Professional Learning Communities Create Sustainable Change through Collaboration

The term professional learning community, or PLC, has been widely used in education to represent various groups assembled to work together for a variety of reasons. These groups often include grade level groups, interdisciplinary teams, and subject area departments. Growing numbers of schools have implemented professional learning communities as a method for bringing about sustainable change. DuFour (2007) noted that schools use professional learning communities to increase the capacity to transform and improve. McLaughlin and Talbert (2006) defined professional learning communities as "[organizational structures in which] teachers work collaboratively to reflect on their practice, examine evidence about the relationship between practice and student outcomes, and make changes that improve teaching and learning for the particular students in their classes" (pp. 3-4). Studies from the world of business have helped educators to examine schools and to understand why traditional methods and structures are ineffective in improving student learning and teacher performance (Cowan, 2003; Senge, 1990; Wenger, 2000; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002). The ideas of shared vision, shared purpose, and trust that are embedded in Senge's learning communities and in Wenger's communities of practice have laid the groundwork for developing professional learning communities in educational settings to bring about sustainable reform.At the core of the professional community concept lies the belief that simply providing instruction is not enough; educators must also ensure students are learning (DuFour, 2004). The work of educators in professional learning communities has been found to increase the capacity of all members to assist students to achieve academically (Bezzina, 2008; Boyd-Dimock & Hord, 1994; Cawalti, 2003; Hord, 1997, 2008; Huffman, 2003; Kruse & Louis, 1995; McLaughlin & Talbert, 2006, 2010; Olivier & Hipp, 2010). We must not forget that developing and sustaining professional learning communities in schools requires leadership and direction. School administrators have the opportunity to perform a vital role in developing these structures. Huffman and Jacobson (2003) noted, "As visionary leaders, administrators can incorporate the professional learning community model in their schools to increase understanding and communication, improve problem-solving capacities, and develop an organized change process for collectively building 'community' in the organizational structure of the school" (p. 248). In this column, the focus will be on our understanding of professional learning communities: early research findings, the essential elements of these structures, and potential barriers to their implementation. By examining the essential elements, we can be better prepared to evaluate the functionality and effectiveness of professional learning communities; and by being cognizant of the barriers to implementation, we can avoid possible problem areas.The roots of professional learning communitiesTo understand the concept of professional learning communities, one must look at the research both inside and outside the field of education. The concept of professional learning communities has roots that can be traced to the work of Judith Little (1982), Peter Senge (1990), Susan Rosenholtz (1989a, 1989b), and Etienne Wenger (1998). Little (1982, 2006) examined the connection between school improvement efforts and relationships among teachers to add to the foundational aspects of professional learning communities. In a focused ethnographic study of six urban, desegregated schools, Little examined school as a workplace. She found that professional development that is continuous in nature is more likely achieved when: (a) teachers engage in frequent, continuous, and increasingly concrete talk about their practice; (b) teachers are frequently observed and provided with useful critiques of their teaching; (c) teachers plan, design, research, evaluate, and prepare teaching materials together; and (d) teachers teach others the practice of teaching. …