Multiple studies have demonstrated that organizations that prioritize a performance - management system that supports employees» professional growth outperform organizations that do not.25 Similar to all professionals, teachers need feedback and opportunities to develop and refine their practices.26 As their expertise increases, excellent teachers want to take on additional responsibilities and assume leadership roles
within their
schools.27 Unfortunately, few educators currently receive these kinds of opportunities for professional learning and growth.28 For example, well - developed,
sustained professional learning communities, or PLCs, can serve as powerful levers to improve teaching practice and increase student achievement.29 When implemented poorly, however, PLCs result in little to no positive
change in
school performance.30
In the process, they are increasing their own capacity to make and
sustain improvements
within their
schools using a sequence of steps drawn from improvement science methodology: define and learn more about the focus problem, pilot a small
change in iterative cycles, and collect and reflect on data from the experience.