November 2012 • Volume 44 • Number 2 • Pages 58-64
What Research Says
Professional Learning Communities Create Sustainable Change through Collaboration
| This article reflects the following This We Believe characteristics: Professional Development, Organizational Structures, School Environment |
Ginger M. Teague & Vincent A. Anfara, Jr.
Article Description: Professional learning communities in schools engage educators in continuous, collaborative learning. This article reviews literature on professional learning communities and summarizes early research findings, discusses the essential elements of these structures, and identifies potential barriers to their implementation. The article concludes with three implications for practice involving professional learning communities: the significance of professional and personal relationships in schools, the importance of principal support, and the necessity of supportive structures.
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Ginger M. Teague is part of the STEM program for 4th–7th graders in Maryville, Tennessee. Her research interests include the role of the principal in developing and sustaining professional learning communities. She has also researched instructional practices in middle grades; principal preparation programs; and the relationships among teacher leadership, collective efficacy, and student achievement. E-mail: ginger.teague@maryville-schools.orgVincent A. Anfara, Jr. is professor and department head of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is the past chair of AMLE’s Research Advisory Board and series editor of The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education. E-mail: vanfara@utk.edu
Copyright © 2012 Association for Middle Level Education