This research focuses on the school as a professional learning community (PLC), in order to gain a better understanding of this  mode of operation.  In the first phase, we described the three stages in the progression of a PLC using the seven indicators depicted in the literature. The second phase clearly highlighted the key roles played by the school administration as well as what teachers expect from their administration, given the stage reached by the school.  This presentation will focus on the second phase of the research, with the objective of supporting school administrators wanting to assist their school in implementing a PLC as a tool to improve academic success.

Context

The reform undertaken in Canada by the Ontario Ministry of Education (OME) in connection with the teaching of literacy requires schools to extensively modify their mode of operation in order to promote the continuing professional development of teachers through the use of PLC’s (OME 2003, 2004, 2005; Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, 2007).  This requires the presence of several attributes – a shared vision for the school; a staff environment and a physical setting that allow teachers to collaborate, learn and share; a mutually respectful culture within the school; a display of leadership skills by both administrators and teachers; the dissemination of expertise; and, group learning (Dibbon, 2000; Eaker, Dufour and Dufour, 2004; Dufour and Eaker. 2004; Gather-Thurler, 2000; Hipp and Huffan, 2003; Hord,1997; Miller, 2005). The progression of a school as a PLC has been defined in terms of three stages: the initiation, the implementation and the integration (Leclerc and Moreau, 2008).

School administrators are expected to have many roles in promoting this mode of operation, such as establishing a vision for the school, creating a sharing environment and providing the resources and quality time necessary for collaborative meetings (Eaker, Dufour and Dufour, 2002; 2004; Huffman, 2003; Leclerc, Moreau and Leclerc-Morin, 2007; Leonard and Leonard, 2003).  It is imperative, however, to understand if the roles performed by administrators vary according to the stage reached by the school. The current research will allow us to answer the following questions:  According to teachers, what are the key roles that the school administration must fulfil in order to promote working as a PLC?  Do these roles vary according to the stage of progression reached by the school?

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