The term “professional learning community” (PLC) has gained significant traction in education. However, its widespread use has sometimes led to ambiguity, diluting its true meaning and impact. For educators aiming to implement effective PLC processes, clarity is paramount. As Mike Schmoker aptly stated, “clarity precedes competence.” This article aims to provide a clear understanding of what Professional Learning Communities truly are, their core principles, and how they can drive meaningful improvements in education.
It’s crucial to dispel common misconceptions. A PLC is not a fleeting program or a series of isolated meetings. It’s not a pre-packaged solution to be purchased and implemented externally. Instead, a PLC represents a fundamental, ongoing shift in how a school or educational organization operates. It’s a continuous, self-driven process that deeply influences the school’s structure, culture, and the professional practices of its educators.
Often, educators mistakenly view PLCs as scheduled meetings, stating things like, “Our PLC meets every Wednesday.” This perspective is doubly inaccurate. Firstly, the PLC encompasses the entire organization, not just individual teams within it. While collaborative teams are vital components, the PLC’s impact extends beyond team meetings, requiring school-wide or district-wide initiatives. Think of the school or district as the PLC, with collaborative teams serving as its essential building blocks. Secondly, and more importantly, a PLC is not confined to meeting times. It’s an ongoing, pervasive influence on the school’s culture and operational framework. Regular meetings that don’t translate into sustained changes in practice do not constitute a functioning PLC.
So, what exactly defines a PLC? At its heart, a Professional Learning Community is an ongoing process where educators collaboratively engage in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research, all aimed at achieving enhanced outcomes for their students. PLCs are founded on the principle that continuous, job-embedded learning for educators is the cornerstone of improved student learning. Let’s delve deeper into the essential elements of this transformative process.
Read what advocates say about the impact of PLCs.
The Foundational Focus on Learning
The defining characteristic of a learning community is an unwavering commitment to the learning of every student. In a school or district operating as a PLC, educators are united by the belief that high levels of learning for all students are both the organization’s core purpose and the fundamental responsibility of every member. To realize this vision, PLCs establish a clear and compelling picture of the organization they aspire to become to maximize student learning. They develop shared commitments that outline individual contributions to this vision and employ results-oriented goals to track their progress. PLC members collaborate to define essential learning outcomes for each student, consistently monitor student progress, provide timely and systematic interventions for struggling learners, and offer enrichment opportunities for students who have mastered the material.
A critical underlying assumption is that organizational improvement in student learning hinges on the continuous learning and growth of the educators themselves. Therefore, PLCs prioritize creating structures that embed professional learning into the daily routines of staff members.
This commitment to learning is unequivocal and central. While traditional schools may operate with a primary focus on teaching, PLCs are fundamentally dedicated to ensuring that all students acquire essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions. This paradigm shift in the perceived purpose of the school is the bedrock upon which all other PLC characteristics are built.
Cultivating a Collaborative Culture Focused on Learning for All
Collaboration within a PLC is not merely about teamwork for its own sake; it is a means to achieve a specific end: improved learning outcomes. In many educational settings, collaboration might extend to discussions on various topics but often stops at the classroom door. In a PLC, collaboration is a structured, interdependent process where teachers work together to directly influence their classroom practices in ways that demonstrably improve results for their students, teams, and the entire school.
Engaging in Collective Inquiry into Best Practices and Current Realities
PLC teams are deeply engaged in collective inquiry, exploring both best practices in teaching and the most effective approaches to learning. They also critically examine their current realities, including existing teaching practices and the actual levels of student achievement. Rather than relying on individual opinions, PLCs strive to build shared knowledge and consensus on crucial questions. This is fueled by a culture of curiosity and an openness to exploring new possibilities and perspectives.
Collective inquiry fosters the development of new skills and capabilities among team members, leading to new experiences and deeper awareness. Over time, this heightened awareness catalyzes fundamental shifts in attitudes, beliefs, and established habits, ultimately transforming the entire school culture.
This collaborative pursuit of shared knowledge to optimize outcomes and meet client needs is the hallmark of professionals in any field. Whether in medicine, law, or education, professionals are expected to learn and work together. Members of a professional learning community embrace this expectation, embedding collaborative learning and practice into their daily operations.
Action Orientation: Learning Through Doing
PLCs are characterized by a strong action orientation. They prioritize translating aspirations into concrete actions and visions into tangible realities. There is a deep understanding that the most profound learning emerges from practical application and experience. Engagement and direct experience are valued as the most effective teachers. This aligns with Henry Mintzberg’s (2005) insights on leadership development: deep learning requires experience, which, in turn, necessitates action. It’s about “doing in order to think as much as thinking in order to do.” The very purpose of teacher collaboration and collective inquiry within PLCs is to serve as a catalyst for meaningful action and change.
Image: Educators collaborating to improve teaching practices within a PLC framework.
A Commitment to Continuous Improvement
A core tenet of a PLC is an inherent dissatisfaction with the status quo and a persistent drive to find better ways to achieve goals and fulfill the organization’s mission. PLCs implement systematic processes that engage every member in an ongoing cycle of:
- Gathering evidence of current student learning levels.
- Developing strategies and innovative ideas to leverage strengths and address areas of weakness in student learning.
- Implementing these strategies and ideas in classrooms and across the school.
- Analyzing the impact of these changes to determine what was effective and what was not.
- Applying newly acquired knowledge in the subsequent cycle of continuous improvement.
The ultimate goal extends beyond simply adopting a new strategy. It’s about creating the conditions for a perpetual learning environment where innovation and experimentation are not seen as isolated projects but as integral components of daily practice—indefinitely. Participation in this continuous improvement process is not limited to designated leaders; it is a shared responsibility of every member within the organization.
Results Orientation
Finally, PLCs are fundamentally results-oriented. All efforts related to learning focus, collaboration, inquiry, action, and continuous improvement are evaluated based on tangible outcomes, not just intentions. Without ongoing assessment of results, initiatives risk becoming aimless endeavors. As Peter Senge and his colleagues argue, “The rationale for any strategy for building a learning organization revolves around the premise that such organizations will produce dramatically improved results.”
This results-driven approach compels each team to develop and pursue measurable improvement goals that are directly aligned with school and district-wide learning objectives. It also drives the creation of common formative assessments, administered regularly to monitor student learning throughout the year.
Image: Illustrating the iterative cycle of formative assessment within a Professional Learning Community.
PLC teams analyze the results from these formative assessments to identify and address systemic issues (areas where many students struggle). They also use the data to identify individual teaching strengths and weaknesses, facilitating peer learning and improvement. Crucially, these assessments pinpoint students needing additional support and intervention. Frequent, common formative assessments are among the most powerful tools in the PLC toolkit.
Further reading: What Is a “Professional Learning Community?”
Reference:
DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work™, pp. 2–4. https://www.solutiontree.com/products/learning-by-doing-third-edition.html
