THE CULTURE OF ONE SCHOOL SUSTAINING THE WORK OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THROUGH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Abstract

As part of a study exploring how principals create a context for change to both develop professional learning communities (PLCs) and sustain a context of continuous improvement over time, this article examines how a principal recognizes and employs a school’s existing culture to develop, implement, and sustain the work of PLCs to foster improvement. The specific research question that this study sought to address was: How does the staff of a secondary school that is sustaining continuous improvement through PLCs describe their professional culture? This article answered this question by analyzing data from in-depth interviews, documents, observations, and a survey at the case study school. A theme that emerged as a result of this study was how the principal in the high school context overcame a culture of isolation—particularly how the principal not only developed and implemented PLCs to create a culture of collaboration, but more importantly, how the principal sustained the work of PLCs despite the history and culture of this traditional high school. Specifically, the school leader at the high school selected for this case study worked to sustain a culture of continuous improvement that addressed three prominent areas in the high school context—subject division, organizational structure, and professional autonomy—by engaging teachers in cross-departmental professional development and creating structural changes.