Factors of Professional Learning Community Implementation and Effect on Student Achievement

ABSTRACT

Professional learning communities (PLCs) promote collaboration among school personnel in an effort to stimulate student learning. Using data obtained from a larger statewide initiative in Missouri, the current study examined data from 181 schools (102 elementary schools, 32 middle schools, 41 high schools, and 6 other schools, average of 428.76 students) to determine (a) the factors that can be used to assess the effects of PLCs, (b) how well PLCs relate to student achievement, and (c) the extent to which teams differentially implement the factors. An exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in two broader constructs that represented PLC attributes, collaborative leadership process and data-driven systems for learning, both of which correlated with student achievement and together provided unique variance in mathematics beyond school variables and achievement scores from before the PLC began. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.     

Feedback

This paper examines the role of sport in determining attitudes and behavior in intergroup situations. The purpose is to suggest that participation in highly competitive sport encourages strong identification of fans with teams, which has important psychological implications for individuals and may foster negative sentiments toward outgroups. Manifestations of group consciousness in sport and the levels of antipathy described by Allport (1958) are discussed. Theories of conflict, categorization, and social competition form the basis of a discussion of some determinants of identification with sport teams, and implications for the physical education profession are drawn.     

The preservice teachers are watching: Framing and reframing the field experience

In this article we employ Sizers’ (1999) school- and classroom-based lenses for observation and apply them to the events and interactions that teacher education students see during school-based field experiences. Our data include online reflections and discussions among 33 students enrolled in a teacher education program at a large, public university. Our findings show that participants engaged in a complex series of framing(s) and reframing(s) to make sense of their experience. Further, we show how computer-mediated communication tools can promote framing and reflection among preservice teachers and enhance the face-to-face instruction university teacher educators provide.     

Anatomy for biomedical engineers

There is a perceived need for anatomy instruction for graduate students enrolled in a biomedical engineering program. This appeared especially important for students interested in and using medical images. These students typically did not have a strong background in biology. The authors arranged for students to dissect regions of the body that were of particular interest to them. Following completion of all the dissections, the students presented what they had learned to the entire class in the anatomy laboratory. This course has fulfilled an important need for our students. Anat Sci Ed 1:90–91, 2008. © 2007 American Association of Anatomists.     

Viewpoint,embodiment, and roles in STEM learning technologies

Educational technology research and development - This paper describes a framework for making explicit the design decisions in the development of immersive and interactive STEM learning...