An examination of the relationship between teachers' perceptions of the presence of professional learning community attributes and student achievement

Educators in the Central Valley of California face mandates for student achievement growth with the additional challenge of high concentrations of traditionally underserved students. Over the past 15 years, professional learning communities have been increasingly identified as a promising approach for improving school performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the practices associated with professional learning communities and student learning. Is there a relationship between teacher perceptions of the presence of PLC attributes and student achievement?;This study was quantitative in nature, and measured the relationship between the independent variables of teacher perceptions of the presence of PLC attributes and the dependent variables of student achievement in language arts, mathematics, history, and science. The independent variable was measured using a researcher developed 6-point Likert-like survey based on the attributes of PLCs as described by Hord (1997). The dependent variable was measured using 10th-grade student performance data from California Standards Tests (CSTs). High schools with student demographics representing the mid-range of English learner and socio-economically disadvantaged student populations in Fresno, Madera, and Tulare counties were invited to take part in the study. Teachers of 10th-grade students in high schools that agreed to participate responded to a 6-point Likert-like survey.;Teacher survey responses were paired with 2009 CST results of their students. These data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, the ANOVA, bivariate correlations, canonical correlation, multiple linear regressions, chi-square goodness of fit, and the independent t-test. The overall results indicate that teacher perception of the presence of PLC practices has a positive relationship with student achievement.