We Are All In This Together: The Impact of Collaborative Professional Learning Teams on 21st Century Literacy Instruction

Author

Michelle K. Thompson, National Louis UniversityFollow

Degree Date

6-2017

Document Type

Dissertation - Public Access

Degree Name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Academic Discipline

Reading and Language

First Advisor

Sophie Degener

Abstract

Professional learning communities and collaboration are often seen and heard in schools today as educators work to prepare students to be college and career ready in the 21^st century. This dissertation explores the impacts that collaboration within professional learning communities has on the literacy instruction of teachers in a large suburban school district. Qualitative data was collected through interviews and observations following three teams through one school year. Interviews with team members and the building administrators along with observations of team meetings paint the picture of collaborative practices in these teams. The results show the teachers and administrators at the schools value collaboration in their teams and the literacy instruction of team members benefits from working together. However, each of the teams has their own systems and practices in place that leads to both similarities and differences between the teams in terms of the impact collaboration has on instruction.

Recommended Citation

Thompson, Michelle K., "We Are All In This Together: The Impact of Collaborative Professional Learning Teams on 21st Century Literacy Instruction" (2017). Dissertations. 242.
https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/242