The purpose of this study was to research the influences of Professional
Learning Communities (PLC) as perceived by New Jersey State certified educators in
three specific areas: content, process, and context of the reform's implementation.
This study used the Standards Inventory Assessment (SAI) to evaluate the teacher
perceptions as reported anonymously through the survey instrument. The need for
this specific research is evident in the current limitation of quantitative data regarding
the PLC model that is being increasingly advocated for at the government, state, and
district level. Accordingly, this study sought to provide data to districts that were
looking to implement the PLC model regarding its effectiveness as perceived by the
educators working within the model.
Data in this study was gathered using the SAI survey instrument, which was an
online, anonymous Likert scale tool. Information was collected and distributed to
individual schools, who then granted permission to the researcher to use that data.
Data for this research was then analyzed using statistical methods. The data
analysis determined that the Professional Learning Community model had no
significant effect on teacher perceptions regarding the three areas studied. The
knowledge gained in this study will add to the assessment of this particular reform model as it applies to school improvement.