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Abstract
This action research case study examined the benefits and challenges experienced by social studies teachers when developing new professional learning communities (PLCs). Additionally, the study sought to assess how interventions developed by a school leadership team supported the development of these new PLCs, if at all. The study examined three research questions:1. What benefits do high school social studies teachers experience when engaging in new professional learning communities?2. What challenges do high school social studies teachers experience when engaging in new professional learning communities?3. How do interventions developed by a school leadership team support the development of new professional learning communities, if at all?The results of this study have several implications for school leaders. First, findings indicate that PLCs could be a worthwhile initiative for improving schools in terms of both school culture and student achievement. Second, administrators should not expect teachers to achieve high levels of collaboration immediately. Instead, teachers need to spend their initial time getting to know each other, and calibrating their beliefs and philosophies. Third, administrators should not utilize the PLC framework to mandate identical instruction across classrooms. While consistency was developed through this process, teachers strove to maintain their own individuality as teachers. Finally, if teachers are expected to collaborate, they must receive the structural and relational supports needed to sustain their work. In this study, these supports included time to meet during the school day, common unit assessments and a rapid data analysis tool to collect and analyze student learning data, and the supportive leadership of a department chair and school leadership team.