Question

A principal will be leading a school in which most teachers work independently with minimal professional interaction with their peers. One of the principal's goals is to transform the school into a professional learning community in which groups of teachers will collaborate on an ongoing basis, analyzing and evaluating student performance and using reflection, discussion, experimentation, and problem solving to promote continuous improvement in student learning. The principal begins by leading many discussions with teachers about the characteristics, functions, and benefits of professional learning communities and by implementing training for teachers on relevant skills, including data analysis.

Which of the following additional actions by the principal is likely to be most important in making the identified goal a reality?

Choose an answer
A. encouraging teachers in each group to observe and provide feedback to each other
B. allowing teachers to select the colleagues with whom they will work
C. prompting each group to define specific roles and responsibilities for each teacher in the group
D. allocating time in the school schedule for teachers to work together

Answer 1

Allocating time in the school schedule for teachers to collaborate is the most critical action for transforming a school into a professional learning community, as it provides the necessary structure for ongoing teacher collaboration and professional development.

Step-by-step explanation:

The principal who aims to transform a school into a professional learning community is most likely to succeed by taking a multi-faceted approach. One of the key actions to promote continuous improvement in student learning would be allocating time in the school schedule for teachers to work together. This action directly facilitates the necessary collaboration by providing teachers with dedicated time to focus on analyzing student performance, engaging in reflective discussion, experimenting with new teaching methods, and solving problems as a collective. Allocating time addresses the common barrier of insufficient time, which often prevents teachers from collaborating effectively. Other actions, like encouraging peer observation, allowing teachers to choose their collaborators, and defining roles, while supportive, are secondary to ensuring there is foundational time set aside within the school structure for these activities to take place.