This resource is not necessarily an article but rather a plan for the outcomes of professional learning within Michigan school systems. I came across this document while searching for professional learning community outcomes and I thought it was pretty much in line with our assigned readings in regards to community outcomes. I would recommend the Executive Summary because it’s a pretty long document.
One of the “promises” of professional learning communities is that they can “develop space for people to operate as learners”, creating “structures and processes that support learning while doing” (Martin-Kniep, pg. 151). This goal of creating environments for educators to learn from themselves, peers, and other sources is stated in Outcome III of the Strategic Plan. The stated goal of this Outcome is to create a “system that supports and implements effective professional learning”, with Indicator C mentioning professional associations to ensure this outcome. I argue that this shows educational institutions are recognizing the importance of learning communities to the growth of its educators.
I think that professional learning communities will only become more prevalent as more states/districts/schools seek to improve student performance. These communities take advantage of educators (at any level) working together to share knowledge and expertise across subjects and grade levels. It goes with the old saying that “two heads are better than one”.
