Books About Professional Learning Communities

Reclaiming Our Teaching Profession (2011) by Shirley M. Hord and Ed Tobia
Drawing from a wealth of research and experience, this book shows educators how to use the transformative power of professional learning in community to raise the professional stature of educators. The authors provide clear steps and real-school examples with a focus on collaborative adult learning for student gains, community respect, professional satisfaction, and collegial support. They show clear images of what empowered Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) look like for teachers, administrators, and leaders at the school and district level. The authors also provide practical tools for advancing and measuring progress.

Leading Professional Learning Communities: Voices From Research and Practice (2007) by Shirley M. Hord and William A. Sommers
This book explores the critical role of the principal and other leaders in the development of a PLC by examining the research literature and what really happens in schools. The text discusses the need to focus on student and teacher learning and the commitment and courage necessary to lead a PLC. Examples illustrate how PLCs can help build leadership capacity, embed professional development in staff’s daily work, create a positive school culture, and develop accountability. In addition, the book addresses how to manage conflicts that arise, the creativity needed for problem solving, and the courage to challenge existing systems and ways of thinking when necessary.

Professional Learning Communities: Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement (1997)
This publication includes stories and reports of research on how school staff—teachers and principals—organize as a learning community. The text summarizes what professional learning communities look like, how they operate, and the outcomes for staff and students when learning communities within a school operate effectively.

Professional Learning Communities: An Ongoing Exploration (2000)
This book reviews the dimensions along which a school staff should operate to become a learning community and discusses the role such a community can play in school reform. The book also touches upon the four themes that emerged through SEDL's work and research during the Creating Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement (CCCII) project and discusses how a school can begin establishing a professional learning community.