1. East Brunswick High School
Ph 732 613 6938
Fx 732.6136930
380 Cranbury Road
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
www.ebnet.org
What Are They
And Why Are
They Important?
The professional community of
learners, in which the teachers
in a school and its
administrators continuously
seek and share learning and
then act on what they learn. The
goal of their actions is to
enhance their effectiveness as
professionals so that students
benefit. This arrangement has
also been termed communities
of continuous inquiry and
improvement.
ProfessionalLearning
Communities:
Communities: What
Are They And Why
Are They Important?
Learning
Communities: What
Are They And Why
Are They Important?
Team workmakesthedreamwork!
1.

2. Research shows that educators in schools that
have embraced PLCs are more likely to:
Take collective responsibility for student learning, help
students achieve at higher levels, and express higher
levels of professional satisfaction (Louis & Wahlstrom,
2011)
 Share teaching practices, make results transparent,
engage in critical conversations about improving
instruction, and institutionalize continual improvement
(Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, 2010).

 Improve student achievement and their professional
practice at the same time that they promote shared
leadership (Louis et al., 2010)

 Experience the most powerful and beneficial
professional development (Little, 2006).
 Remain in the profession (Johnson & Kardos,
2007).


Many hands- one heart and one
schoolwide focus on learning both for
students and the adults who serve them.
Attributes of
Professional Learning
Communities
1. Supportive and shared
leadership,
2. Collective creativity,
3. Shared values and vision,
4. Supportive conditions, and
5. Shared responsibility
The Case for PLCPLC at a Glance A Culture of Collective
Responsibility
References: http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-
leadership/apr13/vol70/num07/How-Do-Principals-Really-Improve-Schools%C2%A2.aspx