Professional Learning Communities

In schools today, a buzzword often heard is PLCs, or professional learning communities. As an aspiring school leader, you must be able to define PLCs, describe their purpose, and identify the elements of effective PLCs.

All too often, teachers are presented with state standards or a district curriculum guide, but this doesn’t guarantee that they receive a common curriculum. The difference between the intended curriculum and the implemented curriculum greatly varies based on what the teacher actually teaches, impacting what the students actually learn.

In addition, school culture, climate, and communication are important factors in the development of a PLC. You will need to be able to look at how to implement a successful and productive PLC based on these factors.

This resource provides instruction for users to:

• Describe the purpose of a professional learning community and its role in education supervision
• Explain the elements that comprise a professional learning community
• Identify factors that help to create a successful professional learning community
• Explain the role of culture, climate, and communication in a professional learning community
• Describe ways in which to foster a positive culture, climate, and communication in a professional learning community
• Determine when culture, climate, and communication may require mediation
• Apply appropriate strategies for mediating issues pertaining to culture, climate, and communication