Developing increased leader capacity to support effective professional learning community teams

ABSTRACT

Increasingly, research suggests that successful professional learning communities (PLCs) worldwide need effective principals to strengthen pedagogy and develop skills that facilitate team planning to increase student achievement. Using immersive simulations to help teachers build skills and increase self-efficacy is also supported in research. Few studies, however, address using immersive simulations as a pedagogical tool to build skills and increase self-efficacy for educational leaders at the state, national, or international levels. This study examined the application of immersive simulations to increase leader capacity and self-efficacy for 46 K-12 school and district leaders in Georgia, USA. Leaders identified improvement in three critical skill areas all leaders need to build and support highly engaged PLC teams: conscious communications, active listening, and authentic engagement.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Dr Kristen Gilbert and her contributions to educational leadership research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christie W. Johnson

Christie W. Johnson is an assistant professor, Department of Leadership, Research, and School Improvement, University of West Georgia. Her research centers on leadership development for aspiring and practicing school leaders, including effective practices for improving principal capacity to support teacher collaboration in professional learning communities. She is a former teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent.

Robert H. Voelkel

Robert H. Voelkel Jr. is an assistant professor, Department of Teacher Education and Administration, University of North Texas. His research interests include school reform, professional learning communities and teacher collective efficacy, leadership, and social justice. He is also interested in immersive simulations and their role in effective PLC teams and leadership development. He was a former middle school principal and middle school National Board Certified Teacher.