A study of district leadership practices in the principal professional learning community

This qualitative study was implemented in an urban, Title I school district in the southern portion of the United States. The problem the study addressed was that the various phenomena pertaining to the implementation of the principal professional learning community (PPLC), as perceived by the 14 participating elementary school principals, had not been examined to determine their influence. Qualitative data were acquired from the principals through personal interviews. Findings suggested that, with the regular opportunities for principals to share ideas and thoughts with their colleagues, PPLC participants perceived improved performance involving (a) the attributes of high skillfulness and high participation within the leadership capacity matrix described by Lambert (1998, 2003); (b) leadership capacity in daily practices, as reflected in adult learning theory (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 1998); (c) the collaborative nature of school leadership, empowerment, and the centrality of student learning, 3 of the 4 guiding principles of effective leadership identified by the Council of Chief State School Officers (1996); (d) continuous school improvement, as noted in the ISLLC Standard 1 (Council of Chief State School Officers, 1996); (e) the ability to make positive changes in their school communities; and (f) the 7 leadership skills identified by Reeves (2006). Responses further indicated that the initial PPLC was reflective of instructional leadership, collaboration, student achievement, and campus management, 4 attributes comprising the school based PLC model. The primary emphasis of participants\u27 responses embraced the collaboration and overall learning that occurred. This finding was profound, given the belief that the principalship is a position, in many ways, of isolation. Based on findings, the researcher recommends the ongoing development and implementation of the PPLC. The researcher additionally recommends this study be replicated at the end of a 3-year period, and that findings be compared to those derived from the current study to determine whether participants\u27 perceptions of related phenomena have changed. Once results are derived from the recommended study, a determination can be made whether to continue the PPLC