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Abstract
Educators face increasing expectations to improve student achievement. As a result, school leaders are recognizing the need to increase opportunities for teachers to collaborate about student learning. Professional learning communities are highlighted as effective structures for teacher collaboration that improve teaching and learning. DuFour et al. (2006) defined PLCs as a collaborative group of educators that engage in collective inquiry and action research in an effort to increase student achievement. This action research study focused on the evolution of a professional learning community in an urban elementary school. This study was guided by the following research questions:1)What are teachers perceptions on the influence of professional learning communities on their teaching practices?2) How do professional learning communities affect instructional practices?3)What does the action research team identify as the essential components of developing an effective professional learning community in their setting?The construct of this action research case study is based on research related to how adults learn and the characteristics of PLCs. According to Bandura (1977), social learning theory contends that people learn better when interacting with others in social settings. Bandura (1977) stated:Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action. (p. 22)INDEX WORDS: Professional Learning Community; Collective Inquiry; Social Learning Theory