A Quantitative Study of Teacher Perceptions of Professional Learn

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Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses
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2011
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Dissertations
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Daniel
R., "A
Quantit
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Study
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Percep
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Profes
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Learni
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Comm
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Contex
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Proces
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Recommende
d Citation
Quantitative
Study of
Teacher
Perceptions
of
Professional
Learning
Communities'
Context,
Process, and
Content"
(2011). Seton
Hall
University
Dissertations
and Theses
(ETDs).
Paper 15.
AQuantitativeStudyofTeacherPerceptionsofProfessionalLearning
Dr.Christopher
Tienken
Communities'Context,Process,and
Dr.Kelly
Content
Cooke
Dr.Michael
Valenti
ByDariielR.Johnson
DissertationCommittee
Dr.BarbaraStrobert
SubmittedinPartial
Fulfillment
OftheRequirements
fortheDegree
Doctorof
Education
SetonHall
University
SETONHALLUNIVERSITY
COLLEGEOFEDUCATIONANDHUMANSERVICES
OFFICEOFGRADUATESTUDIES
APPROVALFORSUCCESSFULDEFENSE
DoctoralCandidate,DanielR.Johnson,hassuccessfullydefendedandmadethe
requiredmodificationstothetextofthedoctoraldissertationfortheEd.D.duringthis
SpringSemester2010.
DISSERTATIONCOMMITTEE
(pleasesignanddatebesideyourname)
Mentor:
Dr.BarbaraStrobert
CommitteeMember:
Dr.ChristopherTienken
CommitteeMember:
Dr.KellyCooke
CommitteeMember:
ExternalReader:
Thementorandanyother
committeememberswho
wishtoreviewrevisions
willsignanddatethis
documentonlywhen
revisionshavebeen
completed.Pleasereturn
thisformtotheOfficeof
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itwillbeplacedinthe
candidate'sfileand
submitacopywithyour
finaldissertationtobe
boundaspagenumber
two.
Dr.
/
O Copyright by DanielR.Johnson, 2011
AllRightsReserved
ABSTRACT
ThepurposeofthisstudywastoresearchtheinfluencesofProfessional
LearningCommunities(PLC)asperceivedbyNewJerseyStatecertifiededucators
inthreespecificareas:content,process,andcontextofthereform'simplementation.
ThisstudyusedtheStandardsInventoryAssessment(SAI)toevaluatetheteacher
perceptionsasreportedanonymouslythroughthesurveyinstrument.Theneedfor
thisspecificresearchisevidentinthecurrentlimitationofquantitativedata
regardingthePLCmodelthatisbeingincreasinglyadvocatedforatthegovernment,
state,anddistrictlevel.Accordingly,thisstudysoughttoprovidedatatodistricts
thatwerelookingtoimplementthePLCmodelregardingitseffectivenessas
perceivedbytheeducatorsworkingwithinthemodel.
DatainthisstudywasgatheredusingtheSAIsurveyinstrument,whichwas
anonline,anonymousLikertscaletool.Informationwascollectedanddistributedto
individualschools,whothengrantedpermissiontotheresearchertousethatdata.
Dataforthisresearchwasthenanalyzedusingstatisticalmethods.The
dataanalysisdeterminedthattheProfessionalLearningCommunitymodelhadno
significanteffectonteacherperceptionsregardingthethreeareasstudied.The
knowledgegainedinthisstudywilladdtotheassessmentofthisparticularreform
modelasitappliestoschoolimprovement.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TheroadtoachievementwithinthisDoctoralProgramispavedwiththe
assistanceandeffortsofthemanywhoworkeddiligentlytoassistmeasI
stumbledandcaughtmyfootingduringtheprocess.Withouttheseindividualswho
comprisedmydissertationcommittee,thiswouldneverhavebeenpossible.
IwouldfirstliketothankDr.BarbaraStrobert.Herguidanceandfeedback
wereinvaluabletome.Thetimethatshededicatedtomyresearchanddevelopment
willneverbeforgotten.HerencouragementledmetoheightsIneverthoughtIcould
attain,andforthatIamforevergrateful.
IwouldalsoliketoextendmysinceregratitudetoDr.ChristopherTienken.
Dr.Tienkenwasalsoanintegralmemberofmydissertationcommittee,andhis
knowledgeofresearchtaughtmeanincredibleamount.Dr.Tienkenismost
definitelythefutureoftheSetonHallEducationcommunity,andIcanonlyhope
tocontinuemyrelationshipwithhiminthefuture.
AspecialextensionofmygratitudegoestoDr.MichaelValentiandDr.
KellyCookefortheirfriendship,guidance,andsupport.1amfortunatetohaveyou
ascolleagues,andevenmoreluckytohaveyouasfriends.
Lastly,IthankthefollowingindividualsforactingasrolemodelsformeasI
grewasaneducatorandadministrator:Mr.EdwardHade,Mr.JeffSwanson,Mr.
JohnPetronacci,Mr.MichaelCasserly,Mr.SalLagatutta,Dr.ThomKane,andMr.
RobertKramer.Forbetterorworse,IamwhatIameducationallyandpersonally
inpartduetoallofyou.
DEDICATION
Thisdissertationisdedicatedtomyfamily-forwithoutfamily,we
arenothing.
First,Iwouldliketodedicatethistomybeautifulwife,LoriBeth.Sheis
thebestpersonIhaveevermet,andsheistherockonwhichmylifeisbuilt.Her
consistentencouragementmadethispossible,asthereweretimeswhenIwasoff
ofthepath,andherencouragementgotmebackontrack.Theworldisabetter
placebecausesheisinit,andIwillforeverloveher.
Ialsodedicatethistomychildren,Anthony(Cheech)andMatthew(Bam).
Theyarethelight,andtheymakethepathworthwhile.IknowthateverythingIdo
inthisworldistoenrichtheirlives,astheyhavegivenmeunconditionalloveand
support.Theirunderstandingduringthisprocesscamewithoutasking.Ihave
learnedmorefromthemthenIcouldeverteachthem.
Ithankmyparentsfortheexampleandworkethicthattheyprovidedforme.
FromanearlyageIwasabletoseethatifyouworkedhardenough,youcanachieve
anything.Inaddition,IthankthemforinstillinginmetheimportanceofeducationatthetimeIdidnotknowthatitwouldbecomemyworld,butIamgratefuldaily
fortheirinsistence.
Ithankmyotherparentsaswell.Thenaturalmannerinwhichtheyaccepted
meandencouragedmehasmademeabetterman.Ihavelearnedmuchaboutlife
fromthetimewehavespenttogether.10viamoeviringraziopertuttoquelloche
haifattoperme.Sonosempreindebitoconvoi.
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Page
Approval
Copyright
Abstract
Acknowledgements
Dedication
TableofContents
ListofTables
ListofFigures
CHAPTERONE-Introduction
BackgroundoftheStudy
StatementoftheProblem
PurposeoftheStudy
ResearchQuestions
ConceptualFramework
DesignandProcedures
SignificanceoftheStudy
LimitationsoftheStudy
DelimitationsoftheStudy
DefinitionofTerms
SummaryofChapter
CHAPTERTWO-ReviewofRelatedLiterature
PurposeoftheReview
LiteratureSearchProcedures
MethodologicalIssuesintheResearchofProfessional
LearningCommunities
InclusionandExclusionCriteriaforLiteratureReview
ProfessionalLeamingCommunities:Educational
PhilosophyandHistory
HistoryofEducationalReformEfforts
TheoreticalCharacteristicsofProfessionalLearning
CommunitiesProfessionalLearningCommunitiesasaReform
ModelComparativeStudiesofProfessionalLearning
CommunitiesSynthesisofCommonPracticesforSuccessof
ProfessionalLearningCommunities
ProfessionalLeamingCommunitiesConclusions
CHAPTERTHREE-Methodology
ResearchDesign
ContextoftheStudy
Participants
Instrumentation
DataCollection
DataAnalysis
Summary
CHAPTERFOUR-AnalysisandpresentationoftheData
ResponseRatetotheSurveyResearch
DataAnalysisProcedures
DemographicData
InstrumentReliabilityAnalysis
ResearchQuestionOne
ResearchQuestionTwo
ResearchQuestionThree
Summary
CHAPTERFIVE-Summary,Recommendations,Implications,and
Conclusions
SummaryofPurpose
SummaryofProcedures
DemographicDataandPatterns
ResearchQuestions
RecommendationsforFurtherStudy
ImplicationsforPractice
Conclusions
REFERENCES
AppendixA
StandardsAssessmentInventoryInstrument
AppendixB
ListofParticipatingSchools
AppendixC
IRBNonReviewCertification
LISTOFTABLES
Table
Page
OverallInstrumentReliability
74
OverallSubScaleReliability
74
ClarificationofItemsStudiedwithinContext,Process,andContent
80
StratificationofQuestions
83
ParticipantYearsatCurrentSchool
84
ParticipantsYearsinEducation
85
GradeLevelsTaughtbyParticipatingEducators
86
SubjectAreaTaughtbyParticipants
86
ParticipantEmploymentStatus
87
88
OverallSubScaleReliability
89
AnalysisofVarianceinContext,FalltoSpring
90
AnalysisofVarianceinProcess,FalltoSpring
92
AnalysisofVarianceinContentFalltoSpring
94
LISTOFFIGURES
Figure Page
1
ConceptualFrameworkoftheDesign
Chapter1:Introduction
Educationcontinuestofaceanumberofreformeffortsasthemovementtoward
increasedaccountabilitybecomesthenorm.Whatwasoncecontainedwithinthelocal
controlofindependentschooldistrictshasnowbecomeincreasinglycontrolledatthe
stateandfederallevels.Tomeetthecallforincreasedaccountability,manyhave
decreedthatongoingeducatorlearninganddevelopmentshouldbethefocusofcurrent
reformefforts(Commissioner'sTaskForceonQualityTeachingandLearning,2005;
ForumonEducationalAccountability,2010;National
CommissiononExcellenceinEducation,1983;NationalCommissiononTeaching
andAmerica'sFuture,2009;Obama,2010;Schrnoker,2004).Asthisoccurs,how
canschoolsworktomeettheincreasingcallsforaccountabilitywhileassisting
educatorsinstructuringmeaningfulprofessionaldevelopmentfortheultimate
benefitandsuccessofstudents?
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoresearchtheinfluenceofprofessionallearning
communities(PLC)asperceivedbyNewJerseyStatecertifiededucatorsinthree
specificareas:content,process,andcontextofthereform'simplementation.
Perceptionsofcontentarecategorizedwithinthreeareas:learningcommunities,
leadership,andresources.Perceptionsofprocessarecategorizedwithinsixareas:
datadriven,design,evaluation,learning,researchbased,andcollaboration.
Perceptionsofcontextsarecategorizedwithinthreeareas:equity,qualityteaching,
andfamilyinvolvement.These12teachingandprofessionallearningstandards
weredevelopedbytheNationalStaffDevelopmentCouncil(NSDC).
PLCscanbedefinedas"acollegialgroupofadministratorsandschoolstaff
whoareunitedintheircommitmenttostudentlearning.Theyshareavision,work
andlearncollaboratively,visitandreviewotherclassrooms,andparticipatein
decisionmaking"(Hord,1997).Hord(1997)alsonoted,"Asanorganizational
arrangement,theprofessionallearningcommunityisseenasapowerfulstaff
developmentapproachandapotentstrategyforschoolchangeandimprovement."
Thecollectionofinformationfromthisresearchstudycouldprovideimplications
forschooldistrictsthatwishtoinstitutePLCsconcerningeducators'perceptionsof
thecontext,process,andcontentofthemodel.Furthermore,thisstudymayhelp
servecurrentadministratorswhohavePLCimplementationissues.Thefirstchapter
presentsthebackgroundofthestudy,specifiestheproblem,describesits
significance,andpresentsabriefoverviewofthemethodologyused.Thechapter
concludesbynotingsomelimitationsofthestudyanddefiningterms.
BackgroundoftheStudy
Thehistoryofformalnationalreformeffortscanbecitedasearlyas1893with
theCommitteeofTen,followedbytheCommitteeofFifteenin1910.Thetaskof
eachcommitteecamefromtheNationalEducationAssociation(NEA),which
calleduponitseducatorsto"recognizedifferencesamongchildrenastoaptitudes,
interests,economicresources,andprospectivecareers"(Lazerson&Grubb,1974).
Wecontinuetovieweducationwithinacomparativestructure;systemsarebeing
lookeduponmorecritically,intermsofnationalandlocalstandards,andin
conlparisontootherglobaleducationsystems.In2002,aneducationreformwas
introduced,theNoChildLeftBehind(NCLB)Act(U.S.Congress,2001~).Thisact
addedtothehistoricalcontextofreformefforts,andchangedthenationaldefinition
ofsuccesswithinourschools.Thishasledtoincreasingeffortsinmeetingdefined
measuresofstudentachievement.ThestatedpurposeoftheNCLBreformeffort
was"toensurethatallchildrenhaveafair,equal,andsignificantopportunityto
obtainahighqualityeducationandreach,ataminimum,proficiencyon
challengingStateacademicachievementstandardsandstateacademicassessments"
(U.S.Congress,2001c,p.15).
Educationresearcherscontinuetoexaminehoweducatorscanmeetthenew
definitionsofsuccessandaccountabilityinhelpingstudents.Thefocusonteacher
qualityremainsalargepartofrecentreformefforts,includingtheNCLBAct.
Marzanoledacoregroupofresearchersinconductingametaanalysisonteaching
practices(Marzano,Pickering,&Pollack,2001)thatstatedthattheindividual
instructionalstrategiesthatateacheruseshas apowerfuleffectonstudentlearning.
Furthermore,thestudystatedthat,intermsofwhataschoolcancontrol,anindividual
teachercouldhavealargeeffectontheinstructionwithinaninstitution.Curriculum
alsohasalargeeffect,buttheeffectsarestilldwarfedbystudentcharacteristics.
Transformationeffortshavebroughtforthalargeamountofrhetoricand
interestconcerningthereformmodelofPLCs,butlittleempiricalresearch.PLCs
aredefinedascommunitiesof:
educatorscommittedtoworkingcollaborativelyinongoingprocessesof
collectiveinquiryandactionresearchtoachievebetterresultsforthe
studentstheyserve.ProfessionalLearningCommunitiesoperateunderthe
assumptionthatthekeytoimprovedlearningforstudentsiscontinuous,job
embeddedlearningforeducators.(DuFour,DuFour,Eaker,&Many,2006)
Thefocusonincreasedsuccessforstudentsandcontinuous,embeddedprofessional
learningforeducatorsdemonstratesMarzano's(2005)findings.Costaaffirmedthe
importanceofthistypeoflearninginhisassertionthat"ifstaffwerenotinamentally
stimulatingenvironment,thereisnoreasonweshouldbelievetheywouldcreatesuch
anenvironmentfortheirstudents"(ascitedinHord &Sornmers,2008,p.30).
Professionallearningcommunityorganizationwithinschoolshasgarneredthe
attentionofmanyeducationresearchersduringthepasttwodecades(i.e.,Bryk&
Schneider,2003;Louis,Marks,&Kruse,1996;Newmann&Wehlage,1995;Scribner,
Cockrell,Cockrell,&Valentine,1999;Scribner,Hager,&Warne,2002;Vescisco,
Ross,&Adams,2007).Inadditiontothisinterest,Americaneducationpolicymakers
andadvocateshavecalledforschoolstobestructuredinamannerconduciveforadult
andstudentlearning(Fullan,2001;Garmston&Wellman,1999;
Hord,1994,1997;Lambert,1998,2003,2005;Schrnoker,2006).Thecombinationof
focusonadultandstudentlearning,corestandardsanddefinitionsofsuccess,
accountabilitywithin,andtheshifttowardafocusonthechildasthelearnerhave
madePLCreformeffortsattractivetofederalgovernment,education,andlocal
leaders.
StatementoftheProblem
AlthoughreformistshaveobservedthatthePLCstructurecouldbebeneficial
toteachersandstudents,researchonteachers'perceptionsduringimplementationis
scarce.ThepurposeofthisstudywastoresearchtheinfluenceofPLCsasperceived
byNewJerseyStatecertifiededucatorsinthreespecificareas:thecontent,process,
andcontextofthereform'simplementation.Contextisdefinedasactuallearning
communities,leadership,andresources;processisdefinedasdatadrivenpractices,
evaluation,researchbaseddecisions,design,learning,andcollaboration;andcontentis
definedasequity,qualityteaching,andfamilyinvolvement.
Thefocusofthisstudywillbetoexaminethetransitionprocessasitrelatesto
educators'perceptionsin10NewJerseyschoolsduringPLCimplementationoverthe
courseofa1yearperiod.Bystudyingtheprocessthattheteacherswithintheseschools
haveexperiencedduringthetransitiontoPLCs,itishopedthatotherschoolswill
benefitfromtheimplementationdataandtheexperientialdatathatemerge.
ThephilosophyofPLCshasbeengarneringattentionfromtheNewJersey
DepartmentofEducationasthepreferredmodelofschoolcommunityorganization.
However,despitethisrecentattention,theevolutiontowardthistypeofcommunity
lacksempirical,quantitativedatatoassisteducatorsinmakingthistransition.
Thecurrentavailableliteratureexistsmostlywithinthetheoreticalcreation of
suchcommunities.Theoristshavejustbeguntolookatactualcasestudiesinorder
toeffectuateimplementation.RichardandRebeccaDuFourarecurrentadvocatesof
PLCs,andhavewrittenanumberofbooksandarticlestoinformeducatorsabout
thephilosophybehindPLCs.DuFour,DuFour,andEaker(2008)stated,"Thevery
essenceofalearningcommunityisafocusonandacommitmenttothelearningof
eachstudent"(p.15),andeducatorsmustworkwithin"themoralpurposeand
collectiveresponsibilitythatclariqies]whytheirdaytodayworkissoimportant"
(p.15).Intheindividualtranslationofthisinformation,andtheninascertainingits
implicationsduringimplementationinschools,iswheremosteducatorsstruggle.
~nformationregardingapracticalmeansforadoptingPLCsisscarce.
Administratorsandteacherslackdatatodemonstrateteacherperceptionswithina
schoolgoingthroughPLCimplementation,takingtheconceptualinformationand
puttingitintoactualpractice.Thisissuehasmadeitdifficultforeducatorstoadopt
thiscollaborativeprocess.Howareeducators'perceptionsofcontext(learning
communities,leadership,andresources),process(datadriven,evaluation,research
based,design,learning,andcollaboration),andcontent(equity,qualityteaching,
andfamilyinvolvement)affectedduringtheprogressionofestablishing
professionallearningcommunities?
PurposeoftheStudy
ThepurposeofthisstudywastoresearchtheinfluenceofPLCsasperceived
byNewJerseyStatecertifiededucatorsinthreespecificareas:thecontent,process,
andcontextofthereform'simplementation.Thisstudywasconductedwith 10ofthe
33schoolsthathadreceivedtheEducationInformationandResourceCenter
(EIRC)grantforPLCtraining.Theschoolsstudiedhadtocompleteanapplication
foradmittanceintotheprogram.Elementary,middle,andhighschoolswere
includedinthisstudy.Withthelackofquantitativeresearchregardingthismodelof
professionallearning,thisstudyaimedtoprovidequantifiabledatademonstrating
thelevelofinfluencePLCshaveinthedefineddomainsofcontent,process,and
context.ThisstudyqualifiedtheconditionsunderwhichthePLCswereintroduced
andimplemented.Datawerecomparedfromtwodifferentsurveydates,onebefore
thePLCimplementationeffortsandoneattheendoftheschoolyearduringwhich
theteachersworkedwithinthePLCstructure.
Insightsgainedbysuchaninvestigationmayprovideopportunitiesforthose
interestedinutilizingtheprofessionallearningcommunitymodeltomeetthe
standardsforaccountabilityandincreasedteacherlearningthroughongoing
professionaldevelopment.Examiningtheperceptionsofeducatorswithinthe
processcontributestothegrowingknowledgeofthisreformeffort;provides
districtswithinsightsregardingtheprocessandthemannerinwhichthemethod
affectededucators'perceptionsofcontext,process,andcontent;andhelpsdistricts
indecidingifthismodelisbestfortheirsystem.
ResearchQuestions
Thefollowingquestionsguidedthisresearch:(a)Whatimplications,ifany,does
thecontextofaprofessionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducators
regardingtheinfluenceuponthelearningcommunitystructure,schoolleadership,and
resourcesduringa1yearimplementationprocess?(b)Whatimplications,ifany,doesthe
processofaprofessionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducators
regardingtheinfluenceupondatadrivendecisions,evaluation,researchbasedpractices,
design,learning,andcollaborationduringa1yearPLCimplementationprocess?(c)What
implications,ifany,doesthecontentofaprofessionallearningcommunityhaveonthe
perceptionsofeducatorsregardingthe
influenceonequity,qualityteaching,andfamilyinvolvementduringa1year
PLCimplementationprocess?
ConceptuaIFramework
Asschoolssearchedforcontinualimprovementandcommunitiescalledforhigher
standardsandgreatereducationaloutcomefortheirchildren,whispersofareformwere
heard.Asearlyasthe1960s,PLCconceptswerebeingdiscussedasameansforassisting
theisolatednatureofteaching.Inthelate1980sandearly1990s,researchersbegantostudy
smallercommunities'effectswithinschools(Little &
McLaughlin,1993;Newman&Wehlage,1995;Rosenholtz,1989).Theresulting
findingsweresharedatNSDCconferences,leadingtoincreasedinterestin
smallercommunitiesasareformeffortforimprovingschools.
Thisstudyisembeddedintheresearchaforementioned,aswellasother
researchthatwillbereviewedinChapter2.Thefocusofthisstudycenteredonthe
NSDCYsoutlineofstandardsforeducatorprofessionallearningtomeasureteacher
perceptionsofthePLCreformimplementation.Toassessadistrict'salignment
withthesestandards,theNSDCcreatedtheStandardsAssessmentInventory(SAI),
whichprovidesaninstrumentfordistrictstoassessthequalityofprofessional
learning(NSDC,n.d.).TheEIRCprovidedtheSAItodistrictswithinNewJersey
thatwereworkingtoimplementPLCstomeasureteacherperceptionsandlearning
withintheprocess,withthegoalbeingtocreatedatathatwouldassistinfuture
attemptsinadvancingeffectivepoliciesatthefederal,state,andlocallevels.
ThestandardsdevelopedbytheNSDCincludethefollowing:
Standard1-LearningCommunities:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthe
learningofallstudentsorganizesadultsintolearningcommunitieswhose
goalsarealignedwiththoseoftheschoolanddistrict"(LearningForward).
15 Rationale:"Staffdevelopmentthathasasitsgoalhighlevelsoflearningfor
allstudents,teachers,andadministratorsrequiresaformofprofessional
learningthatisquitedifferentfromtheworkshopdrivenapproach.Themost
powerfulformsofstaffdevelopmentoccurinongoingteamsthatmeetona
regularbasis,preferablyseveraltimesa
week,forthepurposesoflearning,jointlessonplanning,and
problemsolving"(LearningForward).
Standard2-Leadership:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearningof
allstudentsrequiresskillfulschoolanddistrictleaderswhoguide
continuousinstructionalimprovement"(LearningForward).
15 Rationale:"Qualityteachinginallclassroomsnecessitatesskillful
leadershipatthecommunity,district,school,andclassroomlevels.
Ambitiouslearninggoalsforstudentsandeducatorsrequire
significantchangesincurriculum,instruction,assessment,and
leadershippractices.Leadersatalllevelsrecognizequality
professionaldevelopmentasthekeystrategyforsupporting
significantimprovements"(LearningForward).
Standard3-Resources:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearningofall
studentsrequiresresourcestosupportadultlearningandcollaboration"
(LeaningForward).
15 Rationale:"Professionallearningmaybeviewedeitherasaninvestment
thatwillpayfuturedividendsinimprovedstaffperformanceandstudent
learningoranexpensethatdiminishesaschooldistrict'sabilitytomeet
itsotherfinancialobligations.Whilethelatterviewhasbeendominantin
manyschooldistricts,theNationalStaffDevelopmentCouncil'sposition
isthatwelldesignedandimplementedprofessionaldevelopmentfor
schoolemployeesisan
essentiallongterminvestmentinsuccessfullyteachingallstudents
tohighstandards"(LearningForward).
Standard4-DataDriven:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearning
ofallstudentsusesdisaggregatedstudentdatatodetermineadultlearning
priorities,monitorprogress,andhelpsustaincontinuousimprovement"
(LearningForward).
15 Rationale:"Datafromvarioussourcescanserveanumberof
importantstaffdevelopmentpurposes.First,dataonstudentlearning
gatheredfromstandardizedtests,districtmadetests,studentwork
samples,portfolios,andothersourcesprovideimportantinputtothe
selectionofschoolordistrictimprovementgoalsandprovidefocus
forstaffdevelopmentefforts.Thisprocessofdataanalysisandgoal
developmenttypicallydeterminesthecontentofteachers'professional
learningintheareasofinstruction,curriculum,andassessment"
(LearningForward).
Standard5-Evaluation:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearningof
allstudentsusesmultiplesourcesofinformationtoguideimprovementand
demonstrateitsimpact"(LeaningForward).
15 Rationale:"Thequalityofstaffdevelopmentexperiencedbymany
teachersandadministratorsvariesconsiderablyfromyeartoyearand
evenfromteachertoteacherinthesameschool.Asaresult,many
educationalleadersandpolicymakersareskepticalaboutthevalueof
staffdevelopmentinimprovingteachingandstudentlearning.Well
designedstaffdevelopmentevaluationcanaddressthisskepticismby
servingtwobroadpurposes:(1)improvingthequalityofcurrentstaff
developmentefforts,and(2)determiningtheeffectsofstaff
developmentintermsofitsintendedoutcomes"(LearningForward).
Standard6-ResearchBased:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthe
learningofallstudentsprepareseducatorstoapplyresearchtodecision
making"(LearningForward).
15 Rationale:"Thecharismaofaspeakerortheattachmentofan
educationalleadertoanunproveninnovationdrivesstaff
developmentinfartoomanyschools.Staffdevelopmentinthese
situationsisoftensubjecttothefaddujouranddoesnotliveuptoits
promiseofimprovedteachingandhigherstudentachievement.
Consequently,itisessentialthatteachersandadministratorsbecome
informedconsumersofeducationalresearchwhenselectingboththe
contentandprofessionallearningprocessesofstaffdevelopment
efforts"(LearningForward).
Standard7-Design:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearningofall
studentsuseslearningstrategiesappropriatetotheintendedgoal"
(LearningForward).
15 Rationale:"Justassuccessfulteachingrequiresthatteachersbeadept
atusingavarietyofresearchbasedinstructionalstrategies,sotoodoes
successfulstaffdevelopmentrequirethatplannersselectlearning
strategiesthatareappropriatetotheintendedoutcomeandother
situationalfactors.Thatmeansthatstaffdevelopmentleadersand
providersmustbeawareofandskillfulintheapplicationof
variousadultlearningstrategies"(LearningForward).
Standard8-Learning:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearningof
allstudentsappliesknowledgeabouthumanlearningandchange"
(LearningForward).
15 Rationale:"Nomattertheageatwhichitoccurs,humanlearningis
basedonacommonsetofprinciples.Whileadultshavemorelife
experiencetodrawonthanyoungerlearnersandareoftenclearer
aboutwhattheywanttolearnandwhyitisimportant,themeansby
whichthelearningoccursisremarkablysimilar.Consequently,itis
importantthatthelearningmethodsusedinprofessionaldevelopment
mirrorascloselyaspossiblethemethodsteachersareexpectedtouse
withtheirstudents"(LearningForward).
Standard9-CollaborationSkills:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthe
learningofallstudentsprovideseducatorswiththeknowledgeandskills
tocollaborate"(LeaningForward).
15 Rationale:"Someofthemostimportantformsofprofessionallearning
andproblemsolvingoccuringroupsettingswithinschoolsandschool
districts.Organizedgroupsprovidethesocialinteractionthatoften
deepenslearningandtheinterpersonalsupportandsynergy
necessaryforcreativelysolvingthecomplexproblemsofteaching
andlearning.Andbecauscmanyoftherecomrncndationscontaincd
inthcscstandardsadvocateforincreasedteamworkamongteachers
andadministratorsindesigninglessons,critiquingstudentwork,and
analyzingvarioustypesofdata,amongothertasks,itisimperative
thatprofessionallearningbedirectedatimprovingthequalityof
collaborativework"(LearningForward).
Standard10-Equity:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearningofall
studentsprepareseducatorstounderstandandappreciateallstudents,
createsafe,orderly,andsupportivelearningenvironments,andholdhigh
expectationsfortheiracademicachievement"(LearningForward).
15 Rationale:"Effectiveeducatorsknowanddemonstrateappreciation
foralltheirstudents.Throughtheirattitudesandbehaviors,they
establishclassroomlearningenvironmentsthatareemotionallyand
physicallysafeandtheycommunicatehighexpectationsforacademic
achievementandqualityinterpersonalrelationships"(Learning
Forward).
Standard11-QualityTeaching:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearning
ofallstudentsdeepenseducators'contentknowledge,providesthemwith
researchbasedinstructionalstrategiestoassiststudentsinmeeting
rigorousacademicstandards,andpreparesthemtousevarioustypesof
classroomassessmentsappropriately"(LearningForward).
15 Rationale:"Successfdteachershaveadeepunderstandingofthe
subjectstheyteach,useappropriateinstructionalmethods,andapply
variousclassroomassessmentstrategies.Theseteachersparticipate
insustained,intellectuallyrigorousprofessionallearningregarding
thesubjectstheyteach,thestrategiestheyusetoteachthose
subjects,thefindingsofcognitivescientistsregardinghuman
learning,andthemeansbywhichtheyassessstudentprogressin
achievinghighacademicstandards"(LearningForward).
Standard12-FamilyInvolvement:"Staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthe
learningofallstudentsprovideseducatorswithknowledgeandskillstoinvolve
familiesandotherstakeholdersappropriately"(LearningForward).
Rationale:"Atitsbest,theeducationofyoungpeopleisa
partnershipbetweentheschool,thehome,andthecommunity.
Effectivepartnerships,however,requireleadership,acompelling
purposefortheirwork,andasetofmutuallyagreedupongoals"
(LearningForward).
PLCstructure.
k continuedcallfor
school reformhas
ledforanincrease
Inresearch
regardingbest
practicesandadult
learning.The
NSDCcreated
standardsfor
professional
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TheNSDC,
SEDL,andEIRC
Conceptual
Framework
m
%s
-
ProfessionalLearning
created,tested,
andimplemented
theStandards
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Assessmentin
ordertotestthe
professional
standards
establishedbythe
NSDCinorderto
continuallychart
reform
Communitiesarepushed
fut
asaviablereform
ure
ref
model.
or
NSDCstandardsandthe
m
SAIwereusedinthis
de
studytodetermine
cis
teacherperceptionsof
ion
PLCstructures
s.
particularlyinregardsto
12oftheNSDC
standardsdealingwith
context,processand
Figure I. Conceptual
contentofadultlearning.
frameworkofthestudy.
Thisisdonetoprovide
quantitativedatafor
DesignandProcedures
Thisstudyexaminedtheperspectivesofeducatorsfiom10schoolsinNew
Jersey.Theresearchusedstratifiedrandomsamplingtoensurethataproper
proportionalrepresentationofpopulationsubgroupswasstudied.Theschoolsare
fiomamixofsocioeconomicbackgroundsandlevels,includingelementary,
middle,andhighschools.
TheschoolswereallrecipientsofagrantfiomtheEIRCinpartnershipwith
theNSDCandtheNewJerseyDepartmentofEducation,whichprovidedtoolsand
trainingforeachschool,aswellastoolsthatallowedtheresearchertostudyPLC
implementation.Trainingwasconductedbyoutsidecontractorswhoutilized
availableresearchtoassistwithproceduresandtoolsforPLCimplementation.
The10schoolsthatparticipatedinthisstudyallvolunteeredtheirdatato
theresearcher.AlldatawerecompiledtoavoididentifLinganyparticularschool
inanyoftheresearchfindings.Theresearchercontactedtheadministrationof
eachschooldistricttosolicitassistance.
Theconceptualdesignprovidesamethodforassessingteacherperceptions
ofsubstanceindentifiedwithinthePLCcontext,process,andcontent.Utilizingthis
information,thisstudyexploredhowPLCimplementationinfluences12different
indicatorsofprofessionallearning.Theseitemswerecategorizedunderthethree
mainconceptsofPLCcontext,process,andcontent.Theseitemswereincluded
withintheNSDC'sstandardsforprofessionallearning,asdefinedinthe
previoussection.
DescriptivestatisticsweregeneratedoneachitemcomprisingtheSAIin
responsetotheresearchquestions.Thesedescriptivestatisticsincludethemeanscores
andfrequencydistributionsofeducatorresponses.Indeterminingthereliabilityofthe
SAItomeasuretheNSDCstandards,Cronbach'salphasforoverallinstrument
reliabilitywereconsistentandhighacrossallthreepilotstudies,witha =
.98.Reliabilityestimatesforall12subscalestestedrangedfromgoodtostrong
acrossassessmentswithavaluesrangingfioma=.71toa=.98(VadenKiernan,2010,
p.12).InformationfromthesurveywastheninputtedintoSPSSstatisticalsoftwareto
determinesignificancethroughananalysisofvariance(ANOVA)output.
Theconceptualframeworkforthisstudywastoprovidequantitativedata
thatwouldassessthePLCmodelasitisperceivedbytheindividualswhodrive
thereformtheeducatorsintheclassroomandinthesmallerlearningcommunities.
Eachschoolcreatedaverticallearningteamthatattendedallofthe
trainingsprovidedbytheEIRCandtheNewJerseyDepartmentofEducation.This
teamwasthentoreturntotheschoolwiththeprovidedtoolsandtrainingandturn
keywhatwastaughtinordertocreatethedefinedPLCteamsandconceptwithin
theteam'sschoolbuilding.
Theconsistencyofthetrainingandthematerialsprovidedtoeachschool
createdanidealsituationtotestPLCeffectivenessasperceivedbytheeducators.
Furthermore,theSAIsurveyinstrumentprovidedatestedinstrumentthat
anonymouslycollectedpreandpostimplementationdatatostudytheseeffects,if
any.
SignificanceoftheStudy
Thisstudyissignificantbecausethedataandfindingswilladdtothe
limitedquantitativedataexistingontheroleofPLCswithinreformefforts.The
perceptionsofpracticingeducators,rangingfromnovicetoexperienced,
elementarytohighschools,andwithinarangeofteachinggenres,couldhelp
districtslookingforwaystoaddresstheincreasingroleofaccountabilitywithin
education,aswellastheincreasingdemandforongoingteachertraining.
Informationcouldbedrawnfromthisstudytoassistdistrictslookingtoimplement
PLCstructureswithinschoolsinovercomingexperienceddifficulties.Inaddition,
thesefindingsmayhavesignificancefordistrictsregardingpotentialchangesthat
wouldaffectthemannerinwhichprofessiona1developmenthadtakenplace
previously.Throughthis,theprocesswilladdrelevantinformationregardingthis
model'sgoalofaddingongoing,embeddedprofessionaldevelopment,amovement
gearedtowardincreasingteachereffectivenessinournation'sschools.
Theprimarygoalofthisquantitativestudywastoinvestigatethe
implementationofaPLC,thusgainingmoreknowledgeaboutteacherattitudesand
perceptionsofthetransition.However,cautionmustbeexercisedwhenmaking
generalizationsbasedonthefindingsofthisstudy,asdelimitationsandlimitations
apply.
'I'heresearchernotedthefollowinglimitationsofthestudy:(a)Participants'
responseswereselfreported,anditisassumedthatparticipantsgavehonestresponses.
(b)ThedataweregatheredwiththeSAI,providedbytheNSDC,and,thus,testonly
thestandardssetforthbytheNSDC.Inaddition,thesurveydidnotprovideameans
forparticipantstowriteinshortresponsestoquantifyanswersgiven.
(c)Yearsofservice,levelsofexperience,andlevelsofeducationmayleadto
differentresponsesfromvariededucators.(d)Whilethe 522teacherswhotookthe
pretestprovidedthemeanfortheirinitialattempt,thismeanwouldbecomethe
expectationfortheposttest,withthepossibilityofthepopulationregressingbackto
thatmean.(f )Asthisstudywasconductedthroughaselectionprocessconductedby
theEIRCandtheNewJerseyDepartmentofEducationthroughgrantsubmissions,
schoolsparticipatinginthestudydemonstratedaninitialinterestinthePLCreform.
(g)Temporalvalidityisanotherissuetoacknowledgeasthisstudytookplace
overthecourseofoneschoolyear.(h)Ecologicalvaliditymaybequestioneddue
totheindependentnatureofthevariedschoolsimplementingPLCstructures,
despiteallreceivingsimilartraining.
DelimitationsoftheStudy
Theresearcherimposedthefollowingdelimitations:Thebiasofthe
respondents,aswellastheinterpretationofthedata,mayproducepotential
limitations.ThetenuoussituationscreatedwithintheStateofNewJerseydueto
governmentalchangesinfundingandtheemotionalstateofeducatorsinvolved
mayaffectoutcomes.
Theresearchermadethefollowingassumptions:(a)TheSAIsurveyinstrument
isanaccuratemeasureofperceptionsregardingPLCimplementation.(b)Subjects
respondedaccuratelyandhonestlytothesurvey.(c)Datareceivedfromthe
SAIsurveyandtheNSDCareanaccuraterepresentationofteacherperceptionsand
howtheyrelatetothestandardsforprofessionallearning.(d)Thisresearchwasa
quantitativestudyof10publicNewJerseyschool,rangingfromelementarytohigh
school(gradesK12).(e)Onlyteacherswithinthe10studiedschoolsarerepresented
withinthestudy.(f)Onlyfacultyandadministratorsdirectlyinvolvedinthe
implementationanddaytodayactivitiesofthePLCswereinvitedtoparticipate.
(g)ThisstudywasspecificallylimitedtotheattitudesandperceptionsofthePLC
structureandisnotnecessarilyrepresentativeofotherschoolsoreducators'
perceptionsofprofessionallearningwithinthePLCstructure.(h)Datawere
collectedfromonesurveyinstrumentusingthestandardsofprofessional
developmentestablishedbytheNSDC.(i)Theonlyvariablesstudieddealtwiththe
context,process,andcontentofteacherperceptionsofPLCimplementation.
DefinitionofTerms
Theresearcherchosetodefinesomeofthefollowingtermstoclarifythem
duringthestudy.Sometermswillalsobedefinedintheliteraturereview,andin
thatoccurrence,sourcesarecited.
Capacitybuilding.Developingthecollectiveabilitythedispositions,
knowledge,skills,motivation,andresourcestoacttogethertobringaboutpositive
change(Fullan,2005a,p.4).
Collaboration.Theprocessinwhichagroupengageswhereinmembers
becomeinterdependent,shareandcreateknowledge,andproduceworktheywould
notbeabletoindependently(Bruffee,1999).
Formativeassessment.Anassessmentoflearningusedtoadvanceandnot
merelymonitoreachstudent'slearning(Stiggins,2002).
Lawofthefew.Theabilityofasmallcloseknitgroupofpeopletochampion
anideaorproposaluntilitreachesatippingpointandspreadslikeanepidemic
throughoutanorganization(Gladwell,2002).
Mission.Amissionisaclearandcompellinggoalthatservestounifyan
organization'sefforts.Aneffectivemissionmuststretchandchallengethe
organization,butbeattainable(Collins&Porras,1991).
Moralpurpose.Actingwiththeintentionofmakingapositivedifferencein
thelivesofemployees,customers,andsocietyasawhole(Fullan,2001,p. 3).
Powerstandard.Theknowledge,skills,anddispositionsthathave
enduranceandleverage,andareessentialinpreparingstudentsforreadinessatthe
nextlevel(Reeves,2002).
Professionaldevelopment.Alifelong,collaborativelearningprocess
thatnourishesthegrowthofindividuals,teams,andtheschoolthroughadaily
jobembedded,learnercentered,focusedapproach(NSDC,2001).
Professionallearningcommunity.Acommunityofeducatorscommittedto
workingcollaborativelyinongoingprocessesofcollectiveinquiryandactionresearch
toachievebetterresultsforthestudentstheeducatorsserve.Professionallearning
communitiesoperateundertheassumptionthatthekeytoimprovedlearningfor
studentsiscontinuous,jobembeddedlearningforeducators(DuFouretal.,2006).
SMARTGoal.JamesChampy(1995)wrote,"Visionistherhetoricof
inspiration. . .whilegoalsaretherhetoricofaccountancy"(p.54).Conzemius
andO'Neill(2005)createdtheSMARTacronymtoserveasausefultoolforteams
toutilizeinthegoalsettingprocess,callingforgoalsthatare:
1. Strategicallyand&ecificallylinkedtotheorganization'soverallpurpose
andvisionwhileworkingtoavoidbeingambiguoustothoseattempting
toreachthem;
2. Measurablethroughanestablishedsetofbaselinesmeasurementsused
toassessprogresstowardsthegoal'scompletion;
3. Attainable so that the educators within the organization believe
that,throughtheircollectiveefforts,thegoalcanbeaccomplished;
4. ResultsOrientedsothatthegoalfocusesonoutcomesratherthan
oninputs;onresultsratherthanonintentions.
5. Timeboundtoincludeatimeframeforwhenthespecificactionwillbe
takenandwhenitisanticipatedthatthegoalwillbeaccomplished.(DuFou
etal.,2008,pp.159160)
Stakeholders.Thelocalcommunityresidents,includingparents,students,
or otherpersonswhohaveaninterestorstakeinwhattakesplaceintheschool
district(Herman&Herman,1994).
Summativeassessment.Anassessmentoflearning(Stiggins,2002).
Team.Agroupofpeopleworkinginterdependentlytoachieveacommon
goalforwhichmembersareheldmutuallyaccountable.Collaborativeteamsarethe
fundamentalbuildingblocksofPLCs(DuFouretal.,2008,p.471).
Timemanagement.Theabilitytoorganizeandexecuteone'stimebasedon
priorities(Covey,1989).
SummaryoftheChapter
Aseducationcontinuestobeafocus,nationallyandlocally,reformefforts
continuetobeintroduced.PLCs,whilenotanentirelynewconceptastheyreceived
theirfoundationincommunitiesofpracticeandcriticalfriendsgroups,havereceived
attentionduetothefocusonstudentandfacultylearning.Chapter1presentedthe
backgroundforthisstudy,specifiedtheproblem,describedthesignificanceofthat
problem,andpresentedabriefoverviewofthemethodologyused.Thefirstchapter
concludedbystatingsomeofthespecificlimitationscontainedwithinthestudy.A
reviewoftherelatedliteraturewillbepresentedinChapter 2.Chapter2includes
relatedtheoryandahistoricalperspectiveonschoolreformeffortsandPLCstructure.
Thechapteralsoconsidersaspectsofadultlearningtheoryinordertoaddressthe
mannerinwhicheducatorscontributetonewreformefforts.Chapter 3willpresenta
descriptionoftheresearchdesign,includinganannotationoftheparticipants,the
schoolsstudied,strategiesutilizedduringthePLCimplementation,the
methodologyfordatacollection,themannerinwhichthatdatawasanalyzed,and
theinstrumentationusedinthisstudy.Theresultsoftheinvestigationoutlinedin
Chapter3willbepresentedinChapter4.Thiswillincludeadetailedstatistical
analysisofthedataandaninterpretationofthefindingsthatlinktotheresearch
questions.Asummaryoftheresearch,itslimitations,andimplicationforfwther
researchwillbediscussedinChapter5.Thisresearchstudyisintendedtooffer
schoolsinsightinto10schools'implementationjourneyandtheperceptionsofthe
educatorswithinthatschool,withthehopesofprovidingaframeworkofpractice
andfeedbackallowingotherschoolsasuccessfulimplementationmodel.
.
Chapter2:ReviewofRelatedLiterature
Professionallearningcommunities(PLCs)havecontinuedtogain
increasingrecognitionasmorestateDepartmentofEducationpersonnelworkto
implementPLCsasarecommendedpartofschooldistrictreformandprofessional
developmentefforts.JudithWarrenLittle(citedinSchmoker,2005)stated:
Truelearningcommunitiesarecharacterizedbydisciplined,professional
collaborationandongoingassessment...Teachersdonotlearnbestfrom
outsideexpertsorbyattendingconferencesorimplementing"programs"
installedbyoutsiders.Teacherslearnbestfromotherteachersinsettings
wheretheyliterallyteacheachothertheartofteaching.
ThesetheoreticalframeworksdescribedbyLittlearewhathavemade
professionallearningcommunitiessuchanappealingreformefforttostates,
particularlyastheylooktoaddresstheneedforongoingteacherlearningand
increasedstudentachievement,alongwithaneedtodecreasespending.
TheNewJerseyDepartmentofEducationisonesuchorganizationthat
hasworkedtoincreaseindividualdistrictknowledgeofPLCs.Thetheorybehind
theimplementationofPLCscontendsthatproperimplementationwouldexpand
perceptionsandpracticesintopicsrangingfromincreasingstudentachievementto
escalatingteacherperformancethroughamorecollaborativeculture.Throughthis
concept,schoolswouldincreasetheircollaborativenature,workingcollectivelyto
increasethesuccessofallstudents,notjuststudentsintheirclassroom.The
movementhasalsogainedrecognitionfromorganizationsoutsideNewJersey,such
astheNationalStaffDevelopmentCouncil(NSDC),whichhasincludedlearning
communitiesaspartofitsStandardsforStaffDevelopment(Feger&Arruda,2008).
TheNewJerseyEducationCommissioner'sTaskForceonQualityTeachingand
Learning(2005)statedthatthegoalforthestateistoberecognizedasoneofthe
firststatestoimplementcollaborativeprofessionallearningordevelopmentthatis
ongoing,focusedattheschoollevel,engagesteachersincollaborativelearning,and
isintensiveandrigorous.
Theshiftinfocusfromactivitydriventoresultsdrivenprofessional
developmentisworkingtomoveprofessionaldevelopmentfromaconsensusbasedtoa
researchbasedintervention,frompulloutlearningtodailyjobembeddedlearning
opportunities,andfromafocusonadultworktoafocusonstudentwork(Roberts &
Pruitt,2003).
PurposeoftheReview
Inreviewingtheextantliteratureonthetopicofprofessionallearning
communities,anumberofphilosophicalandtheoreticalresearcharticlesandbooks
explainthepremisebehindthisreformmodel.However,significantstudiesonactual
implementationmodelsandteacherperceptionswithinthosemodels,aswellas
howschoolswouldbeabletotransitiontothisincreasinglyrecommendedmodel
ofacollaborative,professionaldevelopmentcommunity,arelacking.
Thepurposesofthisreviewareasfollows:(a)toidentifjandexplainthe
philosophicalbackingofprofessionallearningcommunities,(b)touncoverthe
historyofreformmodels,and(c)toexaminetheliteratureforsignificance
regardingproperPLCimplementation.
Theintentofthereviewistoinformeducationalleaders,educators,
and policymakers about professional learning communities within the
continuumofeducationalreform.
Thereviewwillbeguidedbythefollowingthreequestions:(a)What
implications,ifany,doesthecontextofaprofessionallearningcommunityhaveon
theperceptionsofeducatorsregardingtheinfluenceuponlearningcommunity
structure,schoolleadership,andresourcesduringa1yearimplementationprocess?
(b)Whatinlplications,ifany,doestheprocessofaprofessionallearningcommunity
haveontheperceptionsofeducatorsregardingtheinfluenceupondatadriven
decisions,evaluation,researchbasedpractices,design,learning,andcollaboration
duringalyearPLCimplementationprocess?(c)Whatimplications,ifany,doesthe
contentofaprofessionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducators
regardingtheinfluenceonequity,qualityteaching,andfamilyinvolvementduringa
1yearPLCimplementationprocess?
Theextantbodyofliteratureislarge,anditwouldextendwellbeyondthe
focusofthisresearchstudy;thus,thisreviewwillfocusonthehistoryof
educationalreformtoprovideafoundationforthecurrentPLCrecommendations,
theprocessandfactorsofPLCimplementation,andthetheoryofchangingeducator
viewsandhowtheseviewsshifteducationalchoices.Throughareviewofthis
literature,aconceptualframeworkcanbedevelopedthatwillguidetheintegration
oftherelevantbodiesofliteraturetoresultina"'progressiveproblemshift'that
yieldsanewperspectiveontheliteraturewithmoreexplanatoryandpredictive
powerthanisofferedbyexistingperspectives"(Strike&Posner,1983).
LiteratureSearchProcedures
Theliteraturereviewedforthischapterwasaccessedviaonlinedatabases,
includingEBSCOhost,AltaVista,ProQuest,ERIC,andAcademicSearchPremier.
Inaddition,printeditionsofpeerreviewededucationaljournalswereused.Lastly,
published,peerreviewedbookswereutilizedduringtheresearchprocess.Each
sectionofreviewedliteratureincludeseitherametaanalysisornonexperimental
studies.Topresentrelevantinformationthataddstotheextantliterature,the
researchercompletedthisliteraturereviewusingthe12itemframeworkfor
scholarlyliteraturereviewsestablishedbyBooteandBeile(2005).
MethodologicalIssuesintheResearchonProfessionalLearningCommunities
Inareviewoftheliterature,onemainissuecontinuedtopresentitself;there
isashortageofquantitativedataregardingteacherperceptionsofimplementation
effortsofprofessionallearningcommunities.Thus,theliteraturereviewtakesthe
extantliteratureandsynthesizestheinformationtoaccuratelyrepresentallfacetsof
thereformwithinthecontextofthescholarlywritings.Inclusionofmaterialswas
basedontherepresentationofinformationwithinmultiplesources.
Anotherissueintheliteraturewasthecontinuousstatementthatresearch
neededtobeongoingtogathersolidquantitative,longitudinalevidenceregardingthe
successofthePLCconceptasareformmodel.Thus,thisliteraturereviewsthe
qualitativeevidencecitedwithinthevariedworksreviewedinordertoprovide
thefoundationfortheresearchstudy.
Thefocusofthisliteraturereviewcenteredontheexistingliteraturefrom1910
through2010includingtheseminalworksupthroughthepresentday.Themajorityof
informationpertainingtoprofessionallearningcommunitieswastakenfrompeer
reviewedwritingswithinthepast15years.Todetermineandillustratecontext,older
literaturewasreviewedtocorrectlyframethiscurrentreformmodelwithinthehistoryof
otherreformefforts.Johnson(2010)affirmedthat"nonexperimentalresearchis
frequentlyanimportantandappropriatemodelofresearchineducation"(p. 3).Thistype
ofresearch,thingssuchasregressionandcontrolgroups,isanimportantmethodfor
gaininginsightthroughdiscoveringmeaningbyimprovingourcomprehensionofthe
whole.Inessence,qualitativeresearchallowstheresearchertoexplorethe
richness, depth, and complexity of PLC theory (Neill, 2009, p. 1). Thus,
qualitativeresearchisdeemedhighlyappropriateforuseasafoundationforthis
researchstudyofPLCimplementation.
InclusionandExclusionCriteriaforLiteratureReview
OhioStateUniversityfirstconductedresearchonwhatwouldbecome
knownasPLCsduringtheuniversity'sEightYearstudyinitiatedin1936.
Stemmingfromthisbaselinestudy,variedtheoreticalconstructshavebeen
introducedfromotherrecognizedleadersineducationalreformresearch.The
researchfromnationallyrecognized,peerreviewedexpertswasincludedwithin
thisstudytoaddrelevancetothetheoreticalandhistoricalunderpinningsofthis
newerreformmodel(Bullough,2007).
ThereviewoftheliteraturepresentsreformeffortsfromTaylor's19th
centuryfactorymodeltotherecentRacetotheTop(RTTP)initiativeintroducedby
theObamaadministration.Theinclusionofthisliteratureisessentialtoplacethe
PLCreformmodelintheproperhistoricalmilieu,demonstratingthesynthesisof
approachesfromvariedreformapproaches,withparticularemphasisoninitiatives
beginningwithANationatRiskin1983tothepresentRTTP.Thehistorical
contextofeachreformispresentedtodemonstratethetieredstructureofideas
withinrecenteffortsandhowsomeoftheseidealscouldbeincorporatedwithinthe
PLCmodel,takingtheemphasisfromteachingtolearningwithinourschools.
ProfessionalLearningCommunities:EducationalPhiIosophyandHistory
PLCsare,inessence,designedtoalloweducatorstoviewtheeducational
processaslearnercentered.Tounderstandtheshift,understandingthehistoryof
educationalphilosophyisessential.Outsidethephilosophicaltransitionfoundwithin
PLCs,manyschoolsoperatewithintheconstructthat,despitediffering
environments,humannatureremainsthesameeverywhere;hence,educationshould
remainthesameforeveryone(Engl&Larson,1996).Educationalgoalswithinthis
particulartheoryaregroundedintheconceptofimpartingapredeterminedbodyof
knowledgetoalllearnerswithaparticularfocusonacademicsubjects.Acommon
curriculum,onethatfollowsaliberalartsphilosophy,shouldbedesignedforall
students(Bagley).Withinthiscommoncurriculum,itisessentialtoseeeducationas
theprocesstoteachacademiccontent(DuBois)andculturalliteracy(Bennett),as
opposedtofocusingonitemssuchasvocationaleducation.
OfthemanydifferentreformsthatAmericanpubliceducationhasundergone,
thisphilosophywasseenstrongestwiththepublicationofANationatRisk
(NationalCommissiononExcellenceinEducation,1983),whichstressedtheneed
foreducationtobecomemoresubjectcenteredandfocused,withemphasison
EnglishandMath(Bennett,1987;Hirsch,1987).
E.D.Hirschconsistentlyadvocatedteachingcoreknowledgethatemphasizes
specificinformationforstudentstolearn.Hedescribeditasa"lastingbodyof
knowledge,whichincludessuchtopicsasthebasicprinciplesofconstitutional
government,mathematics,andlanguageskills,importanteventsinworldhistory,and
acknowledgedmasterpiecesofart,music,andliterature"(OYNeil,1999,pp.2831).He
alsoassertedthat"theprincipleaimofschoolingistopromoteliteracyasanenabling
competence"(Hirsch,1987),inessencedeclaringknowledgeisintellectual
capital.WilliamBennettaddedtoHirsch'sidealswithFirstLessons:AReporton
ElementaryEducation(1987),inwhichBennettstatedthatelementaryschool
educationshouldfocusoncontentfirst,andthenlookatcharacterandchoice.The
transitiontoaprofessionallearningcommunityrequireseducatorsand
stafftotakethesetheoriesandworktoapplythemwithinatheoreticalconstructthat
stressesthataschool'seducationalprogramshouldbebasedonthedevelopmentof
cooperativesocialskills,criticalthinking,anddemocraticbehaviors.Theseitemsplayan
essentialroleintransformingasocietyofgreed,individualism,waste,andcorruptioninto
onebasedoncompassion,humanism,andequality(Rippa,1997).
OneinfluentialadvocateofthisapproachtoeducationwasJohnDewey.In
hisworkHowWeThink(191O),hedescribedthinkingastheprocessinvolving
experimentationandproblemsolving.Withinthis,heworkedtoestablisha
methodforteachersandstudentstofollowastheyworktogaintrueunderstanding
oftheknowledgebeingtaughtorlearned.Thisconstructisthoughttoassistin
creatingabetter,moredemocraticsocietythroughanaccumulationofknowledge,
personaldevelopment,andacultivationofethics(English&Larson,1996),while
assistingstudentsinbecomingadvocatesfortheirownlearningandlearning
experiencesinessence,learningtocreatethemselves(Eisner,xxxx).
GrantWigginsworkedwithinthisaccumulationoftheoriesfromBruner(1
966)andFenwickandEnglish(1996)todevelopeducationalapproachesthatallow
studentstoowntheknowledge.Wiggins'sunderstandingbydesignmodelwas
acceptedbytheStateofNewJerseyasonemodelforcurriculardevelopment.This
development,coupledwiththepushforPLCimplementationwithinourschools,
presentsanopportunitytochangehowourteacherslearn,and,inrelation,teach.
TheuseofthePLCmodeltostructureprofessionaldevelopmentcoupled
withtheaforementionedphilosophyofeducationstressthateducationneedsto
maketheshiftfromacurriculumasateachercenteredmodeltoonethatplacesthe
studentatthecenterofthelearningexperience(DuFouretal.,2008;Parker,1894)
whilefocusingonembeddedteacherlearninganddevelopment.
HistoryofEducationalReformEfforts
Educationalreformeffortshaveexistedsincepubliceducationfirstbegan;
PLCsexistwithinthislonghistory.ThomasJeffersonwasanearlyproponentofa
publicschoolsystemwhenhefirstproposedthatchildreninVirginiaattendapublic
schoolfor3years,withthe20bestmalestudentsreceiving10yearsofschoolingatthe
public'sexpense(DuFouretal.,2008).Thisinitialpublicschooleducationwasthen
reformedwiththeimplementationofFrederickWinslowTaylor'sfactorymodelof
schooling,whichgainedwideacceptanceinthe19thcentury,andhascontinuedto
haveapresenceinpubliceducationsince.Taylor,whoiscreditedwithcreatingthe
scientificmethod,arguedthatcentralization,standardization,andhierarchaltop
downmanagementwouldcreatethebestsystemofeducation.
I111910,theNationalEducationAssociation(NEA)calleduponitseducators to
"recognizedifferencesamongchildrenastoaptitudes,interests,economicresources,
andprospectivecareers"(Lazerson&Grubb,1974)andtodesigneducational
experiencesaccordingly.Thispushsucceededincreatingcontroversyanddebate.John
DeweyaddedtotheNEA'scallforactioninhisworkDemocracyandEducation(1
916)inwhichheopenlyopposedWinslow'sfactorymodelandofferedaconceptual
frameworkfora"neweducation7'schoolswherecurriculaweredeterminedbythe
needs,abilities,andinterestsofthestudents.TheNEA'schallengeandDewey'swork
beganthenextreformeffortsinschoolstobalancetheirprograms.
TheCardinalPrinciplesofSecondaryEducationwerepresentedin1918bythe
CommissionontheReorganizationofSecondaryEducation.Thefocusofthiscommission
wastoformobjectivesforsecondaryeducation.Thecommissiondecidedthatlearningthe
subjectmatterthroughproblembased,integratedcurriculalearn
thesubjectmatterbuthaveitconnectedtoothersubjectsandsocialproblemswasa
waytoachievethedecidedgoalsbutnottheonlyway.Thecommissionwas
instrumentalinstartingastandardofforminggoalsbeforereformingschools
(Sherer,2010).
Reformeffortstookanotherturnin1953whenArthurBestor,inhiswork
EducationalWastelands,blamededucationalistsforwhatheclaimedwasa"dumbing"
downofthecurriculum.TheNationalCommissiononExcellencein
Education(1983)addedtothiscriticismwiththereleaseofANationatRisk,
whichopenlystated:
Ournationisatrisk. ..Theeducationalfoundationsofoursocietyare
presentlybeingerodedbyarisingtideofmediocritythatthreatensourvery
futureasanationandasapeople.. .Wehave,ineffect,beencommitting
anactofunthinking,unilateraleducationdisarmament.(p.5)
Thereleaseofthisreportwasfollowedbyadditionalreformefforts.Althoughmuchofthis
reporthasbeenshowntolackresearchbase,publicationofthisreportisstilloftenreferred
toasthestartofthereformmindedagendasoftoday'spoliticians.
InGoals2000(1989),PresidentGeorgeBushcalledfora"decentralization
ofauthorityanddecisionmakingresponsibilitytotheschoolsite,sothateducators
areempoweredtodeterminethemeansforaccomplishingthegoalsandaretobe
heldaccountableforaccomplishingthem."Hisreformprogramcalledforanumber
ofthingsfromallpublicschoolsinthecountry,including,butnotlimitedto,the
following:(a)AllchildreninAmericawillstartschoolreadytolearn.(b)Thehigh
schoolgraduationratewillincreasetoatleast90%.(c)Americanstudentswill
leavegrades4,8,and12havingdemonstratedcompetencyinchallengingsubject
matter,includingEnglish,math,science,history,andgeography,andeveryschool
inAmericawillensurethatallstudentslearntousetheirmindsaswell,sotheyare
preparedforresponsiblecitizenship,furtherlearning,andproductiveemploymentin
ourmodernworld.(d)U.S.studentswillrankfirstintheworldinmathematicsand
scienceachievement.(e)Everyadultwillbeliterateandpossesstheknowledgeand
skillsnecessarytocompeteinaglobaleconomyandexercisetherightsand
responsibilitiesofcitizenship.(f)EveryschoolinAmericawillbefreeofdrugsand
violenceandwillofferadisciplinedenvironmentconducivetolearning.(g)The
nation'steachingforcewillhaveaccesstoprogramsforcontinueddevelopmentof
professionalskillsandtheopportunitytoacquiretheknowledgeandskillsneededto
instructandprepareallAmericanstudentsforthenextcentury.(h)Everyschool
willpromotepartnershipsthatwillincreaseparentalinvolvementandparticipation
inpromotingthesocial,emotional,andacademicgrowthofchildren.Thisreform
effortwascriticizedforlackinganimportantaspectthatcouldleadtosuccessthe
reformeffortswerefocusedonschoolsandteachers,andwerenotfocusedon
learningforstudentsandteachers.
EnactmentoftheNoChildLeftBehind(NCLB)lawinJanuary2002(U.S.
Congress,2001c)wasthenextmajorreformeffortintheUnitedStates.Thestated
purposeofthisreformeffortwas"toensurethatallchildrenhaveafair,equal,and
significantopportunitytoobtainahighqualityeducationandreach,ataminimum,
proficiencyonchallengingStateacademicachievementstandardsandstate
academicassessments"(U.S.Congress,2001c,p.15).AswiththeGoals2000
reformefforts,NCLBattemptedtosetforthaseriesofrequirementsthat
governmentofficialsbelievedwouldassistincreatingeffectiveeducationsystems.
Theserequirementsincludedthefollowing:
Ensuringhighqualityacademicassessments,accountabilitysystems,teacher
preparationandtraining,curriculum,andinstructionalmaterialsthatare
alignedwithchallengingStateacademicstandardsthatstudents,parents,
andadministratorscanmeasureprogressagainstcommonexpectationsfor
studentacademicachievement;
Closingtheachievementgapbetweenhighandlowperformingchildren,
especiallytheachievementgapsbetweenminorityandnonminoritystudents,
andbetweendisadvantagedchildrenandtheirmoreadvantagepeers;
Holdingschools,localeducationalagencies,andStatesaccountablefor
improvingtheacademicachievementofallstudents,andidentifyingand
turningaroundlowperformingschoolsthathavefailedtoprovideahigh
qualityeducationtotheirstudents,whileprovidingalternativetostudentsin
suchschoolstoenablestudentstoreceiveahighqualityeducation;
Improvingandstrengtheningaccountability,teaching,andlearningbyusing
stateassessmentsystemsdesignedtoensurethatstudentsaremeeting
challengingStateacademicachievementandcontentstandardsand
increasingoverallachievement;
Providinggreaterdecisionmakingauthorityandflexibilitytoschoolsand
teachersinexchangeforgreaterresponsibilityforstudentperformance;
Providingchildrenanenrichedandacceleratededucationalprogram,
includingtheuseofschoolwideprogramsoradditionalservicesthatincrease
theamountofandqualityofinstructionaltime;
Promotingschoolwidereformandensuingtheaccessofchildrentoeffective,
scientificallybasedinstructionalstrategiesandchallengingacademiccontent;
Significantlyelevatingthequalityofinstructionbyprovidingstaff
inparticipatingschoolswithsubstantialopportunitiesfor
professionaldevelopment;
Affordingparentssubstantialandmeaningfulopportunitiestoparticipatein
theeducationoftheirchildren.(US.Congress,200lc,pp.1516)
Thisreformeffort,whilebuildinguponwhatwasestablishedinGoals2000,
stillfailedtoreflectthenecessityoffocusingonlearning.Thisomissionplaces
thereformeffortsatoddswithtrueacademicadvancement.
PresidentBarrackObama(2010)addedtothefederalpushforeducational
reformwithhisRacetotheTop(RTTP)program,whichcalleduponstatesand
schooldistrictsto"compete"againsteachotherforfederalfunding.Obama(20
10)stated:
Thereareanynumberofactionswecantakeasanationtoenhanceour
competitivenessandsecureabetterfutureforourpeople,butfewofthem
willmakeasmuchofadifferenceasimprovingthewayweeducateoursons
anddaughters.
ThisimpetusintroducedtheRacetotheTopcompetitionthathadallstatescompeting
fortheirshareof$4billioninreformmonies,whichwasthenrenewedwithanother $1.3
billioninreformmoniesforthefollowingbudgetyear.Thisreformeffortalso placed
localschooldistrictsindirectconflictwithstatepolicymakers,asnotedbyPresident
Obama,whenheusedschooldistrictsinTexasthatareoperatingontheirown,against
policymakersatthestatelevel.Keycriteriaforschoolsandstatesto
receiveRacetotheTopfundingincludethefollowing:(a)Statesareencouragedto
adoptmorechallengingstandardsthatwillactuallyprepareourchildrenforcollege
andtheircareers.Schoolsareencouragedtoadoptbetterassessmentsnotjustonesize
fitsallapproachestomeasurewhatstudentsknowandwhattheyareabletodo.(b)
Schoolsandschooldistrictsareurgedtomakesurethatexcellentprincipalsare
leadingourschoolsandgreatteachersleadingourclassesbypromotingrigorousplans
todevelopandevaluateteachersandprincipalsandbyrewardingtheirsuccess.
(c)Statesareurgedtousecuttingedgedatasystemstotrackachild'sprogress
throughouthisorheracademiccareer,andtolinkthatchild'sprogresstohisorher
teacher'ssoitisclearwhatisworkingandwhatisnotworkingintheclassroom.(d)
Statesareencouragedtoshowstrongercommitmenttoturningaroundsomeoftheir
lowestperformingschools.Thismostrecentreformeffortwasrecentlybacked(Forum
onEducationalAccountability[FEA],2010)bytheFEAwithcommentsrootedintwo
priorstatementsreleasedincoordinationwithandinresponsetoNCLB:the"Joint
OrganizationalStatementonNoChildLeftBehind(NCLB)Act"(2004)and
"EmpoweringSchoolsandImprovingLearning:AJointOrganizationalStatementon
theFederalRoleinPublicSchooling"(2009)'aswellasintwopreviousreports,
"RedefiningAccountability:ImprovingStudentLearningbyBuildingCapacity"(2007)
and"AssessmentandAccountabilityforImprovingSchoolsandLearning:Principles
andRecommendationsforFederalLawandStateandLocalSystems"(2007).The
FEA'sbackingcamewithguidelinesonhowtoimprovethereformeffortbyrearranging
theprioritieswithintheRacetotheTopreform.These
recommendationsstatedthatthefederalDepartmentofEducationshouldgiveweight
tothefactorsthataremostcriticaltostrengtheningteachingandlearning (111.
SelectionCriteria,p.23).Therecommendedchangesincludethefollowing:(a)
improvingthequalityofassessments;(b)providingforeffectiveprofessional
developmentofteachers,principals,andothereducationalstaff;(c)ensuring
equityandopportunitytolearnforallstudents;(d)enhancingfamilysupportfor
studentlearningandfamilyinvolvementinschools;and(e)buildingstatecapacity
toassistsystemicimprovementsinpublicschools.Theserecommendationsdid
notnecessarilychangetheintentionoftheRacetotheTopreform;theysimply
rearrangedthecomponentstodemonstratepriority.However,theonesizefitsall
assessmentplan,despitebeingpromotedbyObama,isstillthefirstiteminthe
originalreformandtheFEA'sreallocationofpriorities.Thisapproachcontinued
toconflictwiththeequityandopportunityforallstudentstolearn.
Inanexaminationofthehistoryofeducationalreform,thePLCsconstructmay
provideapotentialfiameworkthatcouldaidthetransitionofeducatorstomeetthe
criteriaoutlined,notonlyinthemostrecentreformofRacetotheTopbutalsointhe
NCLBandGoals2000efforts.Inaddition,PLCs,intheory,placeonusoneducatorsfor
continueddevelopmentbasedonsocialcognitivetheoryandselfefficacytheory
(Bandura,1986),inthefactthat"cognitionplaysacriticalroleinpeople'scapabilityto
constructreality,selfregulate,encodeinformation,andperformbehaviors."This
directlyequatestoeducatorsenhancingperformancebecause:
teachershavethechallengeofimprovingtheacademiclearningand
confidenceofthestudentsintheircharge.Usingsocialcognitivetheoryas
aframework,teacherscanworktoimprovetheirstudents'emotionalstates
andtocorrecttheirfaultyselfbeliefsandhabitsofthinking(personal
factors),improvetheiracademicskillsandselfregulatorypractices
(behavior),andaltertheschoolandclassroomstructuresthatmayworkto
underminestudentsuccess(environmentalfactors).(Pajares,2002)
InexaminingthisunderlyingtheoryofPLCs,theycanbedefinedas:
educatorscommittedtoworkingcollaborativelyinongoingprocessesof
collectiveinquiryandactionresearchtoachievebetterresultsforthe
studentstheyserve.ProfessionalLearningCommunitiesoperateunderthe
assumptionthatthekeytoimprovedlearningforstudentsiscontinuous,job
embeddedlearningforeducators.(DuFouretal.,2006)
Fullan(2000)statedthat"theinsidestoryisthatthereisnosubstituteforinternal
schooldevelopment.Wehaveanincreasinglyclearideaaboutwhatisneeded,but
wedon'tknowhowtodoitonawidescale"(p.3).ThisiswherethetheoryofPLCs
andtheliteraturebehindthetheorieslacksubstantialquantitativedatademonstrating
teacherperceptionsthatdealwithspecificareaswithinimplementationefforts.
TheoreticalCharacteristicsofProfessionalLearningCommunities
Professionallearningcommunitiesmaybecomeaviablereformeffortif
implementedproperly.Sixespousedkeytheoreticalcharacteristicsthatmustexist
couldassistinmakingPLCseffective.Thefirstitemtargetsapurposethatisstated
throughasharedmission;cleardirectionsupportedthroughtheschool'svision
statement;collectivecommitmentsonthepartoftheteachers,staff,administration,
students,andthecommunityinordertovaluetheefforts;andclearandmeasurable
indicators,timelines,andtargetsestablishedwithindatadrivengoals.Withinthis
firstitem,thekeyisthatallmustbefocusedonstudentslearning.Thisisastep
awayfrompastreformeffortsthatfocusedsolelyonincreasingteachingcapacity
(DuFouretal.,2008).
Theseconditemsuggestedistheestablishmentofacollaborativeculture
thatfocusesontheaforementionedlearning.Whilethefirstpointfocuseson
establishingthefoundationofaschool'sorganization,collaborativeteamswithin
theschoolarethefirstkeybuildingblockforteacherstobegintoplacethefocuson
thelearners.Theinterdependencefosteredwithinthecollaborativeteams,
theoretically,willworktoachievecommongoals.Thiscollaborationisstilljustone
ofthenecessarystepsinbuildingaPLCandcannotimprovestudentachievement
unlessthatcollaborationaffectsprofessionalpracticeswithintheteamandthe
schoolasawhole(DuFouretal.,2008).
ThethirditemsuggestedinestablishingatruePLCisthecollectiveinquiryby
collaborativeteamsintowhatresearchbased,bestpracticesstateexistinordertocreate
interventionsforstudentsstrugglingwithconcepts.Inaddition,theteacherswithinthe
communitymustcontinuetoexploretheirownpracticesanddetermineifthose
practicescontinuetoaffectstudentsuccessorwilldifferentapproachesproduce
greaterresults(DuFouretal.,2008).TheDuFoursdidnotconduct
empiricalresearch.
Oncetheaforementionedfoundationandbuildingblocksareputinplace,
theremainingitemsrequireeducatorstobeactionorientedbycontinuingtolearnby
doing.Inanexaminationofsocialcognitivetheory,Bandura(citedinPajares,2002)
statedthatadultslearnselfefficacythroughfourmajorcomponents:(a)interpreting
theresultsofmasteryexperience,(b)vicariousexperiencesofwatchingother
teachersteach,(c)cultivationofcommonbeliefsthroughsocialpersuasions,and(d)
somaticandemotionalstates.Thistypeoflearning,whichisdesignedinthePLC
construct,developsadeeperandmoreprofoundknowledgeandgreatercommitment
thanlearningbyreading,listening,planning,orthinking(Pfeffer&Sutton,2000).
Inaddition,PLCsmustcontinuetoconductaconstantsearchforbetter
waystoachievethegoalsthatthePLCsestablishedearlierintheprocess.Thisis
donethroughdatacollection,goalplanning,andinterventionresearch.This,in
turn,thenmustbeappliedtothenextinterventionattemptandprofessional
learninginordertohavecontinuousimprovement(DuFouretal.,2008).
Thelastpartisthatalleffortsmustberesultsoriented."Therationaleforany
strategyforbuildingalearningorganizationrevolvedaroundthepremisethatsuch
organizationswillproducedramaticallyimprovedresults"(Senge&Kaufman,
xxxx,p.44).
Despitethelackofquantitativeimplementationdataorinformationonthe
potentialofestablishingenduringlyeffectivePLCs(Bullough,2007),alotofsupport
forthepotentialofPLCsremains."[Werecommendthat]schoolsberestructured
tobecomegenuineorganizationsthatrespectlearning,honorteaching,andteach
forunderstanding"(DarlingHammond,1996).Researchexpertshavestatedthat
PLCswilladdresstheneedoforganizationstocontinuetodealwithchangeasan
ongoingprocess,focusedonthelearnerswhoareintheclassrooms,andnotchange
asitdealswithpolicyupdates(Fullan,1993).Thisabilitytolearnduringcontinual
changewillenhanceaschool'sabilitytoincreasetheschool'scapacitytoboost
studentachievementthroughasharedpurpose,collaborativeactivitiesand
planning,andcollectiveownershipofthestudents(Newman&Wehlage,1995).
Asoutlinedinthemostrecentreformeffortsofthepasttwodecades,
professionallearningisanimportantandrecognizedaspectofcontinualschool
improvement.PLCshavethepotentialtobecomethecentralelementforeffective
professionaldevelopmentwithinanyreformeffortthroughtheenhancementofthe
professionalculturewithinaschool(AnnenbergInstituteforSchoolReform,2004).
Inaddition,astherecentreformeffortestablishedonthefederalandstatelevels
callsforanincreaseinstandards,assessment,andaccountability,schoollevelPLCs
workwithinthedatawhilebalancingprofessionalautonomywithcollaborationand
mutualaccountabilityforreachingthegoalsestablishedatthefederal,state,and
buildinglevels(Reeves,2005).Furthermore,asschoolscontinuetobattletheever
increasingscrutinyofthepublicregardingcostsavings,aschoolbasedprofessional
learningcommunitymaycontinuetosupportandmotivateteacherstoincreasetheir
professionalpracticethroughcollaborationtocreateandsustainopportunitiesfor
studentlearning(Kruse,Seashore,Louis,&Bryk,1994).Thistheoreticalshiftfrom
theacceptedrigidityofcommoncurriculumforallisthenbalancedwiththe
approachofestablishedstudentdriveninterventionswithinstandards,while
continuingtosupportotherreformeffortsmandatedtopdowntoschools.
VariedprofessionalorganizationshavealsosupportedtheconceptofPLCs.
TheNationalCommissiononTeachingandAmerica'sFuture(2009)hasstatedthat
qualityteachingisnotanindividualaccomplishment.Themostpowerfulformsof
professionaldevelopmentoccurinongoingprofessionalteamsthatmeetfor
professionallearningforcontinuousimprovement(NSDC,2009).When
implemented,PLCstheoreticallyprovideastructureforeducatorstotransitionfrom
focusingonteachingtofocusingonlearning,withtheultimategoalbeingan
increaseinachievementforallstudents,includingbridgingthegapbetweenvaried
subgrouppopulations(Richardson,2008).Thiscommunitythenworkstostructure
learningthatispurposeful(InterstateNewTeacherAssessmentandSupport
Consortium[INTASC],2009)and,withinthisstructure,provideopportunitiesfor
focused,active,andmeaningfullearning,whileinvestigatingpracticestovalidate
specificteachingmethods(Kepner,2008).
Theseorganizationsalsoacknowledgethatsimplysayingthatyouarenow
aPLCisnotadequate:
Merelymakingthetransitionfrommixandmatchtrainingworkshopstothe
formationofPLCswillnottransformprofessionaldevelopmentunlessweare
clearaboutthepurposeofaPLC,therolesofteachersinthePLCs,and
theconnectiontoimprovedstudentlearning.(Mundry&Stiles,2009)
ThePLCconceptisoftenmisusedoroversimplifiedtodescribeanyweekly
meetingorcommittee(Jessie,2007).
Thebestmodelofongoingprofessionaldevelopmentleadstoenhanced
teacherpracticethatincreasesstudentlearningandischaracterizedbysustained
activitiesandcommunitybasedlearning(NCTE,2006).Thatiswhythelearning
communityhastheabilitytobecomeaneffectivemethodofcontinuedlearning
thatwillmostdirectlyaffectstudentlearningandsuccess:
Teachernetworksandstudygroupstendtoproducegreatereffectsonteaching
thanworkshopsorconferences.Whenteachersassumeresponsibilityfortheir
ownprofessionaldevelopment,itismorelikelytobedirectlylinkedtotheir
needsandtheirstudents'needs.(Bookhard &Jennings,2008)
Onceestablished,teamlearningmustbeapartofthecommonlanguageandpractice;
teamlearningcreatesthecontinuallydevelopingsharedvision.Teamlearningbecomes
theexpectationwithinthecollaborativeworkculture(Thompson &
McKelvy,2007).Itisifschoolshopeforaviableandlonglastingreformand
transitiontoPLCsthatallinvolvedacknowledgethatthismodelofcollaborationis
notallaboutespousingsharedmissionstatements.Theworkwillremaindifficult,
andteachers7individualpersonalitieswillstillexist.However,thefocusmust
consistentlyremain,andstaffmustberemindedofthis,onhowwellstudentsare
learning,andnotontheindividualeducatorsoronwhoisresponsibleforwhat.
Teamlearningisashared,commonethic(Peal,2007,p.1).
ProfessionalLearningCommunitiesasaReformModel
Asareformmodel,PLCsespouse,intheory,tomeetalloftherequirements
necessarytobesuccessfulaccordingtoFullan's(2000)equationforsuccessfulschool
change:E=MCA2whereEreferstotherateofefficacyofthereformstructure,M
referstothemotivationinherentintheschoolforthereformeffort(motivation
definedaswill,purpose,andcommitment),Creferstothecapacityoftheschool
andstaffforanyreform(capacitydefinedasskills,knowhow,andavailable
resources),andA2equatestotheassistancegivenandaccountabilityofthestaffto
meetthereformgoals(Fullan,2000)."[The]greaterenergyfor[the]reformis
generatedinasystemofintegratedpressureandsupportinwhichcapacityand
accountabilityarebothincreased"(Fullan,2000,p.8).
Aftersynthesizingmorethan800metaanalysesonthevariedfactorsthatimpact
studentachievement,JohnHattie(2010)concludedthattheoneeffectivewaytoimprove
educationwastoorganizeteachersintocollaborativeteamsthatworkcooperativelyto
track,gatherevidenceoflearningonanongoingbasis,andthenanalyzethoseresultsto
learnwhichinstructionalstrategieswouldbemosteffective.RobertMarzanoaddedtothe
conclusionthatPLCsmaybeeffective,describingthemasthemostpowerfulreform
initiativeforschoolimprovementhehadseeninthepast
decade(DuFour,2009).ThatiswhatmakesthereformtheoryofPLCsso
interestingtostatedepartmentsofeducationandtoschoolleaders.
AnotherdifferencebetweenthePLCstructureasareformeffortandthe
otheraforementionedreformmodelscomesintheopportunityforcreativityand
learningthatthePLCstructuresuppliestotheteacherswhomustleadthereform
effortwiththekeycomponentbeingthefactthatteachersmustworktoleadthe
reformeffort,andwithoutbuyinfromthoseeducators,PLCstructurewillnot
work.Strategicplansandmultistepreformeffortshave"suppressedteachers'
confidenceintheirabilitytoinventoradapteffectivelessonsandstrategies.Only
'wellexecutedlearningcommunities'canachievethegoalofteachingfordeep
understanding,whilecultivatingtheeverimportant'ownership'soessentialto
improvement"(Schrnoker,2004).
ReformssuchasGoals2000,NCLB,andRacetotheTopcreatefearin
educators.PfefferandSutton(2000)stated,"Fearhelpscreateknowingdoinggaps
becauseactingonone'sknowledgerequiresthatapersonbelieveheorshewillnot
bepunishedfordoingso-thattakingrisksbasedonnewinformationandinsight
willberewarded."PLCstructureshavethepotentialtoeliminatesomeofthefear
inherentinhighstakesreformeffortsenactedprior;however,empirical,quantitative
evidenceofteacherperceptionsofsuchinitiativeswithinschoolsislacking.
ComparativeStudiesofProfessionalLearningCommunities
TheliteratureisextensiveonthetheoryofPLCs;however,asaforementioned,
theliteraturelacksquantifiableorqualifiedexamplesofthe"potentialforestablishing
enduringlyeffectivePLCs"(Bullough,xxxx,p.l),aswellasthemannerinwhichthe
transitioncanbeimplementedinschools.BulloughdrewparallelsbetweenPLCsand
theEightYearStudy,whichtookplacebetween1930and1942.Bulloughexplained
thattheEightYearstudyspawnedthefirstPLCatOhioState.Thetwo,infact,have
manysimilarities:teacherrolesmustchangedramaticallyinaculturethatresists
change,newabilitieshadtobelearnedandoldhabitshadtobeputaside,integratingthe
disciplines,teamingor"smallerschoolswithinaschool,"andongoingteacherlearning
(pp.25).ThecoredifferencebetweenthepotentialsuccessofPLCsandtheEightYear
Studyisthefactthat,withinthe~i~htyeStudy,arcurriculumvariedfromschoolto
school;children'srealitieswithintheeducationsystemdifferedradically.
Withtheotherdescribedreformeffortsofthepasttwodecades,Goals2000,
NCLB,andRacetotheTop,theaccountabilityofcommonstandardsandcommon
summativeassessmentsarebeingpresentedashavingthepotentialforthishurdletobe
overcomewithinaPLCstructure.TheseideasareincontrasttotheEightYearStudy
andotherlargestudiesofthaterathatclearlystatedthatcommonstandardsand
commoncurriculumwerenotnecessaryandinfactthestudentswhohaddiverse
programsdidbetterthankidsintraditionalprogramsinelementary,middle,high
school,andcollege.Thisfindinghasthepotentialtotrulyunderpinthesuccessofthe
PLCreformefforts,anditisessentialthateducatorsrecognizethispotentialfor
failure"sustainedschoolreformwillrequirebothafoundationoftrustamong
teachersandlifeenhancingrelationshipswithoneanotherandwithyoung
people"(Bullough,xxxx,p.11).
Aresearchproposalthatdemonstratedthepossibilityforsuccesswithinthe
PLCreformmodeltookplaceintheSoutheastMissouriSchoolDistrictandwas
spurredbytheaccountabilityplacedondistrictswithinthenewNCLBmandates
(Bertrand,Roberts,&Buchanan,2006).Inanalyzingthedatafromthestudy,
Bertrandetal.foundthatverticalteamsfocusedonmeetingspecificstandardswere
influencedbyfivespecificitems:professionaldevelopment;collaborativeteaming;
data/resultsorientation;alignmentofthecurriculumthatiswritten,thecurriculum
thatistaught,andthecurriculumthatistested;andasenseofasharedvisionand
belief(p.4).Theseitemsdirectlyrelatetotheconceptstheoreticallyespousedinthe
PLCmodel.Evenwiththisstudy,however,conclusionscouldnotbestatedasfinal,
asthecallwasforongoingstudyinordertoascertainlongitudinaleffects.Despite
thelackofconcreteevidence,teacherswhoweresurveyedviewedtheinitiativeas
worthwhile,astheyhadduringtheEightYearStudy.Themajordifferencebetween
theEightYearStudyandtheVerticalTeamStudyinMissouriandnowthepresent
PLCreformmodelcanbeseeninAndyHargreaves'sobservation:"Becominga
PLC[isaprocessthat]createsanethosthatpermeatesaschool"(Many,2009).The
conceptisnotto"do"aPLCasashorttermchangeeffort;theconceptmustbe
ongoingandcreatealastingculture.
AnotherexampleofresearchwithinthePLCconceptistheSouthwest
EducationalDevelopmentLaboratory's(SEDL)effortsinestablishingalongitudinal
studyoftheeffectsofPLCsinschools.In1997,theSEDLconductedareviewof
theavailableliteratureonPLCsanddeterminedthatthereformeffortdemonstrated
significantreformopportunities.Toascertainactualimplementationstrategiesand
longtermdatafromthereformefforts,theSEDLrecruited30individualsranging
fiomteachersandadministratorstorepresentativesfiomstatedepartmentsof
educationandhighereducationorganizations.Theseindividualsspent3years
learningabouttheprocessandformulatingstrategiesforothereducational
institutionstofollowinordertocreatetheirownPLCs.Thefindingsduringthis
periodpointed,onceagain,totheoreticalbackingbutlackedquantitativedatathat
wouldassistinhelpingteacherstransitionwithintheconstruct.Asstated:
ThestaffatSEDLhassoughttoprovideCoDevelopers...aseducational
professionalswithaconceptualframeworkwhichwillservethem -andothers
- increatingsignificant,positivechange,inthenation'sschools.Inmany
cases,wehaveraisedasmanynewquestionsaswehaveanswered.In
short,changeofthisnaturedoesnotoccurovernightnorwithminimum
commitment.(SEDL,2000)
ResearchcontinuestopointtowardwaysthatPLCscanbeimplementedbutlack
significantexamplesofeducators'experiencesandperceptionswithinthatchange.
SynthesisofCommonPracticesforSuccessfulProfessionalLearning
Communities
Manycommonfactorsthatmaycontributetoaschool'sPLCstructureare
demonstratedwithintheliterature.Thesefactorsparallelsocialcognitiveandself
efficacytheoriesforcontinuedlearning.ResearchersofPLCconstructsandsocial
cognitivetheorybelievethattheremustbeacultureofsupportiveandshared
leadershipwithintheschool.Inthis,capacityforchangeisdemonstrated,butonly
whentheprincipalwithinthebuildingacceptssharedpoweranddecisionmaking
withthePLCteams(Burnette,2002;Hinrnan,2007;Newrnan,1994;SEDL,
1998).TheNEASP(2008)gavethefolIowingcriteriaforsuchleadership:
Leadschoolsinawaythatplacesstudentandadultlearningatthe
centerSethighexpectationsfortheacademic,social,emotional,and
physicaldevelopmentofallstudents
Demandcontentandinstructionthatensurestudentachievementof
agreeduponstandards
Createacultureofcontinuouslearningforadultstiedtostudentlearning
andotherschoolgoals
Managedataandknowledgetoinformdecisionsandmeasureprogress
ofstudent,adult,andschoolperformance
Activelyengagethecommunitytocreatesharedresponsibilityfor
studentperformanceanddevelopment.
Oncethesupportiveandsharedleadershipisimplementedinamannerthatis
believedandacceptedbystaff,theschool,inhorizontalandverticalPLCteams,must
worktodevelopasharedcorevisionandsetofvaluesasthefundamentalcharacteristic
ofthePLCcommunity.Furthermore,theseitemsmustfocusonstudentlearning
(DuFouretal.,2006;Morrissey,2000;NAESP,2008).Thissharedpurpose:
create[s]theconditionsthatcaptivateacollegiallearningcommunity,fills
themwithasenseofurgency,inspiresthemtoworkdiligentlytoaccomplish
theirsharedmoralpurpose,insyncandharmonywithothertoachieve'poetry
inmotion'orwhatwehavedefinedasoptimalperformance.(Vojtek &
Vojtek,2009)
StudentandteacherlearningisthefoundationofthePLCmodelthatmakes
itseparatefrommorestandardized,prescribedreformefforts.Itisnotenoughto
makesurethatteachersteachwhatislaidoutinthecurriculum;theimportancelies
inwhetherthestudentslearnedwhatwastaught.Theliteraturecontinuestopointto
theneedforthesefoundationalitems,whileacknowledgingthatresearchneedsto
continueinordertocreatepathwaysforotherschoolstofollow."Resultsthat
demonstratethatPLCsmakeadifferencetostudentleaningareanimportant
motivatorofcontinuingresearchinthisarea"(Corwin&OPC,2009).
ProfessionalLearningCommunitiesConclusions
Aseducationandeducatorscontinuetobesubjectedtoavarietyofreform
effortsstemmingfromthenationalandstatelevels,professionallearning
communitiesprovideaconstructthatbuildsuponadultlearningtheoriestoprovidean
opportunityforcontinuedlearningamongprofessionals.Thoughthisconstructhasa
foundationinmultipleresearchefforts,stemmingfromtheEightYearStudythrough
currentleadersintheeducationalcommunity,dataonteachers'perceptionsof
implementationandPLCstructurecontinuetobelacking.Aseducationcontinues
tobesubjectedtopoliticaleducationalagendas,teachers'abilitytolearnandassess
whatpracticeswillbebestforstudentsforsuccessfullearningexperiencesremains
ahighpriorityforschoolimprovement.Thisresearchaimstoprovideeducators
withquantitativedatabasedonteacherperceptionswithintheindicatorsofcontext,
process,andcontentofprofessionallearningforconsiderationbefore
implementationofprofessionallearningcommunitieswithinschools.
Chapter3:Methodology
AsdescribedinChapter1,thepurposeofthisstudywastodiscoverthe
perceptionsofeducatorsastheytransitionedtoaprofessionallearningcommunity
model,includingembeddedprofessionaldevelopmentanddatatrackingtomeet
accountabilitystandards.Utilizingthetheoreticalconstructsofthereviewed
literature,aswellasthepracticesoutlinedbytheNewJerseyStateDepartmentof
Education,theNSDC,andtheEIRCtoguideimplementation,thisstudyresearched
educators'perceptionsofthesubgroupscontainedwithinthecontext(learning
communities,leadership,andresources);process(datadriven,evaluation,research
based,design,learning,andcollaboration);andcontent(equity,qualityteaching,and
familyinvolvement)thatcomprisethechangesmostrelevantwithinthereformmodel.
ThesesubgroupswereidentifiedbytheNSDCbasedonitsresearchonprofessional
learningcommunities.Thischapterdescribesthemethodsandproceduresused,
includingresearchdesign,researchquestions,andsamplepopulation.Inaddition,the
conceptualframework,instrumentation,anddatacollectionarepresented.Finally,the
chapterdiscussesthedataanalysisofthisstudy.
Thisstudyaddressesthreeresearchquestions:(a)Whatimplications,ifany,
doesthecontextofaprofessionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsof
educatorsregardingtheinfluenceuponlearningcommunitystructure,school
leadership,andresourcesduringaIyearimplementationprocess?(b)What
implications,ifany,doestheprocessofaprofessionallearningcommunityhaveon
theperceptionsofeducatorsregardingtheinfluenceupondatadrivendecisions,
evaluation,researchbasedpractices,design,learning,andcollaborationduringa1
yearPLCimplementationprocess?(c)Whatimplications,ifany,doesthecontent
ofaprofessionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducators
regardingtheinfluenceonequity,qualityteaching,andfamilyinvolvementduring
a1yearPLCimplementationprocess?
Researchquestions1,2,and3addressedthedatathatwerecollectedwith
theSAIsurvey.TheymeasuredthePLCimplementationprocessestaughttothe10
participatingschoolsthroughongoingseminarsgivenbytheEIRCandtheNew
JerseyDepartmentofEducation.Theresearchquestionsalsoaddressedthe
analysisofthedataintheformofstakeholders'perceptions.
ResearchDesign
Thisresearchwasconductedutilizingasurveydesign.Thiswas
accomplishedthroughtheuseofadescriptiverating,Likerttypesurveyprovidedby
theNSDCandEIRC,theStandardsInventoryAssessment(SAI),whichwasusedto
collectquantitativedatafromeducatorsin10NewJerseyschools.Thismethodology
allowedforastatisticalanalysisofthedata.TheSAIalsoprovedtobean
efficientmeansofgatheringdatawithoutintroducingthreatstoreliabilitythatcan
occurwithothercollectionmeans(Suskie,1996).Theresearcherutilizedasurvey
designtocollectthequantitativedataforthisstudy.
Duetothenatureandlengthofthestudy,observationsandpersonal
interviewswouldnothaveprovidedthehonestythattheanonymoussurveyallowed.
Inaddition,observations,interviews,orfocusgroupswouldaddthepotentialfor
biasandinconsistencyintheadministrationofthesurveyinstrument,andthedata
collectedwouldnothaveprovidedtheconcretedataneededforstatisticalanalysis.
SEDL(formallyknownastheSouthwestEducationalDevelopment
Laboratory)researchersworkedtodeveloptheSAIthroughmultipleiterationsofan
itemrefinementprocess,workingtoreducetheinitialquestionbanktothe60items
thatarenowincluded(VadenKiernan,2009,p.2).Thesurvey's60questionsassessa
school'sperformanceinthreebroadcategories:context,process,andcontent.These
threebroadercategoriescoveratotalof12teachingstandardsoutlinedbytheNSDC,
whichwereestablishedbytheSEDLutilizingpsychometricpropertiesthatmeasurethe
degreetowhichschoollevelprofessionaldevelopmentandreformeffortsadheretothe
standardsasreportedbytheteachersandstaff(p.2).
InevaluatingtheSAI,"theinventory[was]confirmedforcontentvalidity
throughseveraliterationsofitemendorsementbyteachersandfourexpertsNSCD
selected"(VadenKiernan,2009,p.2).Furthermore,"criterionrelatedvalidity
alsowassupportedbytheresultsofdescriptiveanalyses"(p.2).
TheSAIratingsurveyissetupasaLikertscale.AccordingtoSuskie(1996),a
ratingsurveyinstrumentaddsfamiliarityformostpeople,andallowstheresearcherto
makecomparisonsamongtherespondents.ThecomparativedataproducedbyaLikert
scaleaddtotheresearcher'sabilityforquantitativeexaminations.
ContextoftheStudy
Thisstudywasconductedutilizing10ofthe33schoolsthathadreceivedthe
EIRCgrantforPLCtraining.The10schoolsincludedwithinthisstudyallparticipated
onavolunteerbasis.Theschoolsallgavepermissionforuseoftheirinformation.The
remaining23districtseitherdidnotrespondtoarequestforinclusionordidnotreceive
permissionfromtheirdistrictfortheuseoftheirinformationwithinthisstudy.The
schoolsstudiedhadtocompleteanapplicationforadmittanceintotheprogram.
Elementary,middle,andhighschoolswereincludedin
thesamplepopulation.The10schoolsusedinthisstudywereincludedduetotheir
willingnesstoparticipateinthestudy.Informationincludedinthisstudyisfocused
ontheparticipatingschools.Asamplesizecalculationwasnotutilizedto
determineifthissamplewouldallowforanoverallgeneralizationregardingthe
remainingschooldistricts'information.
Thesamplepopulationforthisresearchstudywascomposedof522educators,
whoseexperiencerangedfrom1year(novice)to20plusyears(veteran).Schools
withinthegroupwereinurban,suburban,andruralcommunities.Thisstratified
randomsamplingprocesswasutilizedtomakesurethataproper
proportionalrepresentationofpopulationsubgroupswasstudied.
TheSA1surveywasgivenattwodifferenttimesduringthePLCtraining
period:onceintheautumnof2009asapresurveyandonceinthespringof2010asa
postsurvey,resultingindatacollectionfromthe522respondents.Allrespondentswere
educatorscertifiedthroughtheNewJerseyStateDepartmentofEducation.
Thesurvey'spurposewastoevaluatetheinfluenceoftheprofessional
learningcommunityprofessionaldevelopmenttrainingandimplementation,as
taughttoleadteamsinbreakoutsessionsthroughouttheyear,onthestandardsof
professionallearningoutlinedbytheNSDC.ThetrainingscompletedbytheEIRC
andtheNewJerseyDepartmentofEducationwereconductedoverthecourseof
fourtrainingsessions,eachlasting6hours.Thegoalofthetrainingwastoprovide
schoollevelPLCteamswithskillsregardingproperbuildinglevelimplementation,
useofdatafordecisionmaking,SMARTgoalplanning,andcommonpacingand
assessmentstrategies.Trainingobjectiveswereidentifiedbeforethetrainingsand
weresentoutviaemailtoallparticipants.
MembersofindividualschoollevelPLCteamswereselectedbytheir
respectivedistricts.Participantswerethenresponsibleforturnkeytrainingwithin
theirownschools/districts.Implementationbeganinthefallof2009andwas
accompaniedbythefirstSAIsurvey;thepostSAlsurveywasthenadministeredin
theindividualdistrictsinthespringof2010.Allparticipantswerefulltime
teacherswithineachdistrict.
Participants
Aspartofthegrantapplication,schoolsreceivingthegrantacknowledged
thatimplementationeffortswouldincludeallstaffatthechosenschools.
Furthermore,aschoollevelteamof4to5people,includingaschoollevel
administrator,wouldattendthetrainings.Schoollevelstaffwasthenaskedto
completetheSAIsurveyinstrument.Allparticipationwasanonymous,andall
participantssignedinusingaschoollevelkeytoensureanonymity.The
instrumentationsectionaddressesthevalidityofthesurveyinstrument.Specific
demographicinformationabouttheparticipantswillbepresentedinChapter4.
Instrumentation
Buildinguponthestandardsforprofessionallearningestablishedbythe
NationalSchoolDevelopmentCouncil(NSDC,2001),thesurveyinstrument,
theSAI,exploredteacherperceptionsofprofessionallearningcommunitiesas
implementedin10NewJerseyschools.Implementationpracticesfollowed
thoseoutlinedbytheStateDepartmentofEducationandtheEIRC.
Thesurvey(AppendixA)consistedof60multiplechoicequestions.Thefirst
partofthesurveydealtwithteacherdemographics.Thisconsistedofsixquestions.The
remaining54questionsfocusedonthestandards,randomlyorderedbutfallingunder
threemaingroupings:context,process,andcontent.Respondentsanswered
thesequestionsusingthefollowing5pointscale:never,seldom,
sometimes,jequently,andalways.
PermissiontousetheSAIwasrequestedfromMr.GeraldWoehroftheEIRC,
thegoverningbodyresponsibleforprovidingthesurveyaspartofagrantaward.
ThisrequestwasforwardedtoCathyK.Pine,Ph.D.,director,OfficeofProfessional
Standards,Licensing,andHigherEducationCollaborationattheNewJersey
DepartmentofEducation.TherequesttoutilizethedatafromtheSAIwasgranted
onOctoberl,2010,viaemail.
Thevalidityofthisinstrumentwasstudiedatlength.Contentvaliditywas
I{
determinedthroughanexper&=,1-
I\- 1
>I:?
review,withtheonlysuggestion
comingfromthelatestreviewbeingtoaddmoredemographicinformation.
Constructvaliditywasdeterminedthroughafactoranalysisinmorethan400
elementaryschoolsinGeorgia.ItwasdeterminedthattheSAImaycapturestable
schoollevelconstructsworthexploring.Thevarianceexplainedwas79.I%,and
Cronbachalphaswere.992(VadenKiernan,2002,p.12).Cronbach'saisdefinedas,
Ck =
(I
"
xEL
-1
CT;;
whereKisthenumberofcomponents(Kitemsor
3
testlets),Okthevarianceoftheobservedtotaltestscores,andOY'ithevarianceof
componentiforthecurrentsampleofpersons(Develles,1991).Predictivevalidity
usingthetotalSAIfoundsupportfortheimportanceofteacherreported
perceptions.Overallregressionanalysisfoundsupportforthepositivecontribution
oftheschoollevelaverageontheSAI(VadenKiernan,pp.1213).
Table1
ThereliabilityoftheSAIsurveywasthentestedtodeterminethemannerin
whicheachsubscaleeffectivelygroupedtogether.Alphacoefficientsrangedfrom.7
1to.92,whichsignifiesthatthereisgoodtostrongreliabilitywithinthe60
questioninstrument(VadenKiernan,2002,p.3)(seeTable2).
Table2
OverallSubscaleReliability
Learningcommunities
Leadership
Resources
Datadriven
Evaluation
Researchbased
Design
Learning
Collaboration
Equity
Qualityteaching
Familvinvolvement
.77
.81
.76
DataCollection
ThedatacontainedwithinthisstudywerecollectedusingtheSAI.
InformationregardingteacherperceptionsonPLCimplementationfocusingonthree
areas,context,process,andcontent,wascollectedfiomaselfadministeredonline
surveyinstrument.Thesurveywasadministeredintheautumnof2009asapre
assessmentandthenreadministeredinthespringof2010asapostassessment,witha
10monthperiodbetweenthetwoadministrationsofthesurvey.Toattempttoaddress
regressiontothemean,the10monthperiodprovidedsufficienttimewithoutextending
thetimetoofartoavoidthemeansconvergingtowardtheunderlyingrate.Thesurvey
wasexpectedtotakeparticipantsapproximately20minutestocomplete.
Participantsinthestudyincludedthestaffmembersof10NewJersey
schools.Participantswerenotifiedofthesurveydatesviaemail,andeachstaff
memberwasprovidedwithakeytosignintotheSAIinordertokeepallresponses
anonymousandconfidential.
ThesurveyresultswerethencollectedbytheNSDC,andtheresearcherwas
givenaseparatekeytoaccesscollecteddatafromeachsurveyperiod.Fromthis,the
researchertookthecollecteddataandfedthemintotheSPSSstatisticalsoftware
inordertoanalyzetheinformationutilizingaUnivariateANOVAtranscript.
DataAnalysis
Theresultsofthesurveyswereanalyzedtodeterminethechanges,ifany,
inperceptionsofintermediateschooleducatorsinregardtothecontext,process,
andcontentoftheintroductionofprofessionallearningcommunities.
Descriptivestatisticsweregeneratedoneachofthe 60individualquestions,
whichwerethenseparatedundertheirthreemainheadings.Thesedescriptive
statisticsincludedthemeanscoresforeachquestion,aswellasthefrequency
distributionsforeachresponse.Thesemeanswerethenanalyzedusingaunivariate
ANOVAtodeterminethesignificanceofthechangeovertime.
TheresearcherrecognizedthatusingANOVAcomeswithassumptions.One
assumptionofANOVAisthatthevariancesofthedependentvariablearethesame
acrossthegroupsbeingstudied.Thedatausedwithinthisstudyattemptedtoaddress
thisassumptionthroughthestabilizationofthesamplesizeutilizingthewhole
collectionofteachersasthebaseasopposedtobreakingitintoindividualschool
results,whichwouldhaveskewedtheresultsduetothedifferencesinthemean.
Summary
Thischapterdescribedthemethodsandproceduresemployedtoprovide
insightintotheperceptionsofschooleducatorsduringoneprofessionallearning
communityimplementationprocess.Theproblem,researchdesign,research
questions,samplepopulation,conceptualframework,andinstrumentationwere
presented.Additionally,thechapterdiscussedthedatacollectionprocess,aswellas
thedataanalysisoftheinformationattained.ThepresentationofthisdatainChapter
4willaddressthethreeresearchquestions,aswellasthegeneraldemographic
informationcollected.Asummaryanddiscussionofthefindings,alongwith
conciusions,implicationsforpractice,andrecommendationsforMherresearchform
thecontentofChapter5.
Chapter4:AnalysisandPresentationoftheData
Educationisenteringacriticalphaseofredevelopment.Thepending
reauthorizationoftheNoChildLeftBehind(2001)Act,aswellastheRacetothe
Topinitiative(201O),hasstrengthenedthefocusoncontinualimprovementof
oureducationalsystem.Withthesemountingpressuresforimprovement,many
atthefederalgovernment,state,anddistrictlevelshavelookedforameansto
begintotransformoureducationaldesign;oneofthereformeffortsexamined
andrecommendedhasbeenPLCs.
ThepurposeofthisresearchstudywastoinvestigatetheinfluenceofPLCson
teacherperceptionswithinthreespecificschoolcomponents:content,process,and
context.Theteacherswereallapartofagrantawardedto33schoolsinNewJersey
offeredbytheEIRCandtheNewJerseyDepartmentofEducation.Asmentionedin
Chapter1,PLCdesignallowsforongoingteacherdevelopment,followingMarzano's
(2001)research,whichindicatedthatanindividualteacherhasthegreatestimpacton
studentachievement,andaddingtothatFullan's(2006)statementthatorganizationsdo
notchange,peopledo.PLCsworkwithinthecontextofchangingthemannerinwhich
educatorsoperate,thuschangingtheoutcomeofstudents'success.
Thisstudywasdoneasasinglephase,Iyearstudyemployingquantitative
methods.ALikerttypescalesurveyinstrument,theSAI,wasusedasapreand
postimplementationcollectionofteacherperceptionsregardingthethreestudied
areas:content,process,andcontext.
Thischapterbeginswithanoverviewoftheanalysisofthequantitativedata
collectedfromthe10schoolsthatparticipatedinthisresearch,totaling522teachers.
Theoverviewoftheanalysiswillincludetheprocedureswithintheanalysisanda
descriptionofthedemographiccharacteristicsofthoseeducatorsparticipatinginthe
survey.Theresultsoftheeducators'responsestoeachofthefollowingresearch
questionswereexamined:(a)Whatimplications,ifany,doesthecontextof a
professionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducatorsregardingthe
influenceuponlearningcommunitystructure,schoolleadership,andresourcesduringa
Iyearimplementationprocess?(b)Whatimplications,ifany,doestheprocessofa
professionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducatorsregardingthe
influenceupondatadrivendecisions,evaluation,researchbasedpractices,design,
learning, and collaboration during a I year PLC implementation process? (c)

Whatimplications,ifany,doesthecontentofaprofessionallearningcommunity
haveontheperceptionsofeducatorsregardingtheinfluenceonequity,quality
teaching,andfamilyinvolvementduringaIyearPLCimplementationprocess?
TheendofChapter4willpresentasummaryofthedatafindingsasthey
relatetotheresearchquestions.
ResponseRatetotheSurveyResearch
Tenschoolsagreedtoparticipateintheresearch,foratotalof30%ofthe
schoolsthatwereselectedforthegrantofferedforPLCtrainingandimplementation
assistance.Fromthese10schools,522educatorsparticipatedinthepreandpost
surveys,foranaverageresponserateof92%foreachquestionasked.
DataAnalysisProcedures
Theresearcherutilizeddatacollectedfrompreandpostsurveysthatwere
conductedwithintwoseparate3weekwindows,oneinthefallandanotherinthe
spring.TheinstrumentwasInternetbased,andeachteacherwasgivenakeyto
accessthesurveytokeepallinformationconfidential.Theinstrumentmeasured
teacherperceptionsof12itemscategorizedunderthreemainclassifications:the
content,process,andcontext(seeFigure1)oftheschoolstructurebeforeand
afterprofessionallearningcommunityimplementation.
Table3
ClarificationofIternsStudiedwithinContext,Process,andContent
Context
Learningcommunities
Leadership
Resources
Process
Datadrivenpractices
Evaluation
Researchbaseddecisions
Design
Learning
Collaboration
Content
Equity
Qualityteaching
Familyinvolvement
TheSAISurvey(seeAppendixA)consistedof60Likertscalequestions.The
SAIconsistedoftwosections.Thefirstpartcontainedquestionsintendedtoproduce
demographicdataoftheteachersparticipatinginthesurvey.Thesecondpartofthe
surveyaskedquestionsintheaforementionedcategories.Questionswererandomized
throughoutthesurveysoastonotfollowconcurrentlyunderoneparticularaspect
beingstudied(seeTable4).
Thepopulationofthisstudywascomposedof522educatorscertifiedbythe
NewJerseyDepartmentofEducation.Theseeducatorswereonstaffatthe10
schoolsthatparticipatedintheresearchproject.Althoughall33schoolschosenfor
thegrantbytheEIRCwereinvitedtoparticipateinthisstudy,only10responded
withtheirdatacollectedfromtheSAIinstrument.
Aletterofsolicitationwassenttothe33schools(seeAppendixB)
explainingtheresearchbeingconductedandrequestingthedatafromtheir
individualSAIsurveys.Asaforementioned,thesurveywashousedonlineatthe
NSDCwebsite(www.sainsdc.org).Datawerecollectedfromthe10schoolsand
thenanalyzedusingSPSS(StatisticalPackageforSocialSciences),Version16.0
forWindowssoftware.
Thethreeresearchquestionswereexaminedusingdescriptivestatistics
includingmeansandstandarddeviations.Themeanprovidedthecentraltendency
foreachareastudied,whilethestandarddeviationsofferedanavailabledefinitionto
explainpotentialvariationsforeachdistribution.Thedatawereanalyzedusing
ANOVA.Thisstatisticalmethodmeasurestheinfluenceofanindependent
variable,inthiscaseprofessionallearningcommunityimplementation,ona
dependentvariable,inthiscasecontext,process,andcontent.Statistically
significantrelationshipsweredeterminedbasedonanalphalevelof05orless.
ANOVAsrequirethattheresearcherfollowtheassumptionsofindependence,
normaldistribution,andhomogeneityofvariance.Theindependenceassumptionis
basedonthewaydataarecollected.Thenormalityassumptionconcernsthe
samplingdistributionofmeans.Theequalvarianceassumptionaddressesvariances
inthepopulations.
Table4
StratificationofQuestions
Context
Learningcommunities
9
29
32
34
56
Leadership
1
10
18
45
48
Resources
2
11
19
35
49
Process
Datadriven
12
26
39
46
50
Evaluation
3
13
20
30
51
Researchbased
4
14
21
36
41
Design
15
22
38
52
57
Learning
5
16
27
42
53
Collaboration
6
23
28
43
58
Content
Equity
24
33
37
44
59
Qualityteaching
7
17
25
54
60
Familyinvolvement
8
31
40
47
55
DemographicData
TheSAIinstrumentcontainedquestionsintendedtoproducespecific
demographicdataabouttheeducatorswithineachparticipatingschool.These
questionsincludedquestionsaboutyearsatthecurrentschoolandyearsin
education,gradelevelcurrentlyteaching,subjectareacurrentlyteaching,
employmentstatus(partorfulltime),andpercentoftimeteaching.Tables5
through10showtheresults.
Thefirstquestionaskedtheparticipantstoclassifyhowmanyyearsthe
participantshavebeenattheircurrentschool.Onehundredandfiftyeight
educators,representing31.2%ofthepopulation,hadbeenattheircurrentschool
for4orfeweryears.Threehundredandsixtyfoureducators,representing69.7%of
thepopulation,hadbeenattheircurrentschool5yearsormore(seeTable5).
Table5
ParticipantYearsatCurrentSchool
Yearsteachingatcurrent
school
01 years
24 years
59 years
1020years
21ormoreyears
Note.N=522.
Frequency
Percent
54
104
139
168
57
10.3%
19.9%
26.6%
32.2%
10.9%
Thesurveyaskedtherespondentstoidentifyhowmanyyears,intotal,theyhad
beenineducation.Thisdifferedfromthefirstquestion,asthisquestionsoughtto
ascertaintenureinthefield,asopposedtotenureatoneinstitution.Notall
participantsoptedtoanswerthisquestion.Ninetysixeducators,representing
19.1%oftheparticipatingpopulation,hadbeenineducationfor4orfeweryears.
Threehundredsixtythreeeducators,representing80.1%oftheresponding
population,hadbeenineducationfor5yearsormore,withmorethanhalfofthe
participantshavingbeenineducationfor10ormoreyears(seeTable6).
Table6
Participants'YearsinEducation
Totalyearsinteaching
01 years
24years
59 years
1020 years
2 1ormoreyears
Note.N=459.
Frequency
23
63
98
171
94
Percent
5.1%
14%
21.8%
38.1%
20.9%
Thenextquestioninquiredaboutthegradeleveltaughtbytheindividuals
participatingintheSAIsurvey.Someindividualstaughtmultiplegradelevels.
Threehundredandelevenparticipants,representing42.2%oftheresponding
educators,reportedteachinggrades5orbelow.Fourhundredandtwentysix
participants,representing57.8%oftherespondingeducators,reportedteaching
grades6andabove(seeTable7).
Table7
GradeLevelsTaughtbyParticipatingEducators
Gradelevel(s)taught
Prekindergarterdpreschool
Kindergarten
Firstgrade
Secondgrade
Thirdgrade
Fourthgrade
Fifthgrade
Sixthgrade
Seventhgrade
Eighthgrade
Ninthgrade
10thgrade
11thgrade
12thgrade
Other
Note.N=522.
Frequency
7
31
40
39
53
57
84
137
143
131
3
3
4
4
1
Percentage
1%
4.2%
5.4%
5.3%
7.2%
7.7%
11.4%
18.6%
19.4%
17.8%
.4%
.4%
.5%
.5%
.l%
Respondentswereaskedtoidentifyallofthesubjectsthattheycurrently
taught.Elementaryleveleducatorsoftenteachmorethanonesubjectmatter(see
Table8).
Table8
SubjectAreasTaughtbyParticipants
Subjectarea(s)taught
Math
Business
Languageartdreading
Finearts
Worldlanguages
Science
Family/consumersciences
Vocational/technical
Specialeducation
Frequency
133
Percentage
21.5%
Englishasa
SecondLanguage
Physicaleducation
Socialstudieshistory
Other
Note.N=522.
Thelastquestioninthedemographicsectionofthedemographicsurvey
askededucatorstheirstatuswithintheschoolregardingwhethertheywerefulltime
orparttimestaffmembers.Fivehundredandnineparticipants,representing97.5%
ofallrespondents,wereemployedfulltimeattheirrespectiveschools,while13
participants,representing2.5%ofallrespondents,wereemployedparttimein
theirrespectiveschools.
Table9
ParticipantEmploymentStatus
Status
Fulltime
Parttime
Note.N=522.
Frequency
509
13
Percentage
97.5%
2.5%
Theeducators'demographicdatamaybesummarizedasfollows:522
educatorsrespondedtotheSAIinstrument,thehighestnumberofrespondentshad
beenintheirschoolfor5yearsormore(69.7%)andhadbeenineducationintotal
for5ormoreyears(80.I%),thehighestnumberofrespondents(57.8%)reported
teachinggrades6andabove,thehighestnumberofrespondentsreportedteaching
thecoresubjects,andthehighestpercentageofrespondentswereemployedattheir
schoolfilltime(97.5%).
InstrumentReliabilityAnalysis
Thissubsectioncontainssummariestodemonstratereliabilityofthedata
collectedfiomtheSAIinstrument.Duringthetestingoftheinstrument,20
schoolsparticipatedinthreestudiesthatresultedinthefinal60questionsurvey.
TheSEDLtestedthereliabilityoftheinstrument.Fortheinstrument,reliability
referstothe"consistencyofmeasurement"(SEDL,2003).AsexplainedinChapter3,
reliabilitywasmeasuredusingCronbach'salphaameasureoftheinternalconsistency
ofaninstrumenttodetermineifallareaswithinthesubscaleswillcorrelatewitheach
other(SEDL2003,p.3).Thealphacoefficientrangedfiom0to 1(thecloserascaled
coefficientisto1,thegreaterthereliabilityoftheinstrument),andtheoverallreliability
oftheSAIachievedanalphacoefficientof.98
(seeTable10).
Table10
a
.98
Nlitems
60
Nlcases
297
ThereliabilityoftheSAIsurveywasthentestedtodeterminethemannerin
whicheachsubscaleeffectivelygroupedtogether.Alphacoefficientsrangedfrom.
71to92,whichsignifiesthatthereisgoodtostrongreliabilitywithinthe60
questioninstrument(3)(seeTable11).
Table11
OverallSubscaleReliability
a
Learningcommunities
Leadership
Resources
Datadriven
Evaluation
Researchbased
Design
Learning
Collaboration
Equity
Qualityteaching
Familyinvolvement
.79
.85
.71
.84
.81
.84
.83
.SO
.83
.77
.81
76
Todetermineconstructvalidity,"thedegreetowhich[atest]measuresthe
constructortraitthatitwasdesignedtomeasure"(Allen,xxxx,p.log),afactor
analysishadtobeperformed.TheSAIwasdevelopedtomeasurethe12standardsof
professionaldevelopmentdesignedbytheNSDC(SEDL,2003,p.9).Allofthe
aforementionedmeasuresindicatethattheSAIisareliablemeasurementtool(10).
ResearchQuestion1
Thefirstresearchquestionaskededucatorswhatin~plications,ifany,the
contextofaprofessionallearningcommunityhadontheparticipants'perceptions
duringthe1yearimplementationprocess.Respondentsansweredquestionsspecific
tothethreecategoriescontainedwithinthecontextgrouping:learningcommunities,
leadership,andresources.RespondentsansweredquestionsonaLikerttypescale
usinga5pointscale:0=never,1=seldom,2=sometimes,3=frequently,and4
=always.
Toexamineresearchquestion1,aUnivariateANOVAwascalculatedto
assesswhethertherewassignificanceinprofessionallearningcommunity
implementationandteachers'perceptionsofthecontextcontainedwithinthe
process.TheresultinganalysisispresentedinTable12.
Table12
AnalysisofVarianceinContext,FalltoSpring
Testsofbetweensubiectseffects
IRE
Source
Correctedmodel
Intercept
CONTEXT
TIMEFRAME
TypeI11sum
ofsquares
2.919a
201.243
2.886
.027
CONTEXT*
.006
TIMEFRAME
Error
rota1
Zorrectedtotal
Note.a~=2.473(AdjustedR~=.364)
5
1
Mean
square
.584
201.243
Sig.
.006
.ooo
2
1
1.443
.027
.ooo
.659
.003
.978
df
0.135
Thedependentvariableforthestudyofcontextchangeisthescoresreported
ontheSAIsurveyinstrumentforthequestionsthatwerecategorizedunderleadership,
learningcommunities,andresources.Themaineffectisthechangeintimeframe,fall
tospring.Withinthestudy,leadershiphadameanof3.0witha
standarddeviationof0.36515;learningcommunitieshadameanof2.3witha
standarddeviationof0.41966;andresourceshadameanof2.5withastandard
deviationof0.23476.TheANOVAmodelforcontextisnotsignificantatthe659
levelwithanFstatisticof0.2andadfofI,24.
Theinterpretationofthesedatashowsthattheprofessionallearning
communitymodelimplementedwithinthe10schoolsdidnothavea
significantinfluenceontheperceptionsofthe522teacherswithintheframe
ofcontextofprofessionallearning.
ResearchQuestion2
Thesecondresearchquestionaskededucatorswhatimplications,ifany,the
processofaprofessionallearningcommunityhadontheirperceptionsduringthe 1yearimplementationprocess.Respondentsansweredquestionsspecifictothesix
categoriescontainedwithintheprocessgrouping:datadrivenpractices,evaluation,
researchbaseddecisions,design,learning,andcollaboration.Respondentsanswered
questionsonaLikerttypescaleusinga5pointscale:0=never,1=seldom,2
=sometimes,3=frequently,and4=always.
Toexamineresearchquestion2,aUnivariateANOVAwascalculated
toassesswhethertherewassignificanceinprofessionallearningcommunity
implementationandteachers'perceptionsoftheprocesscontainedwithinthe
progression.TheresultinganalysisispresentedinTable13.
Table13
AnalysisofVarianceinProcess,FalltoSpring
Testsofbetweensubiectseffects
Dependentvariable:SCORE
Source
Type111sum
Mean
ofsquares
square
Correctedmodel
Intercept
PROCESS
TIMEFRAME
PROCESS*
TIMEFRAME
Error
Total
--
1.115a
394.241
1.021
.017
.077
Correctedtotal
Note.'R2=295(adjustedR2=
.lo1
394.241
.204
.017
Sig.
.015
2.664
398.020
3.779
Thedependentvariableforthestudyofprocesschangeisthescoresreported
ontheSAIsurveyinstrumentforthequestionsthatwerecategorizedunder
collaboration,datadriven,design,evaluation,learning,andresearchbasedpractices.
Themaineffectisthechangeintimeframe,falltospring.Withinthestudy,
collaborationhadameanof2.690withastandarddeviationof0.1524,datadrivenhad
ameanof2.6withastandarddeviationof0.1491,designhadameanof2.68witha
standarddeviationof0.3615,evahationhadameanof 2.32withastandarddeviation
of0.1619,learninghadameanof2.47withastandarddeviationof0.2946,and
researchbasedhadameanof2.62withastandarddeviationof0.1317.The
ANOVAmodelforcontextisnotsignificantatthe.586levelwithanFstatistic
of0.279andadfofl,48.
communitymodelimplementedwithinthe10schoolsdidnothavea
significantinfluenceontheperceptionsofthe522teacherswithintheframe
ofprocessofprofessionallearning.
ResearchQuestion3
Thethirdresearchquestionaskededucatorswhatimplications,ifany,the
contentofaprofessionallearningcommunityhadontheirperceptionsduringthe1yearimplementationprocess.Respondentsansweredquestionsspecifictothethree
categoriescontainedwithinthecontextgrouping:equity,qualityteaching,and
familyinvolvement.RespondentsansweredquestionsonaLikerttypescaleusinga
5pointscale:0=never,1=seldom,2=sometimes,3=Ji.equently,and4=always.
Toexamineresearchquestion3,aUnivariateANOVAwascalculatedto
assesswhethertherewassignificanceinprofessionallearningcommunity
implementationandteacher'sperceptionsofthecontentcontainedwithinthe
courseofaction.TheresultinganalysisispresentedinTable14.
Table14
AnalysisofVarianceinContent,FalltoSpring
Testsofbetweensubjectseffects
Dependentvariable:S ORE
Source
Correctedmodel
Intercept
CONTENT
TIMEFRAME
CONTENT*
TIMEFRAME
Error
Total
(
Correctedtotal
TypeI11sum
ofsquares
2.843a
223.587
2.808
.027
.008
Mean
s'f
5
1
2
1
square
.569
223.587
1.404
0.027
Sig.
.ooo
.ooo
000
.569
0.004
.952
1.940
228.370
4.783
Note.
Thedependentvariableforthestudyofcontentchangeisthescoresreportedon
theSATsurveyinstrumentforthequestionsthatwerecategorizedunderequity,family
involvement,andqualityteaching.Themaineffectisthechangeintimeframe,fallto
spring.Withinthestudy,equityhadameanof3.15withastandarddeviationof0.3689,
familyinvolvementhadameanof2.43withastandarddeviationof0.2163,andquality
teachinghadameanof2.61withastandarddeviationof
0.1912.TheANOVAmodelforcontextisnotsignificantatthe,569levelwithanF
statisticof0.334andadfof1,24.
communitymodelimplementedwithinthe10schoolsdidnothaveasignificant
influenceontheperceptionsofthe522teacherswithintheframeofcontent
ofprofessionallearning.
Summary
Thischapterbeganwithanoverviewofthedataanalysisprocedures,a
descriptionofthedemographiccharacteristicsofthe522participatingeducators,anda
descriptionofthereliabilityoftheStandardsAssessmentInventorysurveyinstrument.
Theresponsestoeachquestioncontainedwithinthethreemaincategoricalheadingsof
context,process,andcontextwereexaminedusingdescriptivestatistics,including
frequencies,means,andstandarddeviations.Themainfocusofthestudywasto
determineiftherewassignificantchangeinteacherperceptionsin
regardtocontext,process,andcontentduringaIyearimplementationof
theprofessionallearningcommunitiesreformmodel.
Thedatasuggestedthattherewasnostatisticalsignificanceinteacher
perceptionsinanyofthethreemaincategoriessurveyed.Teacher
perceptionsremainedstaticduringthe1yearimplementationeffortinthe10
participatingschools.
Theinsightsgainedbythisresearchstudywillcontributetothelackof
quantitativedatainexistenceregardingtheabilityofPLCreformmodelsto
significantlychangeteacherperceptionandpractice.Thiswillassisteducational
Ieaders,atthefederalgovernment,state,anddistrictlevels,inmakingdecisions
regardingdistrictchangeandreformmodels.Chapter5willprovideaninterpretation
ofthedataandconclusions.Findingswillbepresentedinamannerthatextendsthe
knowledgebasecontainedwithintheaccompanyingliteraturereview.Inaddition,
suggestionsforpolicy,practice,andfirtherresearchwillbediscussed.
Chapter5:Summary,Recommendations,Implications,andConclusions
Thisresearchwasconductedtodiscovertheperceptionsofeducatorsasthey
transitionedtoaprofessionallearningcommunitymodel,includingembedded
professionaldevelopmentanddatatrackingtomeetaccountabilitystandards.
MeasuredbehaviorsinrelationtotheNSDC'sdescriptionofkeystandardsin
professionallearningwereidentified,andtheseperceptionsweremeasuredonthe
SAIsurveyinstrumentdevelopedincoordinationbetweentheSEDLandtheNSDC.
Identifyingkeychangesinteacherperceptionscanassistschooldistrict
administratorswhoarecontemplatingorarecurrentlyimplementingPLCstructures
withintheirownschool(s).Insightsgainedwithinthisresearchstudymayprovide
federalgovernment,state,anddistrictleveladministratorsinterestedineducational
reformmodelsaquantitativereviewofteacherperceptionsfromvarieddemographic
andeducationlevelsregardingsignificantchangesinkeyprofessionallearning
components.Inaddition,thefindingsfromthisstudymayassistschooldistrictsin
ascertainingwhetherthePLCstructureisappropriateformeetingtheireducational
goals. Furthermore, these findings may aid state educational officials in

decidingwhetherthePLCstructureistheproperreformmodeltoworktoward
onthestatelevel.
Thischapterwillpresentasummaryoftheresearchpurpose,procedures,
andfindings.Inaddition,therelationshipbetweenthequantitativeresults2ndthe
literaturewillbediscussed.Chapter5concludeswithdescribingthelimitationsof
thestudy,recommendationsforfuturestudiesandresearch,andanyimplications
thecurrentstudymayhaveforPLCreformeffortsatthedistrictandstatelevels.
SummaryofPurpose
TheeducationalsysteminAmericahasbeenincreasinglyscrutinizedover
thepasttwodecades.Anumberofreportsthatcontestthesuccessthatour
educationalsystemshavehadineducatingouryouthexist(DuFour&Eaker,1998).
Inresponse,manyhavesearchedforstrategiesandreformsthatwouldbring
Americatotheforefrontofeducationamongcomparablenations.Accordingto
Hord(2001),thePLCmodelisthepreferredorganizationalstructureofschools.
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoquantitativelydeterminethesuccessofthismodel
asperceivedbyteachersin10NewJerseyschoolswhoundertookaIyeartraining
andimplementationeffort.
TheSAIsurveyinstrument(seeAppendixA)consistedoftwodistinct
sections.Thefirstpartofthesurveycontainedquestionsdesignedtocollect
demographicinformationfromtheeducatorswhowerecompletingtheassessment.
ThesecondsectionhadparticipantsanswerquestionsutilizingaLikerttypescale
methodtoascertainperceptionsofthreemainprofessionallearningareas:context,
process,andcontent.Thesethreemainareascontained12subsectionsintotalto
providedepthofinsightregardingspecificcomponentsofPLCchange.
Basedonthefindingsfromthisstudy,theresearchersoughttoexaminechange
inteacherperceptionswithinalyearimplementationofprofessionallearning
communities.TheimplementationwasguidedbytrainingsconductedbytheEIRCand
theNewJerseyDepartmentofEducation.Tostudypossiblesignificanceinthechange
inteacherperceptionswithintheareasofcontext,process,andcontent,thefollowing
researchquestionsguidedthisstudy:(a)Whatimplications,ifany,doesthecontextofa
professionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducatorsduringa1year
implementationprocess?(b)Whatimplications,ifany,doestheprocessofa
professionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducatorsduringa1year
implementationprocess?(c)Whatimplications,ifany,doesthecontentofa
professionallearningcommunityhaveontheperceptionsofeducators
duringaIyearimplementationprocess?
SummaryofProcedures
TheresearcherusedaLikerttypesurveymethodologytocollectquantitative
datafrom522NewJerseycertifiededucators.Thesurveyinstrument,the SAI, was
developedtoassessthestandardsofprofessionallearningdevelopedbytheNSDC.
Thesurveyassessedteacherperceptionsinthreemaincategories:context,process,
andcontent.Thisinstrumentwaschosenasitwasalreadyfieldtestedandhad
itsvalidityconfirmedusingCronbach'salphaandthreeseparatetrials.
Thepopulationofthisstudywascomposedofeducatorswithin10schools
inNewJersey,allofwhichreceivedagrantfiomtheEIRCforfreeprofessional
developmentfor_PLCtrainingforproperimplementationofthereformmodel
withintheirschools.Althoughall33schoolsthatreceivedthegrantfiomtheEIRC
wereinvitedtoparticipate,theresearcherreceivedpermissionfromonly10ofthe
schoolstousetheirpreexistingdatafromtheSAIpreandpostsurveys.Aletter
wassenttotheteamsatall33schools,andsubsequentelectroniccommunications
weresentbetweentheresearcherandtheschooldistrictstoascertaintherequired
information.Participationinthisstudywasvoluntary;alloftheteacherswho
participatedintheSAIhadtheirconfidentialityprotectedasallresponseswere
anonymous.Furthermore,the10schoolsthatparticipatedwerenotidentifiedin
anywaywithinthecollectionandstudyofthestatisticalinformation.
Thesurveywashousedonlineatwww.sainsdc.org,andindividualshadto
receiveanalphanumerickeytogainaccesstothesurvey,ensuringthatonly
thoseinvitedcouldanswerquestions,guaranteeingthevalidityoftheinformation.
ThecollecteddatawerethenanalyzedusingSPSS,Version15.0forWindows
software.Thedemographiccharacteristicsoftheparticipantsandthesubsequent
researchquestionswereexaminedusingdescriptivestatistics,includingmeans
andstandarddeviations.Statisticallysignificantrelationshipsbetweenpreand
postteacherperceptionswereinvestigatedutilizingaUnivariateANOVA.
DemographicDataandPatterns
TheSAIsurveyinstrumentcontainedquestionsspecificallyintendedto
produceparticulardemographicdataabouttheeducatorswhoparticipatedinthe
assessment.Principalquestionsincludedyearsattheeducators'currentschool,
yearstotalineducation,specificgradelevel(s)taught,specificsubjectarea(s)
taught,andemploymentstatus(fullorparttime).
Thefirstquestionaskedparticipantshowlongtheyhadbeenattheircurrent
school.Threehundredandsixtyfourrespondents,representing69.7%ofthetotal
populationsurveyed,hadbeenattheircurrentschoolfor5yearsormore.Two
hundredandtwentyfiverespondents,representing43.1%ofthetotalpopulation,
hadbeenattheirschoolfor10yearsorlonger.Onlyonehundredandfiftyeight
educators,representing31.2%ofthetotalpopulation,hadbeenattheirschoolfor4
orfeweryears(seeTable2).
Theseconddemographicquestionaskededucatorshowlongtheyhadbeenin
educationintotalyears.Toclarify,thisquestionaskedaboutteachers'tenureinthe
profession,notjustintheircurrentschool.Ninetysixeducators,representing19.1 %
ofthetotalpopulation,hadbeenineducationfor4orfeweryears.Theremaining
80.1%ofrespondentshadbeenineducationfor 5yearsormore(seeTable3).In
examiningthisinformationincomparisontonationaldata onteachertenure,national
dataonaverageyearsofexperienceforteachersintheUnitedStatesis27years
(nationmaster.com).Comparedtothesenationalstatistics,thefactthat59%of
respondentstotheSAIinstrumenthadbeenineducationfor10yearsormoreis
notunanticipated.
Thenextquestionaskedparticipantstoidentifythegradelevelorlevelsthat
theytaughtduringtheirschoolyear,Intotal,42.2%ofeducators,representing311
participants,indicatedthattheytaughtGrade5orbelow.Incontrast,57.8%of
educators,representing426participants,taughtgrades6andabove(seeTable4).
Sincethetotalnumberofparticipantswas522,itisclearthatparticipantswithin
thissurveytaughtmultiplegradesduringtheschoolyear.Thesedataindicatethat
manyteachersareresponsibleforcollaboratingwitheachotheracrossgradelevels.
Inaddition,thesedataindicatethatteachersarebecomingresponsibleforteaching
moregradelevelswithintheirschools.
Inrelationtothepreviousquestion,educatorswereaskedwhichsubjectareaor
areastheytaught(seeTable5).Itisnotunusualtoseethelargernumberswithinthis
datatoindicatethatthemostfrequentlytaughtsubjectareaswereMath(21.5%),
LanguageArtsIReading(23.9%),Science(16.5%),andHistoryISocialStudies(16.3%),
asthesearethecoresubjectsthatfallundertheNewJerseyCoreCurriculumContent
Standards(NJCCCS).Inaddition,asmanyelementarylevelteachers,Grade5and
below,teachallcoresubjects,and42.2%ofrespondentstaughtatthesegradelevels,the
largernumbersofthesecourseswereboundtoberepresented.Thenextlargestsubject
areataughtwasspecialeducationat8.9%,or55totalrespondents.Thisnumberwas
comparabletothetotalnumberofstudentsenrolledinspecial
educationinNewJersey,whichwas15.5%in2007(AnnieE.CaseyFoundation,
xxxx).Thesedataindicatethatchallengesexistwithinschoolsforopendialogue
andembeddedprofessionaldevelopmentbetweensubjectareasandgradelevels.
ResearchQuestions
Thefirstresearchquestionaskededucatorswhatimplication,ifany,the
contextofaprofessionallearningcommunityhadontheirperceptionsduringal
yearimplementationprocess.AllparticipantstookthesameSAIsurveyinstrument,
eachwasanonymous,andresultsweregivenasaschool.Theparticipantsanswered
questionsspecifictolearningcommunities,leadership,andresources.
Theframeofcontextcontainedaspectsoflearningcommunities,leadership,
andresources.Learningcommunitiesaredefinedaspertainingto"staffdevelopment
thatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]organizesadultsintolearning
communitieswhosegoalsarealignedwiththoseoftheschoolanddistrict"
(LearningForward).Inaddition,thecontextframecontainsleadershipqualities,
definedas"staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]
requiresskillfulschoolanddistrictleaderswhoguidecontinuousinstructional
improvement"(LearningForward).Lastly,thesubcategoryofresourcescanbe
definedas"staffdevelopmentthatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]
requiresresourcestosupportadultlearningandcollaboration"(LearningForward).
Statisticsrevealedthattheprofessionallearningcommunityreformmodelpresented
totheparticipatingeducatorshadnosignificantinfluenceontheperceptionsof
educatorsasthoseperceptionsappliedtothecontextframe.
Thesecondresearchquestionaskedparticipantswhatimplication,ifany,the
processofaprofessionallearningcommunityhadontheirperceptionsduringa 1year
implementationprocess.AllparticipantstookthesameSAIsurveyinstrument,each
was anonymous, and results were given as a school. The participants

answered questions specific to datadriven practices, evaluation, research
baseddecisionmaking,design,learning,andcollaboration.
Theframeofprocesscontainedaspectsinthesubcategoriesofdatadriven
practices,evaluation,researchbaseddecisionmaking,design,learning,and
collaboration.Datadrivenpracticesaredefinedas"developmentthatimprovesthe
learningofallstudents[which]usesdisaggregatedstudentdatatodetermineadult
learningpriorities,monitorprogress,andhelpsustaincontinuousimprovement"
(LearningForward).Evaluationpracticesaredefinedas"developmentthatimproves
thelearningforallstudents[which]usesmultiplesourcesofinformationtoguide
improvementanddemonstrateitsimpact"(LearningForward).Researchbased
practicesaredefinedas"developmentthatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]
prepareseducatorstoapplyresearchtodecisionmaking"(LearningForward).Design
canbedefinedas"developmentthatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]uses
learningstrategiesappropriatetotheintendedgoal"(LearningForward).Learningcan
bedefinedas"developmentthatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]applies
knowledgeabouthumanlearningandchange"(LeaningForward).Lastly,collaboration
skillsaredefinedas"developmentthatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]
provideseducatorswiththeknowledgeandskillsto
collaborate"(LearningForward).Descriptivestatisticsrevealedthatthe
professionallearningcommunityreformmodelpresentedtotheparticipating
educatorshadnosignificantinfluenceontheperceptionsofeducatorsasthose
perceptionsappliedtotheprocessframe.
Thethirdresearchquestionaskededucatorswhatimplication,ifany,the
contentofaprofessionallearningcommunityhadontheirperceptionsduringaI
yearimplementationprocess.AllparticipantstookthesameSAIsurveyinstrument,
eachwasanonymous,andresultsweregivenasaschool.Theparticipantsanswered
questionsspecifictoequity,qualityteaching,andfamily.
Theframeofcontentcontainedaspectsinthesubcategoriesofequity,quality
teaching,andfamily.Inthis,equityisdefinedas"developmentthatimprovesthe
learningofallstudents[which]prepareseducatorstounderstandandappreciateall
students,createsafe,orderlyandsupportiveenvironments;andholdhighexpectations
fortheiracademicachievement"(LearningForward).Qualityeducationcanbedefined
as"developmentthatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]deepenseducators7
contentknowledge,providesthemwithresearchbasedinstructionalstrategiesthatassist
studentsinmeetingrigorousacademicstandards,andpreparesthemtousevarioustypes
ofclassroomassessmentsproperly"(LearningForward).Lastly,familyinvolvementis
definedas"developmentthatimprovesthelearningofallstudents[which]provides
educatorswithknowledgeandskillstoinvolvefamiliesandotherstakeholders
appropriately"(LearningForward).Descriptivestatisticsrevealedthattheprofessional
learningcommunityreformmodelpresentedtothe
participatingeducatorshadnosignificantinfluenceontheperceptionsofeducators
asthoseperceptionsappliedtothecontentframe.
InadditiontothelimitationspresentedwithinChapter1ofthisstudy,this
researcheracknowledgesseveraldelimitationsandlimitationsthatcouldmake
vulnerabletheinternalandexternalvalidityofthisstudy.Cautionshouldbeused
whenmakinggeneralizationsbasedontheseresearchfindingsalone,dueinpartto
following:(a)Thestudywaslimitedtoeducatorswhoseschoolwasapartofthe
grantofferedbytheEIRCandtheNewJerseyStateDepartmentofEducation.(b)
TheSAIsurveyinstrumentwasdeliveredtotheparticipatingeducatorsviathe
Internet,andresponseswerecollectedelectronicallybytheNSDC,whichthen
disseminatedinformationbacktotheparticipatingschools.(c)Thedatawere
collectedwithina3weektimespan.Keepingthesurveywindowopenlongermay
haveallowedadditionaleducatorsattherespectivebuildinglevelstoparticipate.(d)
Therewasnospaceforparticipantstomakecommentsorelaborateontheanswers
thattheyprovided.(e)Thestudywasconductedoverthecourseof 1schoolyear.
Theresultsmayhavechangedwithanincreasedtimeframe,asitisacknowledged
thatresearchindicatesa3to5yearwindowforimplementationformostreforms.
(0Thetrainingandpostsurveyinstrumentweredeliveredduringatimeofgreat
unrestandupheavalinthepubliceducationsectorofNewJersey,whichmayhave
influencedthemannerinwhichparticipantsworkedtowardsuccessorreported
suchsuccessontheposttrainingsurvey.
RecommendationsforFurtherStudy
Thefollowingrecommendationsforhrtherresearchcanbemadebasedonthe
findingsfromthisresearchstudy:(a)Thissurveywaslimitedtoeducatorsmostlyatthe
primaryandmiddleschoollevels.Furthermore,theparticipantswerepartofadistrict
initiativeforPLCs.Perhapsincreasingthesampletoincludeindividualsfromthehigh
schoollevelcouldprovideforagreatercollectionofinformationacrosstheentire
spectrumofeducation.Inaddition,researchondistrictsthathadtheteacherschoosethe
PLCreformmodelastheirowninitiativemightprovidedifferentresults.
(b)Onlythemodesofcontext,process,andcontentwerestudiedastheyrelatedto
professionallearningwithinthePLCmodel.Furtherinvestigationintohowtheseitems
werepresentedandimplementedmightprovideadditionalinsightintothelackof
significantdifferencewithinthe1yeartimespan.Inaddition,broadeningthescopeof
thestudymightincludeadditionalaspectsofprofessionallearningthatmayprovide
differentresultswithintheunstudiedareas.(c)DespitetheverticalschoolbasedPLC
teamsallpartakinginthesametraining,thereislittletostudyregardinghowthis
trainingwasturnkeyedattheindividualbuildinglevels.Perhapsastudythathadthe
sametrainingandtrainerateachsitewouldprovideformorecontinuityin
implementationandmightresultindifferentresearchresults.Investigationofhowthis
maybedoneonsuchalargescalecouldhelpreformistsinfutureimplementation
efforts.(d)Aparallelstudyshouldbeconductedtoresearchtheperceptionsof
districtadministrationregardingthePLCmodelchangeswithinthecontext,process,
andcontentoftheimplementation.Thiswouldallowaresearchertoascertainwhether
thereisadivideintheunderstandingofthereformmodel.Thisinformationwould
allowfutureimplement~tionstohavedataregardingwhereadministratorsandteachers
differintermsofperceptionsofchanges.(e)ParticipationintheSAIsurveywasnot
mandatoryforalleducatorswithintheparticipatingschools.Perhapsfuturestudies
couldmakeparticipationinthepreandpostsurveyinstrumentsmandatoryto
garneracompleteviewofperceptions.( f )Publicschoolshaveincreasinglybecome
thefocusofreformeffortsonthenationalandstatelevels.Itwouldaninteresting
studytocomparePLCperceptionsinpublicschoolversusotherschoolchoices(i.e.,
charters,magnets,private,etc.).Itwouldbeinterestingtocomparetheresults
regardingtheimpactthatthePLCstructurewouldhaveonthecontext,process,and
contentofteacherlearning.(g)WhiletheSAIinstrumentprovidedagoodamountof
information,addingincomponentsofamixedmethodstudywouldallowthe
researchertocollectmoreinformationregardingthereportedperceptions.Focus
groupsandinterviewscouldbeusedtogatherteacherrationalesregardingteachers'
perceptions.Thisresearchmayprovidefutureadministratorswiththemeansto
changetheimplementationandtrainingprocessorchangethereformmodelthatis
chosen.(h)Itwouldbeofgreatinteresttofurtherdisaggregatethecollecteddatato
comparetheperceptionsofteacherswhohavebeenwithintheprofessionfor10or
moreyearscomparedtoeducatorswhohavebeenintheprofessionfor9orfewer
years.Thisparticularresearchstudydidnotdisaggregatedata,nordiditseekto
findabalancebetweentheexperiencelevelsoftheeducatorswhotookpart.This
informationcouldprovidereformistswithinsightregardingtheeffectivenessof
PLCstructureonthemakeupofparticularschoolstaffs.
ImplicationsforPractice
Theresultsofthisresearchstudyhaveimplicationsforthoseatthefederal
government,state,anddistrictlevelswhoarelookingatthePLCreformmodelasone
tobeadopted.Theperceptionsofeducatorswhohaveundergonethetrainingand1
yearofPLCstructureimplementationcouldassistinprovidingaquantitativeview
ofthesuccessthismodelcouldhaveonteacherlearning,which,ultimately,
influencesstudentlearningoutcomes.Furthermore,theseresultsmaychangethe
mannerinwhichchangesareimplementedatstateanddistrictlevels.
Reformmodelsoftengainmomentumandexcitementthroughthepromiseof
increasedstaffperformance,increasedstudentsuccess,orbetterschoolstructure.This
canbeseenintheWholeLanguagemovement,theunderstandingbydesign
model,etc.LargerreformeffortsincludeGoals2000,NoChildLeftBehind,andthe
recentRacetotheTop.Manywithineducationhearofthepromiseofanewprogramor
theoryandquicklyadvocateandworktoimplementreformmodelsinthehopesof
reachingtheaforementionedgoals.Toooften,thisimplementationoccursbeforeany
dataconcerningtheeffectivenessoftheprogramorreformmodelarecollected.This
makesthisstudyevenmorecritical,asitaddstothetheoreticalunderpinningsofthe
PLCmodelandoffersquantitativedataforschooldistrictstoutilizewhen
consideringadoption.Thisiscriticalfordistrictsasitdemonstratesspecificareasof
needfromeducatorviewpointswhenimplementingthePLCmodel.Thus,planning
beforeimplementationcouldassistinaddressingtheseknownissues.Clearly,
planningwiththesedatawouldassistinmakingthetransitionmoreattunedto
teacherneeds,andcouldleadtosuccessfulreform.
Choosingonereformeffortoveranothermightnotbetheproperwayfor
schoolstocontinuetogrowwiththechallengespresentedtoeducatorstoensurethe
successandpreparationofourstudents.Thisresearchersuggeststhatindividualsatthe
stateanddistrictlevelsutilizetheoryanddatadrivenresearchresultsbeforeadvocating
foroneindividualapproach.Thecharacteristicsofparticularschools,leadershipwithin
theschools,anddistrictleadershipallhaveanimpactofthesuccessofanyreform
effort.Choosingoneapproachduetotheorywithoutresearchingeffectivenessorfitfor
aschoolcouldresultintheeffortquicklylosingpromise.
Schoolsarecontinuallyfacedwithincreasedaccountabilityasseenwithinhigh
stakestesting,aswellasthepushforincreasedprofessionallearningatthedistrictlevel
duetodecreasedbudgets.Toaccomplishtheseextremelydifficulttasks,schoolsneedto
beprovidedwiththepropertoolsandamodelthatwillefficientlymeettheseneeds.The
PLCmodelofferstheseitemsintheory.Thisresearchersuggeststhatdistrictsutilizethe
informationfromthisstudyforcomparisonwithotherquantitativestudies,aswellasthe
theoreticalpresentationofthemodel,toascertainthefuturesuccessofPLCs.The
findingsfromthisstudycouldprove
beneficialindevelopingtalkingpointsthatwillallowreformiststounderstandhow
topresenttrainings,workshops,aswellastosearchforopportunitiestocombine
dataprovenmodelstocreateonethatdoesnotswinglikeapendulum,forcing
districtstocontinuallychangedirections.
ConcIusions
WiththeenactmentoftheNoChildLeftBehindActof2001,focuson
schoolsuccessandaccountabilityattheschoollevelforstudentsuccesshas
increased(Rammer,2007).Thestatedpurposeofthisactwasthatallstudentswould
reachstatesetparametersofsuccessby2014.This,coupledwiththeRacetothe
Toppushforincreasedteacheraccountabilitylinkedtothesehighstakestests
scores,haspushedmanydistrictstosearchforawaytocontinuetoimprovetheir
schoolsthroughincreasedteacherlearningandarestructureinthewaythatschools
operate.ThePLCtheoreticallyfitstheneedfoundwithinthiscalltoaction.PLCs
canbedefinedas"acollegialgroupofadministratorsandschoolstaffwhoare
unitedintheircommitmenttostudentlearning.Theyshareavision,workandlearn
collaboratively,visitandreviewotherclassrooms,andparticipateindecision
making"(Hord,1997).Withthemountingpressures,thePLCmodelhasbecomea
popularchoiceatthefederalgovernment,state,andlocallevels.
Theareasstudiedincludedcontext,process,andcontentofteacherlearning.
EachcanbedefinedregardingitsimportanceinPLCimplementation.Context
dealtwiththreesubcategoriescontainedwithinthecontextgrouping:learning
communities,leadership,andresources.Processdealtwiththesixsubcategories
containedwithintheprocessgrouping:datadrivenpractices,evaluation,research
baseddecisions,design,learning,andcollaboration.Lastly,contentdealtwith
threesubcategories:equity,qualityteaching,andfamily.
ThedatasuggestedthatnoneofthethreeaspectsofPLCsthatwerestudiedhad
astatisticallysignificantinfluenceonteacherperceptionsduringthe1yearstudy.
Perhapsdifferentresultswouldbefoundafter3to5yearswhenthechangehas
beenfullyimplemented.Thisiswhyitwassuggestedthatadditionalresearchover
alongerperiodbeconducted.
Insightsgainedthroughthisstudywillprovideeducationalleaderswith
quantitativedataregardingeducators'perceptionsofthePLCmodelwithinthe
context,process,andcontentofthereformeffort.Thefindingsfromthisstudy
couldprovebeneficialindevelopingtalkingpointsamongeducational'leadersthat
mayallowforreformiststounderstandhowtopresenttrainings,workshops,aswell
astosearchforopportunitiestocombinedataprovenmodelstocreateonethatdoes
notswaydistrictstocontinuallychangedirectionsbutcontinuetobuildupon
successthroughcombined,concertedefforts.
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AppendixA
StandardsInventoryAssessment(SAI)
StandardsAssessmentInventory(SAI)
I2
'
1.Ourprincipalbelievesteacherlearningis
essentialforachievingourschoolgoals
2. Fellowteachers,trainers,facilitators,and/or
consultantsareavailabletohelpusimplement
newinstructionalpracticesatourschool.
3. Wedesignevaluationsofourprofessional
developmentactivitiespriortotheprofessional
develovmentvromamorsetofactivities.
4. Our school uses educational research to
selectprograms
5. We have opportunities to practice new skills
gainedduringstaffdevelopment
6. Our faculty learns about effective ways to
worktogether.
7. Teachers are provided opportunities to gain
deepunderstandineofthesubiectsthevteach.
8. Teachersareprovidedopportunitiestolearnhow
toinvolvefamiliesintheirchildren'seducation.
9. Theteachersinmyschoolmeetasawholestaff
todiscusswaystoimproveteachingandlearning.
10. Ourprincipal'sdecisionsonschoolwideissues
andpracticesareinfluencedbyfacultyinput.
1
1.Teachersatourschoolhaveopportunitiesto
learnnowtousetechnologytoenhanceinstruction.
12.Teachersatourschoollearnhowtousedata
tomessstudentlearningneeds
13. Weuseseveralsourcestoevaluatethe:ffectiveness
ofourprofessionaldevelopmenton;tudentlearning
(e.g.,classroomobservations,teacherurveys,
conversationswithprincipalsorcoaches).
14.Wemakedecisionsaboutprofessional
levelopmentbasedonresearchthatshowsevidence
ofmurovedstudent~erformance.
.5.Atourschoolteacherlearningissupportedhrough
acombinationofstrategies(e.g.,workshops,jeer
coaching,studygroups,jointplanningoflessons,
mdexaminationofstudentwork).
Pleasemarktheresponsesthatmostaccurate~yreflec~~ourexperiencesatyourschool.
1
16. Wereceivesupporlimplementingnewskills
untilthevbecomeanatural~artoinstruciionf
17.TheprofessionaldevelopmentthatI
participateinmodelsinstructionalstrategiesthatI
willuseinmyAassroom
18. Ourprincipaliscommittedtoprovidingteachers
vvithopportunitiestoimproveinstruction(e.g.,
~bservations,feedback,collaboratingwithcolleagues).
19.Substitutesareavailabletocoverourclasses
whenweobserveeachothers'classesorengagein
other~rofessionaldevelopmentopportunities.
!O. Wesetasidetimetodiscusswhatwelearned
from )urprofessionaldevelopmentexperiences
!1.Whendecidingwhichschoolimprovement
efforts oadopt,welookatevidenceofeffectiveness
ofroeramsinotherschools.
!2.Wedesignimprovementstrategiesbased
on :learly stated outdomes for teacheiand
studentearning.
'3.Myschoolstructurestimeforteachersto
workogethertoenhancestudentlearning.
:4.Atourschool,weadjustinstructionand
ssessmenttomeettheneedsofdiverselearners.
.5.Weuseresearchbasedinstructionalstrategies
.6.Teachersatourschooldeterminethe
effectivenessifourprofessionaldevelopmentby
usingdataontudentim~rovement.
7. Our professional development promotes
deepnderstandingofatopic.
8. Our school's teaching and learning goals
dependnstaffsabilitytoworkwelltogether.
9. Weobserveeachother'sclassroominstruction
asnewaytoimproveourteaching.
0. Atourschool,evaluationsofprofessional
evelopmentoutcomesareusedtoplanfor
rofessionaldevelo~mentchoices.
1. Communicatingourschoolmissionandgoals
tofamiliesandcommunitymembersisapior&.
32. Beginningteachershaveopportunitiestowork
1 33. Teachersshowrespectforallofthestudent
subpopulationsinourschool(e.g.,poor,minority).
34. We receive feedback from our colleagues

aboutclassroompractices.
35. In our school we find creative ways to
expandhumanandmaterialresources.
36. Whenconsideringschoolimprovementprograms
1weaskwhethertheprogramhasresultedinstudentachievementgains.
37.Teachersatourschoolexpecthighacademic
2/
achievementforallofourstudents.-
38.Teacher professional development is part of
our school
imprdvement
plan
39. Teachers
use student
datatoplan
professional
developmen
tprograms.
40. School
leaders work
with
community
members to
help students
achieve
academicgoals
4 1. Theschool
improvementprogramsweadopthave beeneffective
withstudentpopulationssimilartoours.
42. Atmyschool,teacherslearnthroughavariety
ofmethods(eg.,handsonactivities,discussion,
dialogue,writing,demonstrations,practicewith
feedback,groupproblemsolving).
43. Our school leaders encourage sharing
10
0
responsibilitytoachieveschoolgoals
44. We are focused on creating positive

relationshipsbetweenteachersandstudents.
45. Ourprincipalfostersaschoolculturethatis
focusedoninstructionalimurovement.
46. Teachers use student data when

discussinginstructionandcurriculum.
47. Our principal models how to build
relationshipswithstudents7families.
48. Iwouldusetheword,empowering,todescribemy
Inrincinal -- -..
....
..
0
I 0
I
I1
I
11
0
0
I
I
lo l1
I
49.Schoolgoalsdeterminehowresourcesare
allocated.
50. Teachersanalyzeclassroomdatawitheachother
toimprovestudentlearning.
5 1.Weusestudents'classroomperformancetoassess
thesuccessofteachers'professionaldevelopment
experiences
52.Teachers'priorknowledgeandexperience
aretakenintoconsiderationwhendesigning
staffdevelopmentatourschool.
53. Atourschool,teacherscanchoosethetypesof
professionaldevelopmenttheyreceive(e.g.,study
group,actionresearch,observations).
54. Ourschool'sprofessionaldevelopmenthelpsme
learnabouteffectivestudentassessmenttechniaues
55. Teachers work with families to help them
supportstudents'learning athome.
56. Teachersexaminestudentworkwitheachother
57. Whenweadoptschoolimprovementinitiatives
westaywiththemlongenoughtoseeifchangesin
instructionforstudentsatdifferentlevelsoflearning.
60.Ouradministratorsengageteachersin
conversationsaboutinstructionandstudentlearning.
AppendixB
ListofParticipatingSchools
PARTICIPATINGSCHOOLS
School
BraggSchool
Level Elementary
District
ChesterSchoolDistrict
School
MemorialSchool
Level MiddleSchool
District
ParamusBoroSchoolDistrict
School
HarnrnontonHighSchool
Level HighSchool
District
HamrnontonTownshipSchoolDistrict
School
GregorySchool
Level Elementary
District
TrentonCitySchoolDistrict
School
ThomasB.Conley
Level Elementary
District
BethlehemTownshipSchoolDistrict
School
HarringtonParkMiddleSchool
Level MiddleSchool
District
HarringtonParkBoroSchoolDistrict
School
WoodstownMiddleSchool
Level MiddleSchool
District
WoodstownPilesgroveRegionalSchoolDistrict
SchoolMemorial
Level MiddleSchool
District
CedarGroveSchoolDistrict
School ManasquanElementary
Level Elementary
District
ManasquanBoroSchoolDistrict
School JeffersonTownshipMiddleSchool
Level MiddleSchool
District
JeffersonTownshipSchoolDistrict
AppendixC
IRB NonReviewCertification
IRBNonReviewCertification
STUDENT:-DanielJohnson
TitleofDissertation:AQuantitativeStudyofTeacherPerceptionsofProfessional
LearningCommunities'Context,Process,andContent
Icertify,bymysignaturebelow,thattheaboveindicatedstudydoesnotrequireIRB
reviewas a resultofalackofinvolvementwithhumansubjects(seeOHRP flow
chart)andasindicatedbyanyorallofthefollowing(checkallthatapply).
1.Historicalresearch
2.PubIicdatabase
3."Proprietarydatabase
4. FreedomofInformation.
5. Righttoknow-sunshinelaw
Studentsignature:
K5
r'c"-
Advisorapproval:
3-
Date:
/e//a //A
Date:
1 0 / / D /I C)
Reviewedby:
JosephStetar-HigherEd
DateofReview:
/oh)
BarbaraStrobert-K12
* Proprietarydatathatdoesnotidentifyindividuals

A Quantitative Study of Teacher Perceptions of Professional Learn

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learning, and collaboration during a I year PLC implementation process? (c)

goals. Furthermore, these findings may aid state educational officials in

was anonymous, and results were given as a school. The participants

34. We receive feedback from our colleagues

44. We are focused on creating positive

46. Teachers use student data when

55. Teachers work with families to help them

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