The PLC Research

During this period of time, most teachers were working harder than ever before; however, their hard work didn’t result in increased achievement for district B. In other words, school districts functioning as PLCs at Work were able to make the transition to virtual instruction in a more seamless, not effortless, fashion while still keeping student learning the number-one priority. Meanwhile, other schools struggled to support students, struggled to implement online learning opportunities, and experienced increased stress levels during an already-stressful situation.

During the pandemic, traditional schools and school districts focused on documenting learning through assignment completion. Unfortunately, this failed to engage students, and failure rates have risen at alarming rates. According to research scientist Megan Kuhfeld and colleagues (2020):

Projections indicate students were likely to return in the fall of 2020 after a short absence from face-to-face learning with only 63–68 percent learning gains relative to a typical schoolyear and 37–50 percent of the learning gains in math. (p. 4)

In contrast, the PLC schools were able to maintain their focus on the essential standards and assessing student learning in a virtual setting. Collaborative teacher teams relied on their collaborative structures and processes to learn together as adult learners to better enhance the learning for students. Having an embedded process in place while face-to-face eased the transition to virtual education.

Research has led to widespread agreement that the PLC process is a powerful approach for improving schools (Eaker & Marzano, 2020). “Fifty years of research, not only from within the educational community but also from organizations outside education, coupled with twenty years of successful implementation of the PLC concept, provide a clear picture of characteristics of highly effective schools” (Marzano & Eaker, 2020, pp. 2–3).

Professor and researcher Judith Warren Little (2006), writing for the National Education Association, concludes that:

Research has steadily converged on the importance of strong teacher learning communities for teacher growth and commitment, suggesting as well their potential contribution to favorable student outcomes. . . . Effective professional development might thus be judged by its capacity for building (and building on) the structures and values, as well as the intellectual and leadership resources of professional community. (p. 2)

The importance of this work is highlighted by teacher and principal organizations as well as leading researchers in the field of education, such as John Hattie (2015), who states:

We must stop allowing teachers to work alone, behind closed doors and in isolation in the staffrooms and instead shift to a professional ethic that emphasizes collaboration. We need communities within and across schools that work collaboratively to diagnose what teachers need to do, plan programs and teaching interventions and evaluate the success of the interventions. (p. 23)