28 If you were in charge of PLCs, what would you do differently? Melissa Ann Heller, EdD 40% of the participants mentioned an intervention focus, either to close achievement gaps with specific students or to accelerate student achievement. ... Professional learning was referenced by one third of the participants as something they would do differently as part of their PLC experience. Research Question 4: How do teachers perceive the impact of their Professional Learning Community experience on their decision to remain in the classroom? Interview Question Summary of Findings Retaining high quality teachers is a goal of the District. Do you think PLCs have supported this goal? Is so, how? If not, why? 46% of the participants think that PLCs have supported teacher retention in the District. 53% of the participants think it has not supported the District’s teacher retention goal. What is the campus doing to support your decision to stay in the District? 60% of the participants stated teacher support as a reason influencing their decision to stay in the District. 26% of the participants referenced positive school culture as another reason supporting their decision to stay in the District. Table 2. Continued because of participating in a PLC. When teachers are able to grow and learn in a true learning community, instruction can improve (Schmoker, 2004b). The current study also revealed that collaboration with peers is also positively influenced by a teacher’s PLC participation. This is consistent with the research that supports the positive benefits of teacher collaboration (DuFour, 2004; Roy & Hord, 2006; Schmoker, 2004). The current study showed that school climate could also benefit from a teacher’s positive perception of their PLC experience. Moore Johnson’s (2019) research found that teachers tend to rate their schools positively when they see themselves as partners and leaders on the campus. The current study revealed that teachers were not consistent in whether PLCs support teacher retention. Research supports that a focus on PLCs can improve teacher satisfaction, morale, and commitment, which in turn influences teacher retention (Brown & Schainker, 2008). Although nearly half of the participants responded they felt PLCs did support teacher retention, the other half disagreed with that assessment. The findings from the current study have applications for educational leaders engaged with the work of implementing and sustaining the PLC model. At the District level, prioritizing professional learning opportunities to provide continuous training on PLCs for District and school leaders will create the knowledge and skills to sustain the benefits of creating a PLC culture. District leadership must also model the best practices for PLC and create opportunities for campus leaders to collaborate with each other. This will support leaders by engaging in the practices that they are asking teachers to support at their campus, as well as provide consistency across the District with PLC expectations. School leaders must also provide and protect the time needed for teachers to engage in the PLC work. This includes prioritizing the master schedule and other job embedded learning opportunities so teachers can collaborate. They must also provide other supports that teachers identify as essential for their PLCs to thrive and be successful. Supports could include materials, resources, and feedback that encourages teachers to be motivated to continue the work of PLCs. Both District and school leaders need to be conscious of and constantly working on the cultural conditions that support a healthy PLC. This includes systems of support
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