Bouchamma, Y., Basque, M., Giguère, M., & April, D. (2020). Professional Learning Communities: Competency Standards for School Principals

Abstract

Introductory Comments: Where Are We Now?The school-based principal's role remains highly influential in the development of pedagogical practices and the equitable improvement of student achievement (Leithwood et al., 2008;Leithwood et al., 2020). Core competencies, adapted to context-specific opportunities and challenges, allow school-based principals to address complexity. As a former school-based principal, I can attest to the fact that the role can be quite isolating and lonely at times. However, I learned through my own job-embedded experience and doctoral research that the mobilization of well-structured collaborative processes served to build community, improve pedagogical and leadership practices, deepen individual and collective professional learning, engage in evidence-informed collaborative leadership and learning, and enhance student achievement. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) can provide the necessary structure for intentional change leadership and school improvement. The purpose of this paper is to review Bouchamma et al.'s (2020) well-researched and deeply considered reference manual Professional Learning Communities: Competency Standards for School Principals.