A Case Study of a Secondary School: Challenges and Successes in Collaboration Leading to the Development of a Professional Learning Community

This paper examines the evolution of a secondary school as it places teacher collaboration time into a regular school schedule and evaluates whether or not this time contributes to the development of a professional learning community at the school. The model of specific time set aside for staff teams and committees to meet as they work toward school improvement was the first to be introduced in the school district and has only been in existence for two years at the school. Educational researchers have provided ,evidence for the challenges and successes and their findings are discussed within the context of the school being studied. Many of the barriers to the development of a professional learning community that are described in the literature have been discovered by their school along the journey to embed collaboration in the culture of the school. A comparison between the school in the case study and a Scenario school illuminates the areas on which the case study school staff should focus as they move closer to becoming a true professional learning community.