Improve Student Achievement Through Professional Learning Communities

School districts have been developing and implementing reform movements for several decades, usually in response to federal, state or local pressures. Past reform movements have not significantly increased the academic achievement of our nation's children or closed the achievement gap between subgroups of students. The implementation of Professional Learning Communities has recently been noted to be the most promising strategy for improving and sustaining student achievement (DuFour, 2007). This study determined how general education teachers in a Midwestern school district perceived their personal skill level in working collaboratively and focusing on academic results while working in a Professional Learning Community. The overarching question for the research was: Do educator perceptions of their personal skill level in working collaboratively and focusing on academic results while implementing a Professional Learning Community have an effect on student achievement? This study should be especially useful to districts and teachers interested in the use of Professional Learning Communities.