6 Essential Characteristics of PLC*

Collective Inquiry

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Collaborative Teams Focused on Learning

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Shared Mission, Vision, Values and Goals

Educators in a PLC benefit from clarity regarding their shared purpose, a common understanding of the school they are trying to create, collective communities to help move the school in the desired direction, and specific, measurable, attainable, results‐oriented, and time‐ bound (SMART) goals to mark their progress.

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Results Orientation

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Commitment to Continuous Improvement

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Action Orientation and Experimentation

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*adapted from “Learning by Doing”

In a PLC, educators work together interdependently in collaborative teams to achieve common goals for which they are mutually accountable. The structure of the school is aligned to ensure teams are provided the time and support essential to adult learning. “Collaboration is a systematic process in which we work together, interdependently, to analyze and impact professional practice in order to improve our individual and collective results.”

Teams in a PLC relentlessly question the status quo, seek new methods of teaching and learning, test the methods, and then reflect on the results. Building shared knowledge of both current reality and best practice is an essential part of each team’s decision‐making process.

Members of a PLC constantly turn their learning and insights into action. They recognize the importance of engagement and experience in learning and in testing new ideas. They learn by doing.

Not content with the status quo, members of a PLC constantly seek better ways to achieve mutual goals and accomplish their fundamental purpose of learning for all. All teams engage in an ongoing cycle of:

• Gathering evidence of current levels of student learning

• Developing strategies and ideas to build on strengths and address weaknesses in that learning

• Implementing the strategies and ideas
• Analyzing the impact of the changes to discover what was effective and what was not

• Applying the new knowledge in the next cycle of continuous improvement

Educators in a PLC assess their efforts on the basis of tangible results. They are hungry for evidence of student learning and use that evidence to inform and improve their practice. “The success of the PLC concept depends not on the merits of the concept itself, but on the most important element in the improvement of any school—the commitment and persistence of the educators within it.” —Richard DuFour

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