26 and meet student learning goals can affect overall student achievement (Gavora, 2010; Zee & Koomen, 2016). Time for meaningful collaboration should be prioritized to maximize PLC effectiveness (Allensworth, 2012; Hord, 2009). Shared leadership and adult learning are impacted by school climate and can influence overall school improvement efforts (Cohen & Brown, 2013; Dary & Pickeral, 2013). There are working conditions related to successful retention efforts, including the level of autonomy teachers experienced and the amount of administrative support received (Cochran-Smith, 2004; Guarino et al., 2006). When teachers participate in a PLC, changes in teaching practice occur (Parise & Spillane, 2010; Vescio et al., 2008). The current study was a targeted study that utilized a qualitative design to examine teachers’ perceptions of their campus PLC experience. The setting was a large suburban North Texas school district. During the 20192020 school year, the student body was comprised of over 39,500 students in grades PK–12 across 55 campuses (Texas Education Agency, 2019). The student body was comprised of 21% African American, 38% Hispanic, 29% White, and 7% Asian (Texas Education Agency, 2019). At the time of the current study, 54% of the student population were identified as at-risk, and 54% as economically disadvantaged. The District employed 4,961 staff, with teachers comprising 2,583 or 52% of total employees. The District turnover rate for teachers at the time of the current study was 16.8%, which was slightly higher than the state average of 16.5% (Texas Education Agency, 2019). The target participants were teachers employed by the District during the 2019-2020 school year. Four research questions were addressed using the qualitative approach: Research Question 1 (RQ1): How do teachers perceive the impact of their Professional Learning Community experience on their abilities as a classroom teacher? Research Question 2 (RQ2): How do teachers perceive the impact of their Professional Learning Community experience on their abilities to collaborate with their peers? Research Question 3 (RQ3): How do teachers perceive the impact of their Professional Learning Community experience on the climate in the school? Research Question 4 (RQ4): How do teachers perceive the impact of their Professional Learning Community experience on their decision to remain in the classroom? For the current study, data was collected from teachers who participated in a campus PLC during the 2019-2020 school year. The researcher interviewed 15 teachers for qualitative analysis. Of the sample, 7 of the 15 participants were male, and the remaining eight participants were female. Five of the participants represented elementary schools, five represented junior high campuses, and five were from a high school campus. The experience levels of the teachers who participated in the current study were 26.6% have taught between 1-5 years, 40.0% have taught for 6-10 years, 26.6% have taught for 11-20 years, and one teacher has taught for over 20 years. Interviews were conducted after school at a mutually agreed upon time at the District’s Professional Development Center. Table 1 displays teacher demographic by experience level of the 15 teachers who participated in the study. The current study explored teacher perceptions regarding their participation in their campus PLC and if their PLC experience influenced their instructional growth, increased their ability to collaborate with teacher peers, affected school climate, and influenced their decision to continue teaching in the classroom. Table 2 displays a summary of important findings of the current study by research question. Research has provided evidence that when schools implement the PLC culture, working conditions are enhanced to support professional collaboration and growth (Rasberry & Mahajan, 2008). The current study is significant in helping close gaps in the District’s knowledge of the impact the PLC model is having with teachers. With regard to PLCs supporting teacher abilities in the classroom, the current study supports previous research that a teacher’s instructional growth can increase Melissa Ann Heller, EdD
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