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theses

From the federal government, to individual states and independent school districts, there is a call for students to achieve to high standards and to have access to high-quality instruction; these goals cannot be achieved without effective school improvements. There is a growing body of evidence that supports the idea that schools organized as professional learning communities (PLCs) maintain the consistency necessary to support its elements and have a positive impact on student achievement. The main purpose of this study was to document what happens when the grade level meetings of a fourth grade instructional team transition from work based primarily on information distribution and administrative tasks to meetings where topics are driven by data and organized within the dimensions of a professional learning community. Also explored were the changes that occurred for the teachers as a result of their participation. A purposeful sample comprised of staff members who participated in the fourth grade team meetings for the 2012-2013 academic year at an elementary school served as the basis for this selection. This group consisted of three general education classroom teachers, a reading specialist, a basic skills instructor, and the vice principal, for a total of six participants. It was the combination of me as the teacher researcher as well as the use of my professional context as the research site that was critical to the process. As much of the literature regards a process of inquiry as central to school reform, a practitioner inquiry-based format to the study was applicable. Data was collected from interviews, surveys, and observations of grade level meetings. These data were used to describe and interpret the fourth grade team’s perceptions of the operations, processes, and outcomes of their grade level meetings with regard to the research-based principles of PLCs. The procedures were inclusive of the organizational factors that can contribute to or limit successes within a professional learning community. The results suggest the implementation of an educational framework to guide the meetings, the use of protocols to explore and analyze student data, and the group’s creation of norms were critical to the success of the work of the professional learning community. The research design enabled the participants to collaboratively reflect on teaching and learning, explore research-based practices in the fourth grade, and make changes to instructional practices to benefit fourth grade students.

ETD_5666

Ed.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Cathleen M. Benedict

doi:10.7282/T3MP51HM

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.