implementation, data analysis, trustworthiness and ethical considerations, limitations and
assumptions, role of the researcher, and summary.
Purpose Overview
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a professional learning
community on teacher learning and student achievement. The study examined how teachers
utilized what they learned in a professional learning community to enhance classroom
instruction. Finally, the impact of teacher participation in a professional learning community on
student achievement was explored. By studying a newly instituted professional learning
community and its impact on teacher learning at a school site where student achievement was
low and professional development for teachers was very limited, it was hoped that insights
would be gained on whether or not a professional learning community would foster collaboration
and learning for teachers and success for students. Further, this study investigated the
relationship between teacher collaboration and teacher learning and its association with student
success on the California Standards Test (CST).

34
Since the academic literature on this topic is limited, the intent of this study was to
generate new knowledge that can inform teacher educators, professional developers, school
district and site administrators and teachers of teacher learning practices.
Research Questions
This study was a single case study conducted collaboratively with one urban public
school site’s administrators and teachers in order to answer three research questions. The
overarching research question addressed in this study was: do professional learning communities
promote teacher learning and student achievement? The three sub-questions that derived from
the overarching research question are:
1. How will teachers learn in a professional learning community?
2. How will teachers use what they have learned as participants in a professional
learning community to enhance their classroom instruction?
3. How do students improve academically when their teachers participate in a
professional learning community?
Research Design
In order to complete this study, the researcher analyzed the implementation of a
professional learning community in practice, investigating teacher learning and student
achievement. Prior to beginning this investigation, the researcher chose a qualitative research
approach based on Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1998). Grounded theory guides the
researcher as he/she gathers and examines data and a theory surfaces from within the data. The
researcher began with research questions in mind and gathered data from multiple sources which
would lead to theoretical concepts through a method known as triangulation. In certain research
designs, triangulation may consist of qualitative and quantitative data. The data collected in this
study was qualitative and quantitative. To execute an in-depth qualitative investigation of the

35
professional learning community practices of the administrators and teachers, the researcher
conducted the investigation at the kindergarten through eighth grade school where she is
assigned as an instructional coach. This enabled the researcher to develop the most complete
understanding of daily life and to become highly involved in the experiences of the participants.
Being highly involved allowed the researcher to get the feel for how things are structured and
prioritized, how people interconnect, and what the cultural parameters are.
Insight was gained into teacher learning in the professional learning community through
the processes of document review, surveys, archival records retrieval and review, participant
observations, and interviews.
Population and Sample
This study employed purposeful sampling as the most effective approach. Purposeful
sampling helped the researcher to focus on particular characteristics of the population that was of
interest which best enabled the researcher to answer the research questions. The participants
were selected based on their knowledge and connection to the field of education. Purposeful
sampling was also employed due to limited time and resources. Purposeful sampling is founded
on the assumption that the investigator wants to discover, understand, and ascertain the
perception of the participants. The researcher therefore selected a sample from which the most
could be learned (Merriam, 1998). The unit of analysis was the professional learning community
in the school where the study was conducted.
The population for this study was twenty classroom teachers, working at an urban public
elementary school in Los Angeles County. The elementary school contained grades kindergarten
through eighth with an enrollment of 420 students. This school was actively participating as a
professional learning community. In order to access the professional learning community,
authorization for school participation in study was sought and received and a letter of consent

36
was sent to each of the prospective participants at the site where the study was to be conducted.
After permission was granted, the study was approved by the University of Southern California’s
University Park, Institutional Review Board (IRB). The participants for this study ranged from
novice to 30-year veteran teachers. A novice teacher is a beginning teacher who is new to the
field of education. Teachers who have one to three years of teaching experienced are considered
novice (Tsui, p. 22). There were four novice certificated educators and sixteen veteran
certificated educators. A veteran teacher is long experienced and practiced in the field of
education, and at least four years of teaching experience. Some of the more experienced teachers
had worked only at the site where the research was conducted; others had experience at other
schools in or out of the district. By soliciting novice and veteran certificated staff at one site, the
quality of the data gathered was enhanced by the depth of experience at a single site.

37
Table 1
Years of Teaching Experience of Teacher Participants
Teacher Number of Years Teaching Number of Years at School Site
Teacher Participant #1 20 years 17 years
Teacher Participant #2 3 years 2 years
Teacher Participant #3 2 years 2 years
Teacher Participant #4 30 years 30 years
Teacher Participant #5 2 years 2 years
Teacher Participant #6 4 years 4 years
Teacher Participant #7 5 years 5 years
Teacher Participant #8 10 years 9 years
Teacher Participant #9 25 years 25 years
Teacher Participant #10 7 years 7 years
Teacher Participant #11 15 years 15 years
Teacher Participant #12 4 years 4 years
Teacher Participant #13 6 years 6 years
Teacher Participant #14 9 years 3 years
Teacher Participant #15 21 years 20 years
Teacher Participant #16 25 years 16 years
Teacher Participant #17 19 years 15 years
Teacher Participant #18 23 years 19 years
Teacher Participant #19 6 years 6 years
Teacher Participant #20 2 years 2 years

38
Site Selection and Demographic Profile
The school selected for this study was a public school in an urban area, part of a very
small school district within Los Angeles County. The surrounding neighborhood consists of
single and multi-family dwellings. There is a middle class shopping center, along with many
other businesses within walking distance of the school. The Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX) is within approximately three miles of the school. The school’s enrollment was 420
students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school uses a traditional academic calendar.
Its faculty consisted of twenty classroom teachers, one administrator, one program coordinator,
one counselor, one instructional coach, one campus supervisor, four custodians, one resource
specialist, two instructional aides, one community liaison, two nurses, one office manager, and
two clerical aides. The school’s student ethnic population was: 63% African American, 36%
Latino, and 1% Asian. Twelve percent of the Latino population was identified as English
Language Learners. Other key student population factors: 59% were low-income students with
40% of the students’ parents having graduated from or attended college. The primary language
of most students attending was English.
This school was chosen because it was in year 5 of program improvement status and had
been sanctioned as a high priority school to offer professional development to its teachers in
order to improve student achievement. Program Improvement is what the California Department
of Education labels Title I funded schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) when adequate
yearly progress (AYP) in academics performance is not made (California Department of
Education). During the 5
th
year of Program Improvement, schools and districts that are in
Program Improvement status must implement a required restructuring plan. Being a Program
Improvement school created a unique context for studying the connection between teacher

39
learning and student achievement. The urban kindergarten through eighth grade school met the
criteria established by the researcher.
Data Collection and Instrumentation
The instruments designed to be used for this study were created to assist in analyzing and
triangulating data to develop the most trustworthy and inclusive depiction of teacher learning and
student achievement at the school being studied. The researcher developed a survey, interview
protocol, observation protocol as data collection tools (see Appendices B, C, & D) to provide
accounts of activities, performances, actions, conversations, interpersonal interactions,
organizational processes, and any other aspect of observable human experience. They were used
in this study to collect in-depth responses about participants’ experiences, perceptions, opinions,
feelings, and knowledge.
Interviews of each certificated staff member provided an essential data source that
grounded the analysis for this study. Permission to solicit participation was granted and the
researcher attended a faculty meeting where the intention of the study was explained and support
requested. All certificated staff was invited to participate in this study with participation being
voluntary and individual identities protected. Participants did not receive offers of payment or
any form of rewards. A research information form addressing the purpose of the study,
procedures, potential risks and discomforts, payment information, confidentiality, participation
and withdrawal, identification of investigators, and rights of research subjects was provided to all
participants (see Appendix A).
Because of the researcher’s relationship to Coleman Academy (pseudonym),
triangulation was used to increase the credibility and validity of the results. The purpose of data
collection was to identify universal themes or recurrences in the data through the analysis
process. All of the data collection instruments and protocols were carefully developed to

40
concentrate on the three research questions and to offer a comprehensive representation of
authentic performances. The data for this study was collected using five different and
overlapping qualitative methods: document review, surveys, archival records, participant
observations, and interviews. Data collection took place over a course of six weeks, beginning
November 9, 2010 and ending December 18, 2010.
Participants were asked to complete the Certificated Staff Professional Development
Survey for Teachers and School Administrators (see Appendix B). The purpose for
administering the survey was to obtain information about the certificated staff’s perceptions of
themselves as learners, their past and present professional development activities and the
school’s professional development culture. The single survey was administered to the entire
group of certificated staff. The survey was brief, focused, and encompassed all aspects of the
school’s certificated staff’s attitudes towards past professional development. Surveying the
teachers allowed the researcher to determine if educator perceptions of their personal skill level
in working collaboratively and focusing on academic results while implementing a professional
learning community had an effect on student achievement.
After the survey was administered, interviews were conducted individually with all
participants. Interviews are the most common way to gather data in a qualitative study (Lodico,
Spaulding, & Voegtle, 2010). The purpose of interviewing the participants was to record
feelings, perceptions, and interpretations on information that the researcher could not observe.
Face to face individual interviews were conducted in Fall of 2010 for one week beginning
November 23, 2010 through November 27, 2010. Thirty minute interviews were conducted using
an interview protocol (see Appendix C).
The interview protocol was developed in regard to professional learning community
features. The interview questions afforded insight into Coleman Academy’s certificated staff

41
member’s perceptions, opinions, attitudes, and feelings about their professional development
experiences at their school site and student achievement as a result of their participation in a
professional learning community. The questions were designed to encourage the most in-depth
answers to the study’s three questions and organized in relationship to specific research
questions so as to give support to the analysis process. The interview questions were open-ended
opinion questions relating to professional learning communities. It was hoped that this style of
questioning would encourage participants to speak candidly and unreservedly (Cohen, Manion,
& Morrison, 2002).
Each interview was audio-recorded and later transcribed. The researcher conducted the
initial examination of the interview transcripts, using a separate data table for each question and
identifying themes across each of the participants. These themes were synthesized and used as an
investigative framework with other data.
Interviews and observations tend to go together with direct explanations of what is being
studied (Merriam, 1998). Participant observation was another method used to collect data during
the investigation. The participant observation enhanced the quality of data collected by other
methods. The professional learning community observations took place once each week during
the study’s six-week investigation. For this study, participant observation only involved
observing professional learning community participants. Participant observations were made of
administrators and teachers working collaboratively in professional learning communities. An
observation tool (see Appendix D) was used to gather data for the school site. The observation
protocol was an important tool for collecting data to study how educators interact and work
effectively as a PLC.
In addition, extensive field notes were completed to get as much specific information as
possible. Notes were used to document informal observations and conversations with

42
administrators, teachers, and students. These notes were used by the researcher to document
specific phenomena observed such as activities, behaviors, and events in the setting under study.
The field notes afforded the researcher meaning and understanding of the culture and setting of
the Coleman Academy.
During the six weeks of investigation, archival records, retained permanently by the
school for reference purposes, were retrieved. These archival records included staff meeting and
professional learning community agendas for the 2005 to 2010 school years. The purpose of
collecting this particular data was to compile more information regarding past and present
professional development activities. The final collection of data was a review of California
Standards Test (CST) results for Coleman Academy to identify and interpret patterns in students’
test data for 2005 to 2010. The examination of these documents helped the researcher to collect
information about student achievement before and during professional learning community
implementation.
Data Analysis
The surveys, interviews, observations, and document analysis were complementary in
this qualitative study. Even as those data collection procedures were still in process, data analysis
was underway. The data collection and analysis were executed concurrently during this
investigation. Data were transferred from the responses on the instruments to a computer file for
analysis. Through the use of a spreadsheet, the collected data were organized into specific
categories. Once the data were collected into a database, the researcher examined the information
for missing data. Data were to be considered missing if participants in the study did not provide
information in response to a particular question. In this study, all data were supplied by the
participants and there were no missing data. No participant responses were eliminated; all were

43
put into the database and used in the concluding analysis for the study. This assisted in
generating credible answers to the research questions.
The transcripts, observation logs, field notes, documents, and archival records, were
studied to identify patterns. Categorizing the data was done through a coding system which
allowed for the development and discovery of recurring patterns. The data were coded into as
many categories as appropriate. The recurring patterns made apparent the surfacing of themes
forming the structure for the study’s data analysis. As more recurrences of the same category
code were found, the researcher began to refine theories about that specific category. The
researcher’s analysis of documents was based on the themes derived from the coded interview
transcripts. The documents included in the analysis were surveys, staff meeting agendas,
professional learning community agendas and California Standards Test results. The
observations logs were also explored in combination with the themes developed from the coding
of the transcripts of the interviews.
California Standards Test scores were obtained from the school’s testing coordinator,
which were provided by the California Department of Education. The test documents were
reviewed and charted to clearly measure students’ progress toward achieving California’s state
adopted academic content standards in order to assess the academic achievement progress of
students between six academic years, 2004-2005 and 2009-2010. This time period represented
scores before and after the implementation of professional learning communities at Coleman
Academy.
The survey responses were counted, tallied, and categorized into themes. Staff meeting
and professional learning community agendas from 2004-2005 to 2009-2010 were analyzed and
also categorized into themes. Participant observation tools were analyzed for consistency. Audio
tapes of each interview were transcribed in order to summarize the data into themes. After

44
categories were refined for all data collected, coding stopped and the researcher compared
methods before and during professional learning community implementation. The researcher
reviewed and analyzed the data for common themes by comparing responses across questions.
These common themes were identified and analyzed in greater detail.
Finally, data were examined for detection of primary and secondary themes. Each
individual document from all of the individual interviews and participant observations were
fused into one document and the phrases from the participants were positioned under the related
categories and themes. Data was organized and grouped similarly into categories and then by the
related research question. The next occasion for data collection was the participant observations.
The participant observations consisted of observed ongoing activities of the participants during
the professional learning community in action at Coleman Academy by the researcher. This
examination focused on increasing an understanding of all the characteristics of the observed
practices and relationships. Throughout the observational phase, the researcher documented all
of the behaviors in the professional learning community in practice.
Grounded Theory was used as the framework for developing an understanding of the
data. The application of this theory involved several readings of the data to ascertain concepts
and associations present within the context of the data (Strauss & Corbin, 1997). The practice of
Grounded Theory has the researcher reading and analyzing data to discover themes and how they
relate to each other. Three stages of data analysis are involved in Grounded Theory: open coding,
axial coding, and selective coding (Straus & Corbin, 1998). For the purposes of this study, open
coding and axial coding were used to identify patterns, categories, and themes that contributed to
developing the study’s theory.
In this study, open coding was the initial point of analysis. With each observation and
interview, every word and sentence of the transcript from the recorded interviews were read and

45
reread in order to determine the prevailing significance of the data. The researcher also listened
to the digital recordings and followed along with the written transcripts to note the repetition of
words and phrases. Throughout this coding procedure, the words and phrases that appeared as
patterns or themes were listed in a computer file. An individual document with key phrases and
words was created for each individual interview and participant observations.
Continuing with the method of open coding, the researcher read all transcripts from the
audio files gathered during this study of the professional learning community. Pertinent words,
phrases, and sentences that repeatedly surfaced from the data were listed as potential codes or
categories. Potential associations among categories were listed and subcategories were
positioned under broad headings. Following several readings of the transcripts and listening to
the digital recordings of the professional learning community in action, I began to devise explicit
categories that surfaced from the professional learning community and the participant
observation data.
The next stage of coding, axial coding, involved relating the words and phrases that
continuously appeared in all of the individual interviews and participant observations. This
analysis of the data was performed by rereading all of the data and determining what general
themes had surfaced. This was accomplished during a continuous comparative analysis which
examined the resemblances and variations originating within the data, looking for potential
associations across the categories.
By means of the method of axial coding, categories were clustered and subcategories
developed on the basis of properties and associations that had surfaced from the data. To check
the associations I looked for specific data through the words and phrases from the participants
that would determine the categories and subcategories. From the transcribed notes, exact quotes
were useful in shaping the formation of the categories which had surfaced.

46
Trustworthiness and Validity Issues and Ethical Considerations
Trustworthiness, validity, and ethical practices were important qualities sought in
conducting this research. In order for trustworthiness and validity to exist, reliability, which
refers to the results of the measurement, must be present (Yin, 2003). The researcher performed
reliability analyses of the instruments and established validity of themes. These analyses allowed
the researcher to check accuracy and credibility of findings. The research was conducted with
well-informed permission from the participants who were made completely aware of the
intention of the study and what their participation entailed.
In reviewing the literature, some research has already been conducted on the effects of
professional learning communities. However, different populations with different variables and
factors were involved in these studies. Comparing the studies, the methods used in this
investigation had no foreseen validity or reliability issues. This study accurately reflected and
assessed the specific concept that was investigated.
The narrative sections of this study provided real-life records of the perceptions of
participants. The report and explanation of the themes offered in this study were confirmed by
triangulation of data. Triangulation was used in order to reduce the risk of making conclusions
based on a biased data source. This method required the researcher to triangulate diverse data
sources by examining support from all sources and using them to construct explanations for
themes. By seeking multiple sources of data, the researcher avoided erroneous conclusions.
Multiple sources of information increased the likelihood that data collected were trustworthy and
supported the study’s findings. Data collected from various sources was derived through the
different perceptions of the participants. The triangulation of survey, observation, and interview
data helped the researcher to avoid biases and misconceptions.

47
Maintaining confidentiality was of central importance during all stages of this study.
Protection of participants from harm and guarantees regarding the privacy and safekeeping of
research records were written into guidelines of this study and were important to its success. The
researcher was the only person who had access to all of the transcripts in their entirety and all
data were stored on the researcher’s personal laptop with password protection which only the
researcher could access. In addition, all documents (surveys, observation notes, and transcribed
interviews) were kept locked in a file cabinet in the researcher’s office. All names on transcripts
were covered with a mark and all interviewees were labeled with a code. Pseudonyms were used
to hide administrator and teacher participant’s identity. Dates of scheduled interviews and
observations were maintained in a personal log on the researcher’s laptop as well.
No other major ethical issues were foreseen. As an employee at this school site, the
researcher was especially careful to avoid skewing the findings or interpretations in any direction
and avoided placing undue influence on any of the stakeholders at the school site. The
researcher’s sole incentive was to generate a high quality investigation that would assist in
shaping teacher learning practices and inform professional development practices as a whole.
Assurances were made about the confidentiality of the survey and the recorded interviews.
Individual participants received information of relevant facts such as the primary purpose of the
research and the focus of the study. The confidentiality of the subjects was maintained and
protected. In order to ensure protection, IRB approval was initially sought to guarantee that the
study was designed in a way that assured participants were protected from harm. The researcher
acted in a professional manner and was aware of the importance of adhering to the codes of
conduct and ethical standards of the education profession. Making use of their skills as an
instructional coach (teacher leader) at the site, the researcher considered herself very
knowledgeable on how to interact professionally with adults.

48
Limitations and Assumptions
All studies have their limitations (Wallen & Frankel, 2001). This study was limited in
that it included only one kindergarten through eighth grade school in one small school district
performed for a limited duration. Observer effect was an additional limitation because
participants being observed may act differently than they do normally because they know they
are being observed. It was also important to note that the researcher that conducted the
investigation was a colleague of the participating teachers and administrators. The teacher and
administrator participants may have viewed this investigation as a support for the researcher’s
dissertation rather than as a true study.
Role of the Researcher
In this study, the researcher was the primary apparatus for data collection and analysis.
The researcher’s primary role as researcher in this study was to seek out the insights of the
participants regarding how the professional learning community impacted their learning as
teachers and impacted the academic outcomes of their students. This study employed various
methods of data collection and these data then were triangulated in order to assure validity,
reliability and to address any limitations. The researcher gathered and organized the data to
determine the impact of a professional learning community on teacher learning and student
academic achievement and to ultimately answer the research questions for this study.
The researcher’s role in this investigation was that of a participant observer with the
intention of gathering information about teacher learning and student academic achievement. The
researcher reviewed the research issues, presented the topic to the participants, and began
dialogues in order to obtain information from teachers and administrators. The researcher
conducted all interviews, observations, and located archival data and is the author of the research
questions implemented for this investigation.

49
The study was conducted with methods to ensure that the study and research were free
from bias. In order to control for personal biases in this investigation and promote validity,
safeguards were offered through triangulation of data and the implementation of specific data
management procedures. In order to construct this study the researcher obtained approval from
the school to collect data for analysis and personally invited subjects to participate in this study.
The researcher was the only one to look at the findings, a precaution taken to make sure that data
collected for this study were safe and remained unchanged or unmodified in any way.
Summary
This chapter described the methods and processes used to analyze data that generated
insight into the professional learning community processes and to determine if there is a direct
link to teacher learning and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine
how teachers learn, while working collaboratively and focusing on academic outcomes for
students, when working in a PLC. Documents, surveys, archival records, participant
observations, interviews, and student achievement data, informed by California Standards Test
scores were studied in order to determine whether there was a relationship between professional
learning community’s processes, teacher learning, and student achievement scores.
An overview of the problem, the rationale for the research design, the overarching
research question, three sub-research questions, sample population, conceptual framework, and
instrumentation were presented. To ascertain credibility and consistency, safeguards were set.
This chapter discussed the description of the data collection process, as well as the data analysis
of the evidence attained. The presentation of the findings in Chapter 4 will address the
overarching research question and the three sub-research questions.

50

CHAPTER 4
Findings
This research study provided valuable information on the impact of a professional
learning community on teacher learning and student achievement. Teacher learning was studied
at a public elementary school, kindergarten through eighth grade, where a professional learning
community was established. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a
professional learning community (PLC) on teacher learning and student achievement. The study
examined how teachers utilized what they learned in a professional learning community to
enhance classroom instruction. Finally, the impact of teacher participation in a professional
learning community on student achievement was explored. By studying a newly instituted
professional learning community and its influence on teacher learning at a school site where
student achievement was low and professional development for teachers was very limited, it was
hoped that insights would be gained on whether or not a professional learning community would
foster collaboration and learning for teachers and success for students. Further, this study
investigated the relationship between teacher collaboration and teacher learning and its
association with student success on the California Standards Test (CST). The overarching
question for the research study was: do professional learning communities promote teacher
learning and student achievement? The following sub-research questions were:
1. How do teachers learn in a professional learning community?
2. How do teachers use what they have learned as a participant in a professional learning
community to enhance their classroom instruction?
3. To what extent do students improve academically when their teachers participate in a
professional learning community?

51
To effectively study the proposed questions, data collection procedures were employed. The data
gathered was by way of document review, surveys, archival records, participant observations,
and interviews.
This chapter begins with a description of the setting and an overview of the subjects
involved in this investigation. The outcomes presented include the commonalities, discords, and
patterns exposed by the study. Patterns and themes that developed are discussed, along with the
structure of the findings presented in relation to the research questions generated to guide the
study. The conclusions drawn from the data analysis have been structured to be parallel with the
research questions for this study. A summary of the results has also been provided.
In the discussion, detailed findings have been provided. Facts were selected to represent
the results that illustrated the findings related to the three sub-research questions. These data
include quotes from participant observations and individual interviews. The findings and results
of this investigation provided insight into teacher learning within a low performing kindergarten
through eighth grade public school. The findings are presented based on the three sub-questions
guiding this research investigation.
Description of Sample
Participants were recruited from Coleman Academy, an under-performing K-8
th

configured school. A total of 20 teachers made up the teaching staff and all of them participated
in the study. All of the participants in the study were over the age of 25 and were credentialed to
teach by the state of California, holding clear authorization to teach at the elementary or
secondary level. Ten of the teachers taught grades K-6. Twelve of the teachers taught 7
th
and 8
th

grade (2 Math teachers, 2 English Language Arts teachers, 2 History teachers, 2 Social Science
teachers, 1 Physical Education teacher, and 1 Computer teacher). Their years of teaching
experience ranged from 2 years to 30 years. Their length of time at Coleman Academy ranged

52
from 2 years to 30 years. Information regarding teaching experience can be found in Table 1. All
of the participants had recently become actively involved in the professional learning community
at Coleman Academy, having had no previous experience with the professional learning
community model.
Results of How Teachers Learn in a PLC
The first research question, “How do teachers learn in a professional learning
community?” develops an understanding of the way teachers acquire knowledge in a
professional learning community setting. To examine this research question, interviews were
conducted in the week following the PLC Interview Protocol with all twenty-two certificated
staff members at Coleman Academy. For one week, individual interviews of thirty minutes were
conducted after school. Different patterns and perceptions emerged from theses interviews,
which gave a detailed account of the certificated staff’s attitude towards participating in a
professional learning community. They shared that they had a desire to keep working, helping
each other by sharing their expertise and learning from the expertise of others. The PLC
Interview Protocol (Appendix C) was divided into four categories:
1. Preliminary questions
2. Teacher learning in a professional learning community setting
3. Application of learning in a professional learning community setting during
classroom instruction
4. Professional learning community and student academic achievement.
All twenty teachers participated in the interview process for this study. Each research participant
gave their current assignment when asked their assignment as a preliminary question. When
asked how often they met with colleagues in a professional learning community, all participants

53
indicated that they met once weekly after school to exchange ideas about teaching practices and
their suggestions for student learning.
Summarizing the participants’ answers for section B of the PLC Interview Protocol, the
staff believed that their professional learning community allowed them to work collaboratively in
analyzing and improving classroom practice, resulting in student learning. The PLC empowered
them to work together to discuss learning outcomes for students, assess student achievement,
select instructional materials, plan special projects, participate in peer observation and coaching,
and pursue professional growth opportunities. Interview participant #8 described the PLC as a
group of administrators and teachers working together developing strategies, sharing
information, and thoughts for the purpose of achieving student achievement.” Interview
participant #4 declared,
As we worked together in a PLC setting, the PLC gave me an opportunity to enhance my
teaching skills. This occurred because I had the opportunity to collaborate in teams,
sharing what works best and focusing on improving student learning.
Interview participant #14, emphasizing the educational aspect of the PLC, stated that the
professional learning community is “where the teacher has become the student.” Several
participants acknowledged that the support that was established within the professional learning
community was encouraging and motivating, causing them to want to achieve at high levels.
Participants shared numerous examples of collaboration. Interview participant #13
acknowledged that support for collaboration had evolved over time:
Initially, there were negative attitudes among my colleagues towards working together
and student learning as well. But as our staff meetings began to change, and we as
teachers started to work collaboratively, beginning with the development of our school
mission, all of us became receptive towards working together.

54
Collaboration between educators at Coleman Academy has become a normal event due to
regular opportunities for engagement. This was evident in the response from interview
participant #2 who said:
We collaborate all the time. We collaborate before school, during lunch, after school,
and even on a Sunday afternoon to prepare for our work week. The professional learning
community taught us how to collaborate as educators by working on a common goal
which was beginning with revamping our vision and mission. We also shared student
portfolios and focused on how to better our work as teachers. There is a lot of collegial
support.
Participants shared numerous pertinent concepts under the umbrella of collaboration.
In a PLC, collaboration represents a systematic process in which teachers work together
interdependently in order to impact their classroom practice in ways that will lead to better
results for their students, for their team, and for their school (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many,
2006). Collaboration enables teachers to learn about various grade levels’ concepts, strategies,
and expectations. They have the opportunity to develop relationships with their peers that
support professional learning. Developing relationships generates potential opportunities for
collaboration. Participants indicated they are learning due to the multiple opportunities to
collaborate with a variety of people. Interview participant #12 pointed out:
I am learning what my students need to know and with that I enhance and advance my
instruction. This is an aid for me to make sure that my students are prepared for entrance
into the next grade level. We became a cohesive group of administrators and teachers.
We are united in our commitment to student learning. We have worked collaboratively,
[which] now we have a shared vision and mission. No longer are we isolated as teachers;

55
we visit each other’s classrooms and we are informed of different teaching practices and
data that will drive instruction and boost academic gains within our PLC.
Participants involved in this study commented that they felt a need to grow. They provided
comments supporting meaningful learning within a professional learning community. They
worked on ideas and strategies to improve student learning weekly and used it within their
classroom; further, they shared that they learn more working at school versus attending a
workshop.
Participants also shared that professional learning communities generated professional
development opportunities that pertain specifically to the needs of the individuals involved.
Participants considered the dialogue and meetings to be professional development. Interview
participant #16 indicated “we received what we needed as part of the professional learning
experience and used it within our classrooms as a part of our instructional practices.” Likewise,
interview participant #18 stated “I explore, study something different, see how it works, and use
it to meet my instructional needs.” By focusing on learning pertinent information, the PLC
inspires teachers to put into practice information they have gained. Teacher learning
opportunities are based at their school site, where they give and receive support and feedback
that participants said made learning relevant for them. Additionally, the PLC provided
professional development based on the needs of the school, making learning meaningful for the
staff.
Learning is continuous. Some of the participants believed that as members of a
professional learning community they learned something new each day. In this situation, PLCs
support professional development by creating continuous opportunities for learning because
there is ongoing engagement within a PLC. New ideas and strategies evolve constantly.
Interview participant #4 shared that “continuous collaboration helped me to believe I can learn

56
and gave me confidence. The professional learning community is a platform for continuous
learning.”
There are different parts that make up the structure of a professional learning community.
Time for learning, creating, and implementing new ideas are some of those parts. Some of the
participants indicated that the professional learning community gave them the time they needed
to research and learn strategies at their school site, which would not have normally happened at a
traditional workshop or staff meeting.
Archival Records: Staff Meeting and PLC Agendas
Archival records, which included staff meeting and professional learning community
agendas, were examined to answer research question one. For the purposes of this research, staff
meetings were simply defined as meetings of teachers, principal, or any others directly involved
with the teaching program of a school. Staff meetings allowed educators to assemble for a
common purpose which is intended to achieve a common goal. These common goals were
demonstrated through spoken interaction, which included sharing information or creating an
agreement.
In order to get a true indication of how staff meetings were structured at Coleman
Academy before professional learning communities were established, the archival records of
staff meeting agendas for the years 2005 through 2010 were retrieved. All staff meetings at
Coleman Academy were held face-to-face and facilitated by the principal, recurring during the
school year on Tuesdays from 2:30pm - 3:30pm, except during vacations and summer breaks.
The meeting locations rotated from room to room each week. Based on staff meeting agendas,
the pre-PLC meetings did not appear to focus on enhancing teaching and learning. The agendas
suggested that the staff meetings primarily focused on school business or school management
details, staff schedules, reminders of regulations, and important announcements. Agendas also

57
indicated social interactions where the staff celebrated an accomplishment, holiday, or gave
tribute to an individual. From the information on the agendas, the meetings were focused on the
management part of the day-to-day operations of the school, not on leadership or student
achievement. The agendas did not clearly state a purpose, other than to list of informational
items to be discussed.
An examination of staff meeting agendas since the implementation of professional
learning communities revealed a shift in meeting style and content. The meeting agendas since
the PLCs were established showed that there were meetings planned for learning and
collaborating. The leadership team at the school provided training during staff meetings,
demonstrating that the primary goal of the meetings was to provide a learning process for the
staff, rather than simply to convey information. Important program considerations, decision-
making discussions, strategies on how to best support a student or staff member, are items that
were discussed during these meetings. Further examination of the agendas revealed that some of
the meetings were structured as workshops focused on particular topics, spotlighting promotion
of core curriculum and academic achievement. These agendas clearly stated a purpose.
The shift in staff meeting style between those before the PLC were implemented and
afterwards shows a shift to meeting time being devoted to active learning, thereby demonstrating
the importance the leadership team placed on thinking and growing. This emphasis helped the
professional learning community develop and created a culture where learning was for adults as
well as children. The agendas reflected thoughtful planning and organization of the meeting
time, which paralleled the instructional practices that teachers were expected to bring to their
students.

58
Collaboration
During this research study, the theme collaboration emerged from the data from the PLC
Interview Protocol. Participants discovered that during the opportunities for collaboration and
collegiality, a new level of professionalism developed. The professional learning community
created a culture that supports responsibility and developed ownership towards achieving the
goals for Coleman Academy.
Collaborative environments center on the relationships and connections between and
among individuals (Harris, 2002). The opportunity to increase interactions in a collaborative
setting has promoted a continuous learning environment at Coleman Academy through their
development of professional learning communities. The participants in this study shared that
they were able to discover new ideas by accessing the diverse learning knowledge that each
teacher developed. By identifying these levels of knowledge, the participants were able to ask for
resources and support from their colleagues. The openness developed in the PLC permitted
teachers to try out new strategies and instructional approaches. The shared community they
created encouraged teachers to expand their practices because of the connections among
teachers. This collaborative participation enabled teachers to inquire about and execute novel
ideas. Professional learning communities allowed teachers to come together in comfortable,
natural settings for specialized conversation. When teams are learning, not only are they
significantly improving outcomes, but the individual members are also professionally growing
more rapidly than they could have otherwise (Senge, 1990). Through the professional learning
community at Coleman Academy, professional development was supported by peer observation.
This outcome is supported by the research, which states that valuable professional development
can be supported with facilitative coaching and peer observation (Louis and Marks, 1998).

59
Coaching and peer observations allowed teachers opportunities to receive practical ideas from
their colleagues regarding particular instructional practices.
As professionals, teachers need to focus on learning and not on the teaching regiments
(Dufour, 2004). With the ongoing collaboration of Coleman Academy’s professional learning
community, reciprocal trust developed. Teachers began to perceive other colleagues as
professionals who have developed expertise in teaching practice. As a result, the teachers learned
from each other.
Results of How Teachers Use Knowledge for Practice
The second research question, “How do teachers use what they have learned as a
participant in a professional learning community to enhance their classroom instruction?”
develops an understanding of the way teachers transfer their learning as a PLC participant into
their instructional practices with their students. To examine this question, the PLC Interview
Protocol was used. Research participants’ answers to the interviews that respond to research
question 2 are provided in this section.
A focus on student learning is one of the key characteristics of a professional learning
community. The mission, values, and vision that the school staff shares helps in making
informed decisions about teaching and student learning. The teachers interviewed reported that
they constantly gained new knowledge and ways of applying that knowledge for instruction
inside their classrooms. Particularly, by focusing on school improvement, teachers worked on
how to most effectively implement state and district adopted curriculum using instructional
practices that worked best for their students. As a result of good strategy implementation, the
teachers used applicable pedagogy that enhanced their students’ engagement during instruction.
In addition, having the support of peers through their observations helped teachers make

60
necessary modifications and respond to the varied student learning needs. Interview participant
#1 stated:
It has been an opportunity for me to participate in collaborative learning. I further
understand how to use the curriculum. I know the vision and mission of the school and
I’ve learned how to contribute and receive contributions of knowledge. My peers have
become my support group; helping me to implement state standards so that my students
are academically successful, of which they have been. They’ve improved on benchmark
assessments and the CST.
Bryk, et al. (1994) suggests that schools participating in professional learning
communities are more likely to undertake fundamental, systemic change. Schools that become
professional learning communities provide learning environments for adults and students.
Professional learning communities are being used at school sites to improve student achievement
by helping diverse staffs become teams. Many teacher participants in this study, have indicated
that they are more motivated and better equipped to meet the growing academic challenges their
students face. Interview Participant # 6 responded:
The Professional Learning Community Model has developed into a major cornerstone of
educational reform for Coleman Academy. It has driven professional discussion focused
on student achievement.
Interview participant #11 stated:
At Coleman Academy, we have begun to develop solutions to identified problems in
relation to student academic learning and achievement. We are reflecting on the
educational goals for our students and we are making adjustments and transforming our
teaching.

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Through discussion with other teachers and administrators in the professional community,
teachers' ideas of good teaching and classroom practice were defined (McLaughlin & Talbert,
2006). Interview participant #7 shared:
Our PLC has helped us to better educate the student. That is our greatest challenge. We
are meeting this challenge daily as we collaborate to dig deeper into effective teaching
and student learning.
The staff at Coleman Academy acknowledged their learning as a teacher and active
member of a professional learning community. Teachers felt supported in their own ongoing
learning and classroom practice. They engaged in a continuum of professional growth to improve
their practice. A PLC is an ongoing learning process used to help teachers build and sustain
school efforts. Through participation in professional learning communities, teachers enhance
their learning and leadership capacity while they work as members of ongoing, high-performing,
collaborative teams that focus on improving student learning (Rentfro, 2007). Interview
participant #10 also shared:
Engaging in co-teaching, team-teaching, and peer observation has been my most
valuable experience from being part of a PLC. I’ve found myself truly being a life-long
learner because the learning within the PLC group has been ongoing.
Participant Observations
When examining research question two, another occasion for data collection was the
participant observations of the professional learning community in practice. These observations
gave me the chance to study the connections, thoughts, and work within groups. Teachers were
organized into the following groups: lower elementary (K- 3) upper elementary (4 - 6) and
middle school (7 - 8). The school administrator, counselor, and program coordinator each
worked with one group, not as an evaluator or leader, but as an equal participant. Each group had

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an assigned facilitator, who was the grade level leader. All groups convened in the multi-purpose
room, but each worked separately. The researcher observed all twenty certificated staff in
activities within the PLC over a six-week period (November 9, 2010 – December 18, 2010).
Observations were made during professional learning communities’ meetings, which included
staff meetings and grade level meetings. This inquiry developed the researcher’s understanding
of all aspects of the observed practices and relationships, so as to capture what was going on
within the professional learning community. By observing participants during collaborative
activities, the researcher was able to observe, how the participants described their skills and
proficiencies, and how this lead to improved teaching practice and learning for the school’s
students.
Each teacher group analyzed student data and determined, consistent with the state
standards, areas of the school’s need. Members of the groups spoke openly about what the
students needed to learn and strategies for teaching. The teachers appeared enthusiastic when
sharing their opinions while participating in professional conversations. During the observational
stage, the researcher documented the following behaviors that were demonstrated on a recurring
basis. Participants were:
1. Affirming (through words and actions) their common educational shared values
2. Contributing ideas
3. Creating activities to improve instruction
4. Planning action based on research.
5. Planning for further opportunities to gain and improve their own knowledge.
6. Constructively criticizing.
7. Sharing, observing, and discussing teaching methods and philosophies.

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8. Focusing (via the school leadership) on shared purpose, improvement, and
collaboration.
9. Valuing the contributions of staff members.
10. Making connections between past learning and current goals.
11. Supporting teachers having autonomy
12. Having structures and opportunities for exchanging ideas.
13. Considering more than a few ways of doing something.
Teachers demonstrated a high degree of collaboration by explicitly sharing thoughts and
strategies that were effective in their classrooms. They shared their concerns and asked for
suggestions from their peers. Throughout the observational period, the researcher was able to
look at the collaboration between, and interactions of the participants, to gain an understanding
of the experiences that grew from the professional learning community.
Based on their relationships and their readiness to contribute information, it was clear that
the teachers were excited about the collaborations with their colleagues. Collaborations focusing
on teaching that supported student success was observed. The participant observations supported
and demonstrated research sub-question #2: how do teachers learn in a professional learning
community? The researcher established a professional learning community observation protocol
to guide observation of behaviors and actions that took place. The protocol served as a checklist
to record indicators of precise conduct of a professional learning community. My contribution in
the group was secondary to the position of information collector.
Continuous Learning
Data collected from the PLC Observation Protocol resulted in a framework for
continuous learning from participating in the professional learning community at Coleman

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Academy. The occasion for continuous learning and consideration of the need for transformation
helped participants develop a willingness to practice innovative approaches.
Generally, professional learning communities support professional growth by providing
ongoing opportunities for learning. The continuous learning resulting from the participation in a
PLC comes from the continuous engagement in innovative ideas and approaches. The confidence
to try new approaches is supported through the PLC. Some teachers at Coleman Academy stated
that without the structure of the professional learning community they would not have tried new
ideas. Their experience of being a part of a PLC provided them with time for learning, creating,
and implementing new ideas. Participants within this research study indicated that the PLC
allowed time for researching and learning about Coleman Academy.
Results of How PLCs Impact Student Achievement
The third research question asked: “To what extent do students improve academically
when their teachers participate in a professional learning community?” Findings from the
California Standards Test (CST) data and interviews were examined to answer this question.
The findings showed that there were significant, positive changes in student achievement at
Coleman Academy.
Professional learning communities have certain goals, one of which is to enhance
classroom practices to meet students’ needs. PLCs exist in various educational situations with the
aim of improving student achievement. At the school in this study, a professional learning
community was established with the purpose of bringing together the educational staff to engage
in continuous professional development, leading to raising student achievement. In this project,
the researcher set out to determine whether the institution of a PLC would improve student
achievement. This is demonstrated by the study’s third research question: to what extent do

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students improve academically when their teachers participate in a professional learning
community?
A school’s Academic Performance Index (API), part of California’s Public Schools
Accountability Act of 1999, measures the academic performance and growth of schools on a
single academic measure (California Department of Education). California’s Academic
Performance Index range is from 200 to 1,000, with 800 as the statewide goal for all schools.
Each year, the Academic Performance Index growth for Coleman Academy stayed within the
600 range. Even as the test scores slowly increased, the school remained at the 600 level status.
The API results were gathered from the California Department of Education, which get
their results from the California Standards Test, administered to students annually. The CST
measures students’ progress toward California’s state-adopted academic content standards in
English-Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and history-social science. This test sets
out what students should know and be able to do in each grade and subject tested (Standardized
Testing and Reporting Program).
Scores on standardized tests are one indicator of student academic performance. Insight
into improvements in student academic performance can be gleaned through comparing new
testing data with those from previous years. By comparing the current year’s information to that
from previous years, the researcher gained insight into changes in student performance.

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Figure 2. Coleman Academy report: State accountability: Academic Performance Index (API) —
baseline data: before PLC

Coleman Academy usually produced low achievement test scores. Some scholars and
practitioners argue that this could have been due to several factors such as low socio-economic
status (SES), language deficiencies, lower family educational background, lack of study
resources at home, and lack of teacher effectiveness. Amutabi (2003) discussed the impact of
socioeconomic status, language deficiencies, and family educational background and indicated
that social class, ethnicity, neighborhood, housing, and access to resource can have a negative
impact on student achievement. However, lack of teacher effectiveness has traditionally been a
central reason for low student achievement. Teacher quality is strongly related to student
achievement (Rivkin, Hanushek, and Kain 2005). Prior to the implementation of the professional

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learning community at Coleman Academy, reading of the archival documents (Academic
Performance Index Report) showed student achievement results were slowly moving up. Years
2005 to 2006, showed a 3-point growth. From 2006 to 2007, there was a 6-point growth.

Figure 3. School report: State accountability: Academic Performance Index (API) — during
professional learning community

During and after the implementation of the professional learning community, Coleman
Academy’s Academic Performance Index score increased to 700 and steadily maintained in the
700 range throughout the implementation of their PLC. Since the implementation of
professional learning communities, test scores have continued to improve at this school.
Although the school’s test scores have not met the state’s goal of adequate yearly progress, the
scores have shown observable gains when compared to the pre PLC years. (see Figure 3)

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Interview responses to questions from Section D of the interview protocol relate to the
effectiveness of the PLC as an effort at school improvement made to increase student
achievement. Staff reported that as they dedicated themselves to functioning collaboratively in
processes of cooperative examination of their teaching practices, their students achieved better
academic outcomes. Some of the teachers reported increased scores on formative and summative
assessments. Formative and summative assessments consist of statewide accountability tests,
district benchmark assessments, and everyday classroom tests.
Participation in learning communities impacts teaching practice as teachers become more
student centered (Barton & Stepanek, 2012). During the interviews, teachers indicated that
student test performances on mathematics and English language arts 6-week benchmark
assessments improved. In addition, the number of students scoring “advanced” and “proficient”
on the state exam in those same academic content areas increased. Comments from interview
participants reflected this: “Working together collaboratively and communicating to improve
student achievement, reflected in our students’ performance on examinations” (Interview
Participant #15). Likewise: “Our school wide collaboration focused on improvement and the
needs of students which significantly impacted my teaching and the learning of my students”
Interview Participant #7).
Meaningful Learning
The assessment data as reported in Figure 2 and Figure 3 was also used by the teachers at
Coleman Academy to identify growth and provided a snapshot of what the students at Coleman
Academy know and should know. The information also gave the teachers an opportunity to
discuss what can be done to meet the academic needs of their students. This information was
meaningful as reported by participants.

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Teachers seek opportunities to learn in meaningful ways (Darling-Hammond, 1996). In
order for teachers to see staff development as an occasion for learning and professional growth,
the opportunities offered need to be meaningful. Teacher’s interest in learning applicable
information inspires them to apply knowledge gained. In the case of Coleman Academy, these
opportunities were based at their school site, which presented regular support and insightful
advice. The participants’ comments in this study support the theory that a professional learning
community can create opportunities for meaningful learning. This flexibility and specificity
enabled Coleman Academy to offer professional development tailored to the school’s needs
thereby extending a sense of ownership and accountability for the learning that developed.
Meaningful learning and the sustainability of what has been learned are directly
associated. When an individual fully understands learned knowledge, the individual will
remember it and use it for the intended purpose. In review of the data, the participants in this
study indicated that the learned knowledge they received had an impact on their teaching
practices. They were able to combine the newly learned knowledge from their PLC with their
previous learned knowledge and fuse them both to implement better teaching strategies into their
daily lessons. Hence, they were able to improve on their practices that cultivate an environment
of greater academic success for their students.
For the participants, the professional learning community gatherings focused on
furthering the school’s mission and vision, which allowed staff to make their professional
development meaningful. Learning from customary workshops, as defined in this study’s
literature review, is frequently not continuous because such learning lacks relevance for its
participants, as well as for the needs of the school. Some participants shared that the professional
learning community was meaningful and they were using newly learned knowledge in their
classroom. Knowledge learned in a professional learning community setting connects with the

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needs of the school and offers teachers approaches that they can directly implement in their
classroom. The creating of meaningful learning in a school setting ensures that teacher learning
and development benefits the students and furthers the goal of improving student learning
outcomes.
Extensive Field Notes: Informal Observations and Conversations
Informal observations and conversations added to the data for this research study. This
datum was examined to answer research questions 1-3:
1. How do teachers learn in a professional learning community?
2. How do teachers use what they have learned as a participant in a professional learning
community to enhance their classroom instruction?
3. To what extent do students improve academically when their teachers participate in a
professional learning community?
These informal observations and conversations were unstructured and done in short intervals;
however, they provided additional information of what happened at Coleman Academy in
relation to professional learning communities. All results of the informal observation were
recorded and considered alongside the more formally gathered data. Informal observations and
conversations occurred in casual settings such as the staff lounge and teacher workroom.
Teaching staff were occasionally observed in conversations about the school’s professional
learning community. The conversations often took place in groups of two or more individuals.
From these informal conversations the researcher was able to observe conversations highlighting
issues and / or concerns. Table 1 documents the teachers’ comments in regards to their feelings
about professional learning communities and Richard DuFour’s (2004) core principles of PLC.
The core principles of PLCs guide schools’ efforts to sustain the professional learning
community model until it becomes deeply embedded in the culture of the school (DuFour, 2004).

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Table 2
Observation Results
Core Principles of
Professional Learning
Communities Observation Excerpts
Ensuring that Students
Learn
“We are learning because we focus on learning. Therefore, we are
accountable for our students’ learning.”
“We are doing more. I like the fact that we are involved in real
professional learning activities that will help our students learn.
We are sharing information about our students' progress so that all
of us as teachers share ownership of every child's education at
Coleman Academy.”
A Culture of
Collaboration
“I like how we work together”
“I resisted at first because I am not used to change. But
collaborating with you all as my peers has been a rewarding
experience”.
“We share our talent which is teaching. That has helped me to
learn. Learning about your accomplishments, achievements, and
even anxieties has helped me in my classroom.”
“We are more united now at our school. We are committed to
student learning.”
A Focus on Results “We are raising student achievement at our school through
conversations about student learning.”
“Each of us as teachers are focused on establishing goals to
improve our students’ current progress towards achievement.”
“Regular assessment of our students’ has now become a part of
our culture to show evidence of their progress’”

Summary
The purpose of this study was to examine how and what teachers learn as participants in a
professional learning community, how they learn, and if their students’ learning outcomes
improved. The overarching question for this study was: Do professional learning communities at
Coleman Academy promote teacher learning and student achievement? This chapter has

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presented the findings from the data as obtained from the participant surveys, interviews,
observations, and archival data.
Supported by research findings from the principles of Grounded Theory (Strauss &
Corbin, 1990), the themes that materialized from the data offered a clear context for this study to
understand the teachers’ views as they relate to professional learning opportunities, how teachers
learn, and if their students improved academically based on their learning.
Based on the data collected, there is strong evidence to support the theory that teachers at
an urban public school, kindergarten through eighth grade, learn via regular collaboration with
other teachers about their teaching practices and student data. Teachers reported an increase in
student performance from strategies learned through their professional learning community team
meetings. Informal and formal assessments of the students at Coleman Academy showed an
increase in student achievement since the implementation of a PLC. Since the implementation of
the professional learning community, students at Coleman Academy have consistently shown
growth in their achievement levels.
In final examination of the findings, three themes emerged from the data that supports
some of the goals the PLC framework:
1. Collaboration
2. Continuous Learning
3. Meaningful Learning
These themes show the perception of the teachers regarding their learning and student
achievement. The themes also describe the PLC process as a professional development
opportunity to support learning for teachers. This was supported by research findings gained
from the principles of grounded theory. Further, there is strong evidence to support a theory that
teachers learn as they actively participate in a professional learning community due to ongoing

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collaboration amongst their peers on how to promote student learning. Further discussion of
these results is presented in the subsequent chapter along with a detailed summary and discussion
of the findings, conclusions, suggestions for practice, and recommendations for further inquiry.

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CHAPTER 5
Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
This final chapter presents a summary of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations
with suggested areas for further research.
This study examined the impact of a professional learning community (PLC) on teacher
learning and student achievement by examining Coleman Academy’s administrator and teacher
participation within their PLC. The study also investigated how teachers utilized what they
learned in a PLC process to enhance classroom instruction. In addition, the impact of teacher
participation in a PLC on student achievement was explored. By studying a newly instituted PLC
and its effects on teacher learning at Coleman Academy, where student achievement was low
and professional development for teachers was very limited, insights were gained as to whether
instituting a PLC fostered collaboration and learning for teachers and success for students.
Additionally, this study investigated the relationship between teacher collaboration and teacher
learning and its association with student scores on the California Standards Test (CST). The
overarching question for this research study was: do PLCs promote teacher learning and student
achievement? The following sub-questions that were explored provided focus for this study:
1. How do teachers learn in a PLC?
2. How do teachers use what they have learned as a participant in a PLC to enhance
their classroom instruction?
3. To what extent do students improve academically when their teachers participate in a
PLC?

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The study's population included twenty-two certificated staff members of Coleman
Academy (kindergarten through eighth grade), which is located in a small Los Angeles County
school district.
The research design and instrumentations used to collect data allowed the researcher to
specifically analyze how teachers learned best as a result of their participating in a PLC process
and whether this participation caused their students to achieve greater academic success.
This chapter presents a summary of the findings from this study, including the three
themes that emerged from the project’s data. These findings are discussed in relationship to
parallel themes and the study’s research questions. These findings regarding PLCs compare
teacher learning and student achievement, discussing implications and suggestions for
professional practice. The limitations of the study are presented, as are occasions for further
investigation. In addition, conclusions from the study are discussed and recommendations are
made.
Analysis
This study examined teacher learning and student achievement in regards to PLCs. A
review of the literature discussed teacher professional development, teacher learning, teacher
community, and the teacher PLC model. Literature researched and reviewed focused on teacher
learning and student achievement as a result of teachers participating in any form of teacher
collaboration.
School administrators and teachers are at the center of educational transformation.
Opportunities for professional growth for educators working with students in the classroom are
key to educational improvement. Professional development inspires changes, and with those
changes comes the ability for an education system to evolve. Successful professional
development serves as the foundation for creating the best possible learning setting for students.

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Consequently, it is essential that district office curriculum and instructional directors, school site
educational administrators, and school site curriculum and instructional coaches construct best
practices supporting professional development for teachers. Overall, the researcher’s findings of
this study demonstrate that from administrators’ and teachers’ standpoints, PLCs do promote
teacher learning.
During data collection procedures and analyzing data from this study, themes surfaced.
The data provided valuable information by examining a professional learning community at a
kindergarten through eighth grade school in Los Angeles County with low performing students.
The PLC process, based on the theories of Richard DuFour (1998), was implemented and
functioned effectively at Coleman Academy. Using the process of selective coding, the following
three themes emerged: collaboration and continuous and meaningful learning, and change.
Collaboration
Without the collaborative skills (the ability to work effectively with others on a common
task) and relationships, it is not possible to learn and continue to learn as much as is needed to
improve the school (Fullan, 1993). Collaborative culture encourages educators to share their
knowledge in order to learn from peers, with the goal of improving student achievement. In the
case of Coleman Academy, teachers shared their skills with their peers, which permitted learning
to take place.
Study participants stated that collaboration and support in a PLC stimulated change
within the school. The participants also shared that collaborating with the school’s vision as a
guide matriculated within the classrooms and positively impacted student learning. Collaboration
transpiring from the teachers’ active participation in a PLC encouraged continual collaboration
that then supported their professional learning of successful change processes. Subsequently, this
supported educational change and improvement for Coleman Academy students.

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Learning is promoted through collaborative processes. The group of educators in this
study met regularly, shared expertise, and worked collaboratively to improve their teaching skills
and the academic performance of their students. They used their collaboration time to learn and
develop as professionals. Shirley Hord (1997), an expert on school leadership in the field of
education, suggests that inquiry promotes understanding and appreciation for the work of others,
and that inquiry helps principals and teachers create the ties that bind them together as a special
group and to a shared set of ideas. Inquiry, in other words, helps principals and teachers become
a community of learners. Participants in this study discussed how their skills and knowledge as
educators were improved through collaboration. This involved an exchange of expertise and
professional dialogue, one of the intended purposes of PLCs. Throughout the interviewing and
observation process, participants shared numerous anecdotes of occasions for collaboration and
peer support created by the structure of the professional learning community. The significance of
collaboration is demonstrated through research conducted on a PLC. This study’s participants
shared that being a part of a PLC allowed them time for collaboration. They felt that they learned
so much more collaborating with others as compared to learning independently. These
collaborations provided the basis of the PLC at Coleman Academy. Administrators and teachers
were encouraged to bring together their knowledge and learn from one another in order to
improve student achievement.
Participants believed the collaboration process was an important component of the PLC.
They stated that working together made learning significantly better, and also that the
collaboration they participated in through their PLC inspired their transformation as educators,
ultimately benefiting their students. The participants also shared that the general vision for the
school, which was at the heart of their collaboration, had an impact on student learning. Teachers
frequently referred to the fact that they were working together.

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Coleman Academy’s staff developed a shared understanding of a PLC’s concepts,
language, and processes. They knew what a PLC was, its importance, and how it operated. The
staff also knew about PLC concepts and practices. They articulated that because of their
participation in a PLC, high expectations of learning for their students became nonnegotiable.
Participants revealed that the collaboration coming out of their full participation in a PLC
regularly supported occasions for ongoing professional development which, in turn, supported
improving the general education for Success Academy students.
The participants felt motivated. They preferred the continuous professional development
due to their being part of a collaborative environment. In addition, the participants shared that
taking part in the PLC engendered a longing for each others’ knowledge. From this they gained
new ideas, classroom habits, and teaching methods. In this study, the teacher was the learner and
professional within the structure of the PLC. Specifically, the teacher was the continual learner
who offered professional development to others from the information they themselves had
learned.
Continuous and Meaningful Learning
During the study, many of the participants stated that the professional development
opportunities were meaningful for them because they were participating in conversations
applicable to their professional practices. They were able to continually question, reevaluate,
refine, and improve their teaching strategies and knowledge. This gave the study participants at
Success Academy a sense of purpose and a desire to learn. A PLC is composed of collaborative
teams whose members work interdependently to achieve common goals linked to the purpose of
learning for all (DuFour and etl, 2010). When collaboration is purposeful and goals and
objectives for the collaboration are set, PLCs become conduits for meaningful learning
opportunities. PLCs generate a situation where meaningful learning constantly happens amid

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colleagues who themselves are focused on student learning. Participants who collaborate in
PLCs should be mindful of questioning what it is that they hope to learn or gain from
participating in a PLC. The results from the participants in this study of the implementation of
Coleman Academy’s PLC support the promotion of continuous and meaningful learning among
the participants. The participants considered meaningful learning to be engagement of issues of
teaching and learning.
The level of meaning established within a PLC creates empowerment and drive.
Participants within a PLC see the need to make changes that endorse teachers’ professional
growth and student learning. During the PLC process, teachers focused on individual student
learning, utilizing research based interventions.
Learning became meaningful to the PLC participants because of their collaborative
setting. Study participants revealed that their professional development was meaningful because
it dealt with the specific needs of Coleman Academy with administrators and teachers sharing
their thoughts and ideas during professional learning activities. The environment this created was
helpful in fostering teacher learning and in promoting change. In the best circumstances, PLCs
are driven by a common purpose. The purpose for instituting Success Academy’s professional
learning community was to improve student achievement. That was the school’s vision. The
participants completely understood and agreed with this common purpose and worked
collectively to improve achievement for their students. Continuous and meaningful learning is
the foundation of the research on effective professional development. PLCs construct situations
where important, shared learning constantly happens between and or among colleagues who are
focused on the common goal which, in the case of this study, was student learning.
In analyzing the participants’ responses from the results of the interview and survey data,
the researcher noted that this PLC at Coleman Academy instilled a level of professional

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meaning. The participants felt a sense of purpose and responsibility. Participants in Coleman
Academy’s PLC identify student needs and, together, figure out how to meet them in ways that
both support student success and promote learning for themselves.
Being a part of an active PLC encourages a sense of responsibility for student learning,
which brings out a higher level of professionalism within a teacher community. Participants in
this study stated that they felt a sense of renewed leadership within themselves which initiated an
inward desire to rise to the expectations of their educational environment of giving every student
the best education through continuously learning for themselves. In addition to empowering
teachers to want to learn, PLC participation encourages a sense of responsibility to the school
community at large. Identified in this study was the motivation of Coleman Academy’s
participants to take on more leadership. These included adjunct duties and staff meeting
presentations of professional activities that created occasions for professional growth. PLC
participants focus on professional growth activities applicable to the needs of their students.
Opportunities to create understanding for instructional strategies were, in turn, put into practice
within classroom teaching lessons, which benefited the students.
Change
The PLC increased teachers’ sense of responsibility, which in turn created an
understanding of the need for transformation. The groundwork of a PLC supports the
collaborative setting being one that promotes change. Change also emerged as a theme during
this study. The participants within this study saw a need for change as a result of being in a PLC
and implemented that change. Significantly, participants interviewed shared that being a part of a
PLC helped them to become more open and agreeable to change. The collaborative environment,
which served as the PLC foundation, offered occasions for the administrators and teachers to
engage in the process of change. That process of change within the context of collaboration

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helped increase focus on the collective vision for improved student achievement. A participant
summed it up saying that the PLC at Coleman Academy really serves the school community as
the school’s improvement team.
Participants in this study stated that teachers were able to put new concepts into practice
because of their participation in the PLC. Teachers indicated that being an active participant
within their PLC was better than participating in a traditional staff development or workshop
because they were given opportunity to become change agents and felt more involved in their
own learning. They were not just receiving knowledge but were collaborating and building
knowledge together.
The complete findings of this study suggest educators learn in a collaborative setting and
students achieve due to teachers learning in a PLC. Administrators and teachers shared that
implementation of the PLC was valuable. It provided them with learning benefits that positively
affected their students. The PLC met the learning needs of the teachers and the students.
Teachers in the PLC became empowered, increasing their capacity for leadership, through
professional growth activities that were created with continuous collaboration and meaningful
learning in mind.
In addition, the results of this study offer educational leaders a chance to hear teachers’
voices regarding their participation in a PLC. The expressions of the participants in this
investigation argue that PLCs provide real opportunities to learn in ways that improve student
achievement.
Implications
A single investigation cannot offer universal evidence for the efficacy of PLCs. However,
the outcomes of this study have the potential to impact practice of educators’ learning as well as
learning for the students they teach. The findings from this investigation support the existing

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research on teacher learning and student achievement in relation to PLCs. DuFour et al (2006)
states that:
In a PLC, collaboration represents a systematic process in which teachers work together
interdependently in order to impact their classroom practice in ways that will lead to
better results for their students and for their team. It is vital that educational frontrunners
initiate the process of implementing changes that will support ongoing professional
learning for teachers. In doing so, this will promote substantive school reform that will
impact student learning. (p. 3)
In this moment, it is important that educational leaders initiate the practices that will support
continuing professional development for educators. PLCs can support school improvement that
promote student learning. PLCs can also be developed in teacher preparation programs at
colleges and universities. This could offer future educators opportunities to learn the skills and
gain the information needed to implement PLCs in the schools where they are placed. In
addition, department chairs and teachers within teacher education programs can benefit from
PLCs. They might also be created within school district office settings. District leaders can also
continuously collaborate and explore ways to improve student achievement by ways of
examining research based strategies.
The data collected during this study shows that the PLC at Coleman Academy supported
collaboration, meaningful learning, and student achievement. The results of this study contribute
to the field of education by giving teachers’ viewpoints about how the PLC at Coleman
Academy impacted their learning in positive ways. In addition, using their new-found
knowledge, the participating teachers can improve what they do in the classroom to better serve
their students. Teachers are at the forefront of educational transformation so it is important that

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professional development opportunities are afforded them in the best ways possible. Active
involvement in a PLC may be an effective method for school improvement.
Recommendations for Further Research
As a result of the findings listed in this study, opportunities for further research emerged
in the areas of teacher learning and student achievement. In this study, relationships surfaced.
There was an association between teacher learning and student achievement. Further study on the
effect of teacher learning and student achievement could be compelling in the field of education.
Additional case studies on PLCs will strengthen this corpus of PLC research as well as fostering
future discussions on professional growth regarding teachers and student achievement.
Teacher learning and student achievement were looked at; however the role of
administrators might be looked at as well. What is their definite role within a PLC and what
impact do they have? Future studies which investigate the role of the administrator in the
execution of PLCs could offer a deeper understanding of how the PLC functions. During this
study, the administrators who also were participants shared their experiences as being a part of
the PLC. They indicated that they saw growth among their teachers and growth among student
achievement. However, what was not explored was how they benefited from being part of a
PLC. Further study of this could be fruitful.
Conclusion
The results of this study indicate that teachers recognize PLCs as occasions for
professional development. PLCs offer opportunities to learn from peers in order to enhance
teaching practices in support of student achievement. Teachers in this study learned through
collaboration, and then their students learned because their teachers learned. Collaboration and
continuous and meaningful learning, and change were the three themes that emerged from this
study.

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Teachers, as previously stated, are the mainstay for student achievement. What teachers
know, and what they do with what they know, is of great significance. It is certain that schools
should continuously implement professional development opportunities so that teachers can
constantly learn and grow as professionals. From the findings of this investigation, an active PLC
is a valuable platform for teacher learning and student success.

85
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91
APPENDIX A
RESEARCH INFORMATION SHEET
University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by investigator La Royce Murphy,
Ed.D candidate. You were selected as a possible participant in this study because you are a
certificated educator who is participating in a professional learning community (PLC) at your
school site. Your participation is voluntary. You must be age 18 or older to participate. Please
take as much time as you need to read this information sheet. You may also decide to discuss it
with your family or friends.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
This study is designed to investigate the effects of a professional learning community on teacher
learning and student achievement. Specifically, the impact of being part of a PLC on teacher
learning will be examined. The study will also examine how teachers utilize what they learned in
a PLC to enhance classroom instruction. Finally, the impact of teacher participation in a PLC on
student achievement will be explored. The information gained may be used to add to current
research on the effectiveness of PLCs.

PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT
If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will do the following things:
1. Complete and return a Certificated Staff professional Development Survey.

2. Participate in an interview about your professional learning community (PLC)
experience.

3. Be observed during a PLC meeting.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS
There are no anticipated risks to your participation.

92
POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO SUBJECTS AND/OR TO SOCIETY
You will not directly benefit from your participation. This study has potential to help educators
to understand the impact of PLCs on teacher learning and student achievement.

PAYMENT/COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION
You will not be paid for your participation.

CONFIDENTIALITY
Information that is obtained in connection with this study is confidential. Only the researcher for
this investigation will have access to the data associated with this study. Hard copies of the data
(paper documents) will be stored for seven years after the study has been completed and then
destroyed.

PARTICPATION AND WITHDRAWAL
You can choose whether to be in this study or not. If you volunteer to be in this study, you may
withdraw at any time without consequences of any kind. You may also refuse to answer any
questions you do not want to answer and still remain in the study. The investigator may
withdraw you from this research if circumstances occur, which in the opinion of the researcher
warrant doing so.

ALTERNATIVES TO PARTICIPATION
Your alternative is not to participate.

INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact La Royce
Murphy (llmurphy@usc.edu).

RIGHTS OF RESEARCH SUBJECTS
You may withdraw at any time and discontinue participation without penalty. You are not
waiving any legal claims, rights or remedies because of your participation in this research study.
If you have any questions about your rights as a study subject or you would like to speak to
someone independent of the researcher to obtain answers to questions about the research, or in
the event the researcher can not be reached, please contact the University Park IRB, Office of the
Vice Provost for Research Advancement listed below.

IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
University Park IRB, Office of the Vice Provost for Research Advancement, Stonier Hall, Room
224a, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1146, (213) 821-5272 or upirb@usc.edu

93
APPENDIX B
CERTIFICATED STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SURVEY FOR TEACHERS
Thank you for taking time to participate in this survey. This survey will help gather information
concerning your thoughts of the major factors associated with professional development at your
school site. You are not required to respond; however, your cooperation in making the results of
this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely is appreciated.

Check one: Teacher _______
School Administrator _______

Position
Grade Level / Subject
Years of Teaching Experience
Highest Level Of Education You Have
Completed

Years at this School Site

1. What types of professional development opportunities do you prefer? (Check all that apply).

_______ Half-day workshops during the school day
_______ One-day workshops during the school day
_______ Series of Monthly training sessions during the school day
_______ Conferences during the school day
_______ Before School Meetings
_______ After School Meetings
_______ Meetings during your planning time
_______ Meetings/Workshops/Conferences during the summer months

94
_______ Meetings/Workshops/Conferences on the weekends

2. How many separate professional Development (PD) activities did you participate in before the
professional learning communities (PLC) started in 2007-2008 at your school site?

_______ 0
_______ 1-2
_______ 3-4
_______ 5-6
_______ 7 or more

3. Were PDs or topic oriented trainings on-going at your school site during before the
implementation of (PLCs)?

_______ yes
_______ no

4. Were there any follow-up trainings for any of the PDs you participated in before the
implementation of (PLCs)?

_______ yes
_______ no

95
5. Please Check One:
Before the implementation of PLCs in 2007-2008, I received the necessary training to be
effective in my job.

_______ Strongly agree
_______ Agree
_______ Neutral
_______ Disagree
_______ Strongly disagree
_______ Don’t know

6. Is professional development important to you?
_______ yes
_______ no

7. Did you see any necessary PD improvements to be made before the implementation of PLCs?

_______ yes
_______ no

8. Were there any challenges or barriers in participating in professional development activities
before the implementation of PLCs?

_______ yes
_______ no

96
9. Which professional development activity did you learn best from before PLCs began at your
school site?

_______ Study Groups
_______ Grade-Level Collaboration and Work
_______ Content Collaboration and Work
_______ Action Research and Sharing Findings
_______ Modeling
_______ Peer Coaching
_______ Vertical Reaming

10. Before the implementation of PLCs at your school site, were you familiar with what a PLC
is?

_______ Yes
_______ Somewhat
_______ No

Thank you again for taking time to complete and return this survey.

97
APPENDIX C
PLC INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

Name: ____________________ Interviewer: ______________ Date: ___________
Interviewer Says: I appreciate you letting me interview you today. I have some questions that I
would like to ask you related professional development. I would like to tape this interview.
Would you mind? It will help me stay focused on our conversation and it will guarantee I have
an exact record of what we discussed.

A. Preliminary Questions
What grade level do you teach? __________
How often do you meet with colleagues as a PLC? __________

B. Teacher Learning in PLC Setting
1. How have you benefited from being a part of a PLC versus attending traditional professional
Development or Staff Meetings?

2. What has been your most valuable experience from being a part of a PLC?

98

C. Application of Learning in PLC Setting During Classroom Instruction
3. How have you implemented the new strategies and techniques from being a part of a PLC
into your daily classroom instruction?

4. Have you shared new strategies and techniques with your fellow colleagues during a PLC
Meeting? If so, has it empowered you as an educator to try to incorporate more instructional
strategies?

D. PLC and Student Academic Achievement
5. What has been your students’ greatest achievement?

99
Interviewer Says: Thank you for your time. If I have any additional questions or need
clarification, how and when is it best to contact you?

100
APPENDIX D
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY OBSERVATION PROTOCOL

Observer’s Name: Date:
Name of School: Time of Visit:

Directions: During the observation, look for the following indicators. To rate each indicator,
circle yes or no.

A. Shared Vision, Norms, and Values
The PLC: Yes No
Affirm (through words and actions) their common values concerning
educational issues and in support of their collective focus on student learning.

Contribute to ideas based on proof, and discussions of the pros and cons of
ideas are grounded in support.

Create activities that improve instruction, curriculum, and assessment
Focal point is on students’ understanding in order to improve student learning.
Has a criterion that states what establishes proficiency in student work.
Imparts a sense that new teachers are an important and productive part of a
meaningful school community.

Planned actions based on available research.
Plans for opportunities to improve their content knowledge when needed.

101

B. Collaboration
The PLC: Yes No
Challenges diverse ideas in a collegial way.
Constructively Criticizes.
Has school leadership that keeps the school focused on shared purpose,
continuous improvement, and collaboration

Have common spaces, rooms, or areas for discussion of educational practices.
Manages time wisely.
Produces a well-organized and successful meeting.
Share, observe, and discuss teaching methods and philosophies
Shares responsibilities amongst all members.
Values the contributions of other team members and are open to diverse
points of view.

C. Reflective Dialogue and Structural Conditions
The PLC: Yes No
Considers more than a few ways of doing something before deciding what
might work best.

Have structures and opportunities for exchange of ideas, both within and
across such organizational units as teams, grade levels, and subject
departments.

Makes connections are between past learning, current goals, and intended
applications.

Monitors its growth and adjusts it processes to become more successful when
suitable.

Monitors its understanding of information that informs its activities.
Supports teachers having autonomy to make decisions regarding their work
guided by norms and beliefs of the professional community

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The overarching question for the research was: Do professional learning communities promote teacher learning and student achievement? The study looked at: (a) how teachers learned in a professional learning community

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Asset Metadata

Creator Murphy, La Royce L. (author)

Core Title The impact of professional learning community on teacher learning and student achievement: a qualitative approach

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 04/12/2017

Defense Date 03/05/2012

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag collaboration,collective inquiry,OAI-PMH Harvest,PLC,professional development,Professional Learning Community,student achievement

Language English

Advisor Baca, Reynaldo (committee chair), Hollins, Etta (committee member), Kaplan, Sandra (committee member)

Creator Email llmurphy@usc.edu,missmurphy20042005@yahoo.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-352074

Unique identifier UC11258170

Identifier etd-MurphyLaRo-5170.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-352074 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-MurphyLaRo-5170.pdf

Dmrecord 352074

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Murphy, La Royce L.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA