Recent research indicates that the utilization of professional learning communities is one of the most promising practices to improve schools and help teams of teachers focus their collective efforts toward the improvement of student learning. The purpose of this study was to learn how principals and teachers were working to create professional learning communities.

After identifying the important elements of a professional learning community as described in the literature—principal leadership, vision and goals, and collaborative activities—this study compared those elements against the actions of principals and teachers at two well performing schools. A positivist paradigm was used beginning with a testable proposition: if a team were functioning as a professional learning community, the elements from the literature should be present.

The study revealed that both schools were in developing stages of a professional learning community. Although the principals and teachers had their own individual goals about student learning, they did not share a school-wide vision; therefore, neither school satisfied the criteria of a professional learning community.

The data from the study indicates that creating a professional learning community focused on student success is an ongoing process wherein the principal must continually evaluate the teachers' needs to determine what type of professional development will meet those needs. Further, the principal and the team members need to pay special attention to the relationships among team members since these relationships are critical to effective collaborative activities. Establishing a culture of collaboration based on a shared vision will result in teams of teachers working together for student success.