| With the increase of large high schools, many teachers claim lack of support within their profession. Supportive structures are essential for the formation and sustainability of small learning communities (SLCs). SLCs are organizational structures that are usually located on large high school campuses and have a small membership of teachers and students. These small units focus on the relationships among teachers and their peers. Additionally, SLCs promote shared practice among teachers and develop learning opportunities in the teaching profession.;SLCs exhibit sense of community among teachers. Sense of community elicits belongingness or membership, influence, satisfaction of needs, and emotional connection; thus, sense of community builds support within a teaching framework.;Not only do SLCs associate with sense of community, but they also may integrate with the development and sustainability of professional learning communities (PLCs). PLCs are made up of teacher networks of collaboration under the auspices of shared vision in order to improve teacher practice. As teachers share their practice and learning objectives, they become aware of supportive relationships within their teaching community. These supportive relationships promote teacher learning and development.;This study will examine the relationship between sense of community and PLCs, the perceptions of teachers in relation to sense of community and PLCs, and teacher leaders' perceptions as to how SLCs enhance sense of community and PLCs.;If the relationships formed within SLCs increase recognition of support among teachers, then productive attributes within SLCs could translate to the teacher population as a whole, which, in the long run, would improve total school performance. |
