Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of relationships between district climate and the development of professional learning communities in schools. District climate describes the collective effort, within the organization of a school district, to foster accomplishments that help the organization to effectively set and reach goals. Integrated superintendent leadership, enabling organizational structures, and the teamwork of individuals for student success are subscales of district climate. Professional learning communities incorporate groups of people interrogating their practice in a consistent, reflective manner, with collaborative efforts to improve instructional practices; thereby, influencing student success. Two surveys were administered in the spring of 2012 to the teachers and administrators in 98 schools in west Alabama. Research questions were: (1) Is the perception of integrated superintendent leadership positively related to the development of professional learning communities in schools? (2) Is the perception of enabling district structure related to the development of professional learning communities in schools? (3) Is the perception of district teamwork for student success related to the development of professional learning communities in schools? (4) Do administrators demonstrate more positive perceptions toward the development of professional learning communities in schools than do teachers? (5) Do elementary school teachers demonstrate more positive perceptions toward the development of professional learning communities in schools than their counterparts in middle and high school? (6) Do educators with less experience demonstrate more positive perceptions than those with more experience toward the development of professional learning communities in schools? The District Climate Index (DCI) and the School Professional Staff as Learning Community Questionnaire (SPSLCQ) were used to measure participants' perceptions of their school as a professional learning community. Twelve hundred teachers and administrators from eighty-three different schools participated; data were assessed using correlations, t-test, analysis of variance, and regression analyses. The results suggest that district climate and professional learning communities are significantly, positively related to one another. Results provide district leaders with an exploratory model for developing trust and moving schools toward reform and students success.
