A professional learning community (PLC) is more than a group of
individuals meeting together to read a common book or discuss a relevant
issue. According to Huffman and Hipp (2003), PLCs are a way of working;
"a school's professional staff members who continuously seek to find
answers through inquiry and act on their learning to improve student
learning" (p. 4). Further, DuFour (2004) expressed concern that PLCs may
lose their credibility as an important part of education reform unless
educators think critically about the fundamental concepts, which make up
the model. As a tool for school reform, Huffman and Hipp (2003)
asserted that a PLC is "the most powerful professional development and
change strategy available" (p. 4).  |