Abstract
International evidence suggests that educational reform’s progress depends on teachers’ individual and collective capacity and its link with school-wide capacity for promoting pupils’ learning. Building capacity is therefore critical. Capacity is a complex blend of motivation, skill, positive learning, organisational conditions and culture, and infrastructure of support. Put together, it gives individuals, groups, whole school communities and school systems the power to get involved in and sustain learning over time. Developing professional learning communities appears to hold considerable promise for capacity building for sustainable improvement. As such, it has become a ‘hot topic’ in many countries.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Analytical Services. (2000). The evidence on the effects of teacher continuing professional development (CPD) on pupil attainment - a note by Analytical Services, April 2000. London: DfEE (mimeo)
Anderson, S.E. & Togneri, W. (2003). School district approaches to professional community building: Intentions, inventions, and tensions. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement. Sydney, Australia, January
Andrews, D. & Lewis, M. (2007). Transforming practice from within: The power of the professional learning community. In L. Stoll & K.S. Louis (eds) Professional learning communities: Divergence, depth and dilemmas. Maidenhead: Open University Press
Anthony P. (1994). Managing culture. Open University Press, Buckingham
Astuto T.A., Clark D.L., Read A.-M. and McGree K (1993). Challenges to dominant assumptions controlling educational reform. Regional Laboratory for the Educational Improvement of the Northeast and Islands, Andover, MA
ATL, DfES, GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEOST, PAT, SHA, TGWU, UNISON, & WAG. (2003). Raising standards and tackling workload: A national agreement. London: ATL
Barber, M. (2001). Large-scale education reform in England: A work in progress. Paper presented to the British Council School Development Conference. Estonia: Tartu University
Belbin M. (1993). Team roles at work. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford
Berman P and McLaughlin M. (1977). Federal programmes supporting educational change. Rand Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
Blase, J. (1988). The teachers’ political orientation vis a vis the principal: The micropolitics of the school. Politics of Education Association Yearbook: 1988
Bolam R. (1977). Innovation and the problem-solving school. In: King, E. (eds) Reorganising education: Management and participation for change, pp. Sage Publications, London
Bolam R. (1999). Educational administration, leadership and management: towards a research agenda. In: Bush, T., Bell, L., Bolam, R., Glatter, R. and Ribbins, P. (eds) Educational management: Redefining theory, policy and practice, pp. Paul Chapman, London
Bolam R. and McMahon A. (2004). Literature, definitions and models: Towards a conceptual map. In: Day, C. and Sachs, J. (eds) International handbook on the continuing professional development of teachers, pp. Open University Press, Berkshire
Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Stoll, L., Thomas, S., Wallace, M., Greenwood, A., Hawkey, K., Ingram, M., Atkinson, A. & Smith, M. (2005). Creating and sustaining effective professional learning communities. Research Report 637. London: DfES and University of Bristol
Bryk A., Camburn E. and Louis K.S. (1999). Professional community in Chicago elementary schools: Facilitating factors and organizational consequences. Educational Administration Quarterly 35(Supplement): 751–781
Bryk A. and Schneider B. (2002). Trust in schools. Russell Sage, New York
(1978). Creativity of the school: Final report. OECD, Paris
Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI). (2001). New school management approaches. Paris: OECD
Chapman N. (1995). Developing a sense of mission at Whitefields School: The tension between action research and school management. Educational Management and Administration 23(3): 206–211
Claxton G. (1996). Implicit theories of learning. In: Claxton, G., Atkinson, T. and Wallace, M. (eds) Liberating the learner, pp. Routledge, London
Cordingley, P., Bell, M., Rundell, B. & Evans, D. (2003). The impact of collaborative CPD on classroom teaching and learning. In: Research evidence in education library. version 1.1. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education
Cowan D’E., Fleming G.L., Thompson T.L. and Morrisey M.S. (2004). Study description: Investigating five PLC schools. In: Hord, S. M. (eds) Learning together, leading together: Changing schools through professional learning communities, pp. Teachers College Press, New York
Creemers B. (1994). The effective classroom. Cassell, London
Crowther F. (2001). Teachers as leaders: A conceptual framework. Report to the Australian Research Council. University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba
Dalin P. and Rolff H.G. (1993). Changing the school culture. Cassell, London
Datnow A., Hubbard L. and Mehan H. (2002). Extending educational reform: From one school to many. RoutledgeFalmer, London
Day C., Harris A., Hadfield M., Tolley H. and Beresford J. (2000). Leading schools in times of change. Open University Press, Buckingham
Day, C., Stobart, G., Sammons, P., Kington, A., Gu, Q., Smees, R. and Mujtaba, T. (2006) Variations in teachers’ work, lives and effectiveness. DfES Research Report RR 743, University of Nottingham
(2001). Forgetting about friendship: Using conflict in teacher communities as a catalyst for change. Journal of Educational Change 2(2): 97–122
Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). (2000). Professional development: Support for teaching and learning. London: DfEE
Dewey J. (1929). The sources of a science of education. Horace Liveright, New York
Dimmock C. (2000). Designing the learning-centred school: A cross cultural perspective. Falmer Press, London
Dinham, S. (1994). Societal pressures and teaching. Paper presented to the Australian Association for Research in Education. University of Newcastle
Doherty J., MacBeath J., Jardine S., Smith I. and McCall J. (2001). Do schools need critical friends?. In: MacBeath, J. and Mortimore, P. (eds) Improving school effectiveness, pp. Open University Press, Buckingham
Dudley P. (1999). How do teachers respond to data?. In: Conner, C. (eds) Assessment in action in primary schools, pp. Falmer Press, London
Earl L. and Katz S. (2002). Leading schools in a data-rich world. In: Leithwood, K. and Hallinger, P. (eds) The second international handbook of research on educational leadership and administration, pp. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Earl L. and Lee L. (1998). Evaluation of the Manitoba school improvement program. Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, Toronto
Earl, L., Watson, N., Levin, B., Leithwood, K., Fullan, M., Torrance, N., Jantzi, D., Mascall, B. & Volante, L. (2002). Watching and learning 3: Final report of the external evaluation of England’s national literacy and numeracy strategies. Nottingham: DfES Publications and Toronto: OISE/University of Toronto
Eraut M. (1994). Developing professional knowledge and competence. Falmer Press, London
Fielding. M., Bragg, S., Craig, J., Cunningham, I., Eraut, M., Gillinson, S., Horne, M., Robinson, C. & Thorp, J. (2005). Factors influencing the transfer of good practice. DfES Research Report RR 615, University of Sussex
Fink D. (2000). Good schools/real schools: Why school reform doesn’t last. Teachers College Press, New York
Fullan M. (1992). What’s worth fighting for in headship. Buchuring, Open University Press
Fullan M. (1993). Change forces: probing the depthes of educational reform. London, Falmer Press
Fullan M. (1992). What’s worth fighting for in headship. Open University Press, Buckingham
Fullan M. (1993). Change forces: probing the depths of educational reform. Falmer Press, London
Fullan M. (2001). The new meaning of educational change. Teachers College Press and RoutledgeFalmer, New York and London
Fullan M. (2006). The future of educational change: System thinkers in action. Journal of Educational Change 7(3): 113–122
Gibb, C.A. (1958). An interactional view of the emergence of leadership. Australian Journal of Psychology, 10(1), 101–110
Furlong J., Salisbury J. and Combes L. (2003). Best practice research scholarships: An evaluation. DfES Publications, Nottingham
Furman-Brown G. (1999). Editor’s foreword. Educational Administration Quarterly 35(1): 6–12
Grady N., Macpherson M., Mulford B. (1995). Problem-based learning in education administration through block delivery modes. International Studies in Educational Administration 23(1):58–64
Goleman D., Boyatzis R. and McKee A. (2002). The new leaders: Transforming the art of leadership into the science of results. Little, Brown, London
Goodson I.F. (1992). Studying teachers’ lives. Falmer Press, Basingstoke
Grady N., Macpherson M. and Mulford B. (1995). Problem-based learning in educational administration through block delivery modes. International Studies in Educational Administration 23(1): 58–64
Gronn P. (2000). Distributed properties: A new architecture for leadership. Educational Management and Administration 28(3): 317–338
Gronn P. (2003). Leadership: Who needs it?. School Leadership and Management 23(3): 267–290
Gunter H. (2001). Leaders and leadership in education. Paul Chapman, London
Hall G.E. and Hord S.M. (2001). Implementing change: Patterns, principles and potholes. Allyn & Bacon, Boston
Hargreaves, A. (2004). Educational change over time? The sustainability and non-sustainability of decades of secondary school change and continuity. Keynote address to the Seventeenth Conference of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, Rotterdam, January
Hargreaves, A. & Fink, D. (2006). Sustainable leadership. London: Wiley & Son
Hargreaves A. (1994). Changing teachers, changing times: Teachers’ work and culture in the postmodern age. Cassell, London
Hargreaves A. (1999). Series editor’s foreword. In: Acker, S. (eds) The realities of teachers’ work: Never a dull moment, pp. Cassell, London
Hargreaves, D.H. (2003). From improvement to transformation. Keynote address to the sixteenth annual conference of the international congress for school effectiveness and improvement. Sydney, Australia, January
Hargreaves A. (2003). Teaching in the knowledge society. Open University Press, Buckingham
Hargreaves A. and Giles C. (2003). The knowledge society school: An endangered entity. In: Hargreaves, A. (eds) Teaching in the knowledge society: Education in the age of insecurity, pp. Open University Press, Maidenhead and Philadelphia
Hargreaves D. (1999). The knowledge-creating school. British Journal of Educational Studies 47(2): 122–144
Harris A. (2001). Building the capacity for school improvement. School Leadership and Management 21(3): 261–270
Harris A. (2003). Teacher leadership as distributed leadership. School Leadership and Management 23(3): 313–324
Hipp K.A., Huffman J.B. (2001). Using assessment tools as frames for dialogue to create and sustain professional learning communities. In: Stoll L., Louis K.S. (eds), Professional Learning Communities: Dwergence, Depth and Dilemas. Maidenhead, Open University press
Hart A.W. and Weindling D. (1996). Developing successful leaders. In: Leithwood, K. (eds) International handbook for educational leadership and administration, pp. Klewer Press, Leuven
Helsby G. and McCulloch G. (1998). Teachers and the national curriculum. Cassell, London
Higham J., Haynes G., Wragg C. and Yeomans D. (2004). 14–19 Pathfinders: An evaluation of the first year. DfES, Nottingham
Hipp K.A. and Huffman J.B. (2007). Using assessment tools as frames for dialogue to create and sustain professional learning communities. In: Stoll, L. and Louis, K.S. (eds) Professional learning communities: Divergence, depth and dilemmas, pp. Open University press, Maidenhead
Hopkins D. (2001). School improvement for real. RoutledgeFalmer, London
Hopkins D., Ainscow M. and West M. (1994). School improvement in an era of change. Cassell, London
Hopkins D., Harris A. and Jackson D. (1997). Understanding the school’s capacity for development: Growth states and strategies. School Leadership and Management 17(3): 401–411
Hord S.M. (1997). Professional learning communities: Communities of continuous inquiry and improvement. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, Austin, Texas
Hord S. (2004). Professional learning communities: An overview. In: Hord, S. (eds) Learning together, leading together: Changing schools through professional learning communities, pp. Teachers College Press, New York
Huffman, J.B. (2001). The role of shared values and vision in creating professional learning communities. Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, April
Huberman M. (1983). Recipes for busy kitchens: A situational analysis of routine knowledge use in schools. Knowledge: Creation, Diffusion, Utilization 4(4): 475–510
Huberman M. (1989). The professional life cycle of teachers. Teachers College Record 91(1): 31–58
Imants, J. (2004). The role of paradoxes in the study of learning communities. Paper presented Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, January
Jackson, D. & Temperley, J. (2007). From professional learning community to networked learning community. In L. Stoll & K.S. Louis (eds), Professional learning communities: Divergence, depth and dilemmas. Maidenhead: Open University Press
Huberman M. (1993). The model of the independent artisan in teachers’ professional relations. In: Little, J.W. and McLaughlin, M.W. (eds) Teachers’ work: Individuals, colleagues and contexts, pp. Teachers College Press, New York
Huberman M. and Miles M.B. (1984). Innovation up close. Plenum, New York
Huffman J.B. and Hipp K.K. (2003). Professional learning community organizer. In: Huffman, J.B. and Hipp, K.K. (eds) Professional learning communities: Initiation to implementation, pp. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD
Hustler D., McNamara O., Jarvis J., Londra M., Campbell A. and Howson J. (2003). Teachers’ perceptions of continuing professional development. DfES, London
Joyce B.R., Calhoun E.F. and Hopkins D. (1999). The new structure of school improvement. Open University Press, Buckingham
Kruse, S.D., Louis, K.S. & Bryk, A.S. (1995). An emerging framework for analyzing school-based professional community. In K.S. Louis, S. Kruse & Associates (eds). Professionalism and community: Perspectives on reforming urban schools. Long Oaks, CA: Corwin
Karsten S., Voncken E. and Voorthuis M. (2000). Dutch primary schools and the concept of the learning organization. The Learning Organization 7(3): 145–155
Katzenbach J. and Smith D. (1993). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high performing organization. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA
King M.B. and Newmann F.M. (2001). Building school capacity through professional development: Conceptual and empirical considerations. International Journal of Educational Management 15(2): 86–93
Kolb D. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Lee, V.E., Smith, J. & Bryk, A.S. (1993) The organization of effective secondary schools. Review of Research in Education 19
Larson C. and LaFasto F. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right, what can go wrong. Sage, London
Lave J. and Wenger E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Leithwood, K. & Louis, K.S. (eds). (1998). Organizational learning in schools. Lisse, Netherlands: Swets and Zeitlinger
Lieberman, A. (1995). Practices that support teacher development: transforming conceptions of professional learning, Phi Delta Kappan 76(April), 591–596
Law S. and Glover D. (2000). Educational leadership and learning: practice, policy and research. Open University Press, Buckingham
Lee V.E. and Smith J.B. (1996). Collective responsibility for learning and its effects on gains in achievement for early secondary students. American Journal of Education 104(2): 103–147
Little, J.W. (1999). Teachers professional development in the context of high school reform: Findings from a three-year study of restructuring schools. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, April
Little, J.W. (2002). Locating learning in teachers’ communities of practice: Opening up problems of analysis in records of everyday work, Teaching and Teacher Education 18(8), 917–946
Leithwood K., Jantzi D. and Steinbach R. (1998). Leadership and other conditions which foster organizational learning in schools. In: Leithwood, K. and Louis, K. S. (eds) Organizational learning in schools, pp. Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse, the Netherlands
Louis K.S., Gordon M.F. (2006). Aligning student support with achievement goals: The secondary principal’s guide. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin
Louis, K.S., Kruse, S. & Bryk, A.S. (1995). Professionalism and community: What is it and why is it important in urban schools? In K. S. Louis, S. Kruse & Associates (1995) Professionalism and community: Perspectives on reforming urban schools. Long Oaks, CA: Corwin
Louis, K.S., Kruse, S.D. & Associates. (1995). Professionalism and community: Perspectives on reforming urban schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Inc
Leithwood K., Jantzi D. and Steinbach R. (1999). Changing leadership for changing times. Open University Press, Buckingham
Lieberman A. and Grolnick M. (1996). Networks and reform in American education. Teachers College Record 98(1): 7–45
Little J.W. (1993). Teachers’ professional development in a climate of educational reform. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 15(2): 129–151
Louis K.S. (1994). Beyond “managed change”: Rethinking how schools improve. School Effectiveness and School Improvement 9(1): 1–27
Louis K.S. and Gordon M.F. (2006). Aligning student support with achievement goals: The secondary principal’s guide. Corwin, Thousands Oaks, CA
Louis K.S. and Leithwood K. (1998). From organizational learning to professional learning communities. In: Leithwood, K. and Louis, K.S. (eds) Organizational learning in schools, pp. Lisse, Swets and Zeitlinger, Lisse, The Netherlands
Louis K.S. and Marks H. (1998). Does professional community affect the classroom? Teachers’ work and student experience in restructured schools. American Journal of Education 106(4): 532–575
Louis K.S. and Miles M.B. (1990). Improving the urban high school: What works and why. Teachers College Press, New York
MacBeath J. (1998). ‘I didn’t know he was ill’: The role and value of the critical friend. In: Stoll, L. and Myers, K. (eds) No quick fixes: Perspectives on schools in difficulty, pp. Falmer Press, London
MacGilchrist B., Myers K. and Reed J. (2004). The intelligent school. 2nd edition. Paul Chapman, London
McMahon, A. (2000). Managing teachers’ stress to enhance student learning. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, April
McCall J., Smith I., Stoll L., Thomas S., Sammons P., Smees R., MacBeath J., Boyd B. and MacGilchrist B. (2001). Views of pupils, parents and teachers: Vital indicators of effectiveness and for improvement. In: MacBeath, J. and Mortimore, P. (eds) Improving school effectiveness, pp. Open University Press, Buckingham
McGregor J. (2003). Spatiality and teacher workplace cultures: The department as nexus. In: Edwards, R. and Usher, R. (eds) Space, curriculum and learning, pp. Information Age Publishing, Connecticut
McMahon, A., Bolam, R., Abbott, R. & Holly, P. (1984). Guidelines for review and internal development in schools (primary and secondary school handbooks). York: Longman/Schools Council
McLaughlin M.W. and Talbert J.E. (1993). Contexts that matter for teaching and learning: Strategic opportunities for meeting the nation’s education goals. Center for Research on the Context of Secondary Schools, Palo Alto, CA
McLaughlin M.W. and Talbert J.E. (2001). Professional communities and the work of high school teaching. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Mitchell, C. & Sackney, L. (2000). Profound improvement: Building capacity for a learning community. Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger
McMahon A. (1999). Promoting continuing professional development for teachers : An achievable target for school leaders?. In: Bush, T., Bell, L., Bolam, R., Glatter, R. and Ribbins, P. (eds) Educational management: Redefining theory, policy and practice, pp. Paul Chapman Publishing, London
Mortimore, P. & Whitty, G. (1997). Can school improvement overcome the effects of disadvantage? Institute of Education Occasional Paper. London: Institute of Education
McMahon A. (2001a). A cultural perspective on school effectiveness, school improvement and teacher professional development. In: Bennett, N. and Harris, A. (eds) Alternative perspectives on school effectiveness and school improvement, pp. Continuum, London
McMahon A. (2001b). Fair Furlong primary school. In: Maden, M. (eds) Success against the odds – five years on, pp. RoutledgeFalmer, London
Martin J. and Frost P. (1996). The organisational culture war games: A struggle for intellectual dominance. In: Clegg, S.R., Handy, C. and Nord, W. (eds) Handbook of organisational studies, pp. Sage, London
Miles M. (1998). Finding keys to school change: A 40-year odyssey. In: Lieberman, A., Fullan, M. and Hopkins, D. (eds) International handbook of educational change, pp. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Morrissey M.S. (2000). Professional learning communities: An ongoing exploration. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, Austin, Texas
Mulford B. (1998). Organisational learning and educational change. In: Lieberman, A., Fullan, M. and Hopkins, D. (eds) International handbook of educational change, pp. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Mulford B. (2004). Organizational life cycles and the development of the National College for School Leadership: An Antipodean view. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 32(3): 309–324
Mulford B. and Silins H. (2003). Leadership for organizational learning and improved student outcomes – what do we know?. Cambridge Journal of Education 33(2): 175–195
Newmann F.M. and Wehlage G.G. (1995). Successful school restructuring: A report to the public and educators by the center on organization and restructuring of schools. CORS, Madison, Wisconsin
Nias J., Southworth G. and Yeomans R. (1989). Staff relationships in the primary school: A study of organisational cultures. Cassell, London
(2003). Touching tomorrow. NCSL, London
Oswick C., Anthony P., Keenov T., Mangham I.L. and Grant D. (2000). A dialogic analysis of organizational learning. Journal of Management Studies 37(6): 887–901
Quinn R. and Cameron K. (1983). Organisational life cycles and shifting criteria of effectiveness: Some preliminary evidence. Management Science 29(1): 33–51
Reynolds D. (1996). Turning around ineffective schools: Some evidence and some speculations. In: Gray, J., Reynolds, D., Fitz-Gibbon, C. and Jesson, D. (eds) Merging traditions: The future of research on school effectiveness and school improvement, pp. Cassell, London
Rosenholtz S.J. (1989). Teachers’ workplace: The social organization of schools. Longman, New York
Seashore, K.R., Anderson, A.R. & Riedel, E. (2003). Implementing arts for academic achievement: The impact of mental models, professional community and interdisciplinary teaming. Paper presented at the Seventeenth Conference of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, Rotterdam, January
Sammons P., Thomas S. and Mortimore P. (1997). Forging links: Effective schools and effective departments. Paul Chapman, London
Sarason S. (1990). The predictable failure of educational reform. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Saunders L. (1999). Who or what is school self-evaluation for?. School Effectiveness and School Improvement 10(4): 414–429
Schein E. (1985). Organizational culture and leadership: A dynamic view. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Schön D. (1983). The reflective practitioner. Temple Smith, London
Sebba J. (1997). Educational research: Developing and implementing the Government’s action plan. Research Intelligence 67: 19–20
Senge P.M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Century Business, London
Shulman L.S. (1997). Professional development: Learning from experience. In: (eds) Common schools: Uncommon futures: A working consensus for school renewal, pp. Teachers College Press, New York
Spillane, J.P. (2006). Distributed leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Siskin L.S. (1994). Realms of knowledge: Academic departments in secondary schools. Falmer Press, London
Stobart, G. & Mutjtaba, T. (2003). Early indicators of key factors in teachers’ perceptions of relational effectiveness. Paper presented at the annual conference of the British Educational Research Association. Herriot Watt University, Edinburgh, September
Smylie M. (1995). Teacher learning in the workplace. In: Guskey, T.R. (eds) Professional development in education: New paradigms and practices, pp. Teachers College Press, New York
Smylie M. and Hart A. (1999). School leadership for teacher learning and change: A human and social capital development perspective. In: Murphy, J. and Louis, K.S. (eds) Handbook of research on educational administration, pp. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Thomas, S., Wallace, M., Greenwood, A. & Hawkey, K. (2006). Professional learning communites: Source materials for school leaders and other leaders of professional learning. London: Innovation Unit, DfES, NCSL and GTC
Southworth G. (1999). Headship, leadership and school improvement. In: Lincoln, P. (eds) Supporting improving primary schools: The role of heads and LEAs in raising standards, pp. Falmer Press, London
Sparks D. and Hirsh S. (1997). A new vision for staff development. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and National Staff Development Council, Alexandria, VA
Stenhouse L. (1975). An introduction to curriculum research and development. Heinemann, London
Stoll L. (1999). Realizing our potential: Building capacity for lasting improvement. School Effectiveness and School Improvement 10(4): 503–532
Stoll L., Bolam R. and Collarbone P. (2002). Leading for change: Building capacity for learning. In: Leithwood, K. and Hallinger, P. (eds) Second international handbook of educational leadership and administration, pp. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Stoll, L., Stobart, G., Martin, S., Freeman, S., Freedman, E., Sammons, P. & Smees␣R. (2003). Preparing for change: Evaluation of the implementation of the key stage 3 strategy pilot. London: DfES
Stoll L. and Earl L. (2003). Making it last: Building capacity for sustainability. In: West-Burham, J. (eds) Handbook of educational leadership and management, pp. Pearson/Longman, London
Stoll L. and Fink D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. Open University Press, Buckingham
Stoll L., Fink D. and Earl L. (2003). It’s about learning (and it’s about time). RoutledgeFalmer, London
Thompson, M. (2001). Can things only get better? Professional Development Today, Autumn, 7–20
Stoll L., MacBeath J., Smith I. and Robertson P. (2001). The change equation: Capacity for improvement. In: MacBeath, J. and Mortimore, P. (eds) Improving school effectiveness, pp. Open University Press, Buckingham
Stoll L. and Myers K. (1998). No quick fixes: Perspectives on schools in difficulty. Falmer Press, London
Talbert J.E., McLaughlin M.W. and Rowan B. (1993). Understanding context effects in secondary school teaching. Teachers College Record 95(1): 45–68
Teddlie C. and Reynolds D. (2000). The international handbook of school effectiveness research. Falmer Press, London
Wallace M. (1996). A crisis of identity: school merger and cultural transition. British Educational Research Journal 22(4):459-472
Thomas S., Smees R. and Elliot K. (2000). Value added feedback for the purpose of school self-evaluation. In: Askew, S. (eds) Feedback for learning, pp. Routledge, London
Thrupp M. (1999). Schools making a difference: Let’s be realistic!. Open University Press, Buckingham
Toole J.C. and Louis K.S. (2002). The role of professional learning communities in international education. In: Leithwood, K. and Hallinger, P. (eds) Second international handbook of educational leadership and administration, pp. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Wallace, M. & Poulson, L. (eds), (2003). Learning to read critically in educational leadership and management. London: Sage
Visscher A.J. and Witziers B. (2004). Subject departments as professional communities?. British Educational Research Journal 30(6): 785–800
Wallace M. (1991). School-centred management training. Paul Chapman Publishing, London
Wallace M. (1996). A crisis of identity: school merger and cultural transition. British Educational Research Journal 22(4): 459–472
Wallace M. (2001). Sharing leadership through teamwork: A justifiable risk?. Educational Management and Administration 29(2): 153–167
Wallace M. and Hall V. (1994). Inside the SMT: Teamwork in secondary school management. Paul Chapman, London
Wallace M. and Huckman L. (1999). Senior management teams in primary schools: The quest for synergy. Routledge, London
Woods, P. A., Castle, F., Cooper, D., Evans, J. & Glatter, R. (2003). Pathfinding and diversity: Similarities and differences in LEAs’ and schools’ responses to a government initiative at local level. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the British Educational Research Association, Edinburgh, September
Watson N. and Fullan M. (1992). Beyond school district-university partnerships. In: Fullan, M. and Hargreaves, A. (eds) Teacher development and educational change, pp. Falmer Press, Lewes
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A. et al. Professional Learning Communities: A Review of the Literature. J Educ Change 7, 221–258 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-006-0001-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-006-0001-8