Professional Learning Communities

10 Principles of effective professional learning communities

Found in all effective professional learning communities are 10 principles that bring together the best available research on school improvement:

1. Student learning focus – school improvement starts with an unwavering focus on student learning
2. Collective responsibility – for every child to achieve, every adult must take responsibility for their learning
3. Instructional leadership – effective school leaders focus on teaching and learning
4. Collective efficacy – teachers make better instructional decisions together
5. Adult learning – teachers learn best with others, on the job
6. Privileged time – effective schools provide time and forums for teacher conversations about student learning
7. Continuous improvement – effective teams improve through recurring cycles of diagnosing student learning needs, and planning, implementing and evaluating teaching responses to them
8. Evidence driven – effective professional learning and practice are evidence-based and data-driven
9. System focus – the most effective school leaders contribute to the success of other schools
10. Integrated regional support – schools in improving systems are supported by teams of experts who know the communities they work in