The Relationship between Professional Learning Communities and Student Achievement in Virginia

Many K–12 schools across the US have embraced the philosophy of professional learning communities (PLC) as a school improvement measure; however significant quantitative research is lacking on the effectiveness of this phenomenon. Survey data were collected from a purposeful sample of elementary school principals or designees from four large school divisions in three metropolitan areas in Virginia. The survey incorporated questions regarding demographic information, including pass rates on the Virginia English and Math SOL tests for 2015-2016, the percentage of students classified as economically disadvantaged, the school’s experience as a PLC, as well as Hord’s (1996) School Professional Staff as Learning Community Questionnaire (SPSLCQ) instrument, to determine functionality as a PLC. Of the 158 surveys distributed, 74 were returned for a 47% return rate. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression support a predictive relationship between English SOL pass rates and the independent variables of economically disadvantaged students and the degree of functionality of PLCs. The model significantly predicted English SOL pass rates (F(2,71) = 70.86, p < 0.001, adjusted R = 0.66). Second, the results of the hierarchical multiple regression support a predictive relationship between Math SOL pass rates and the independent variables of economically disadvantaged students and the degree of functionality of PLCs. The model significantly predicted Math SOL pass rates (F(2,71) = 33.21, p < 0.001, adjusted R = 0.47). Lastly, there was no statistically significant relationship between the number of years a school had operated as a PLC and the functionality of the PLC (r = 0.16, p = 0.17). The findings may assist school leaders in determining the benefits of PLCs on student achievement as measured by pass rates on Virginia’s English and Math SOL tests. The Relationship between Professional Learning Communities and Student Achievement in Virginia Kimberly Ann Pinello GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT Many K–12 schools across the US have embraced the philosophy of professional learning communities (PLC) as a school improvement measure; however significant quantitative research is lacking on the effectiveness of this phenomenon. PLCs are collaborative teams that work toward achieving common student learning goals. Survey data were collected from a sample of elementary school principals or designees from four large school divisions in three metropolitan areas in Virginia. The survey incorporated questions regarding demographic information, including pass rates on the Virginia English and Math SOL tests for 2015-2016, the percentage of students classified as economically disadvantaged, the school’s experience as a PLC, as well as Hord’s (1996) School Professional Staff as Learning Community Questionnaire (SPSLCQ) instrument, to determine functionality as a PLC. The collected data were analyzed using statistics, including a hierarchical multiple regression analysis that predicts how much change the variables have on an outcome. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression support a predictive relationship between English SOL pass rates and the independent variables of economically disadvantaged students and the degree of functionality of PLCs. The analysis showed that 66% of the change in the English SOL pass rates could be attributed to both percentage of economically disadvantaged students and the effectiveness of PLCs with 5% of the change coming from the effectiveness of PLCs. Second, the results of the hierarchical multiple regression support a predictive relationship between Math SOL pass rates and the independent variables of economically disadvantaged students and the degree of functionality of PLCs. The analysis showed that 47% of variation in the Math SOL pass rates could be attributed to both percentage of economically disadvantaged students and the effectiveness of PLCs with 5% of the change coming from the effectiveness of PLCs. Lastly, there was no reliable relationship between the number of years a school had operated as a PLC and the functionality of the PLC. The findings may assist school leaders in determining the benefits of PLCs on student achievement as measured by pass rates on Virginia’s English and Math SOL tests.