Professional Learning Communities: What Are They and Why Are They Important?: Issues About Change, Volume 6, Number 1

Picture of Publication Cover

Author: Shirley M. Hord

Product ID: CHA-35 Price: Available free online
• Published: 1997    • 8 pages   

Available online: Full text, PDF

Increasingly, educators speak of professional learning communities as a potent school improvement strategy melding staff development practices with well-focused school change processes to improve student learning.

But what does the research say about professional learning communities—as a school improvement tactic? This lucid review of the research on professional learning communities defines five important attributes of professional learning communities and identifies the outcomes they deliver to staff and students.

An extensive bibliography leads you to the sources of this review, and allows you to continue your investigation of this important topic.

This publication is one of a series of briefing papers called Issues About Change.

SEDL has published several publications about Professional Learning Communities: