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Charting New Waters: Collaborating for School Improvement in U.S. High Schools
Author(s) -
Schneider Melanie,
HussLederman Susan,
Sherlock Wallace
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
tesol journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.468
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1949-3533
pISSN - 1056-7941
DOI - 10.1002/tesj.26
Subject(s) - professional development , student achievement , pedagogy , mathematics education , psychology , faculty development , sociology , public relations , academic achievement , political science
When professional learning communities ( PLC s) are developed to promote the academic achievement of English language learners ( ELL s), the results can benefit not only ELL s but the whole school. This article examines the ventures of three high schools that implemented PLC s as part of a Title III National Professional Development Project. The authors highlight the research on the effectiveness of PLC s and offer an operational definition for envisioning PLCs. Case studies of the three high school teams illustrate different cycles of inquiry and help readers understand how the emergence and development of professional teams improve the instruction and learning of ELL s. Using principles of effective PLC s as a framework, the authors share the challenges and successes of each team. The article concludes that effective PLC s are focused by a commitment to improve learning, informed by recognized principles, structured by the norms and inquiry processes that team members establish, and guided by school leaders who support teams and help them envision goals worth pursuing.