A Qualitative Case Study: The Effect a Professional Learning Community for School Leaders has Upon Perceptions of School Leadership

Building principals are charged with the important task of ensuring high quality learning occurs in their respective schools. Despite the daily efforts of school leaders to frequently monitor and assess student learning, as well as support teacher development, many principals fail to engage in high quality professional learning to enhance their own leadership responsibilities. Literature suggests a relationship exists between student learning and teacher development through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), however, there is a gap in literature with respect to the effect of principal development through leadership PLCs. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to reveal the effect of a PLC for principals upon perceptions of school leadership. The schools selected for this study were secondary schools in the White School District (WSD) that implemented major change initiatives while the principals were actively engaged in professional learning. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews of public school teachers and their respective principal, who were actively engaged in a leadership PLC. Specifically, this study examined the perceptions of teachers and their principals, in regards to school leadership; explicitly, the leadership responsibilities noted in literature that promoted high quality learning in schools. Three leadership responsibilities emerged as themes: (a) communication, (b) instructional leadership, and (c) integrity. Each of the school leaders extensively described professional growth in the areas identified as themes, as a result of the leadership PLC. These findings were further explored with teachers employed in the three participating schools. Similar results were revealed from the participating teachers, who perceived improvement in leadership behaviors demonstrated by their respective principals. Thus, teachers and their respective principals, perceived growth in principal leadership responsibilities as a result of the principals participating in a leadership PLC.;Nonetheless, as the world educational community continues to gain an understanding of the positive effect growing school leaders has upon learning, trendy leadership development models will increase popularity just as whole school reform models decades ago. In the meantime, school leaders will continue to be enthralled with managerial prerogatives; approaching professional growth half-heartedly without accountability or assessment. Until the implementation of leadership development models are consistently vetted and compared to school improvement, there will be clear losers in this educational race to the top and inevitably the expectations and tools in schools will advance, but the principals will be left behind.