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The findings of this study indicate a gap between American educational ideals of the realities of student achievement. To address this, a phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to examine principals’ perceptions and experiences utilizing the DuFour Professional Learning Community (PLC) Improvement Model and its six elements as drivers of school and organizational change. Transformational Leadership Theory and the ADKAR Change Model served as the theoretical framework for the study. Eight K-12 school leaders participated in a semi-structured interview and responded to 20 questions related to contextual factors that supported or were barriers to PLC implementation. Findings have implications for future research, including mixed methods studies exploring correlations between PLC implementation, school, and student academic outcomes, as well as current principal practice, such as principal professional capacity building.