ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6097-3261

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Administrative and Instructional Leadership

First Advisor

Barbara Cozza

Second Advisor

Roger Bloom

Third Advisor

Stephen Kotok

Abstract

Urban educators face ongoing challenges in establishing collaborative cultures that effectively maximize student achievement. To address this research problem, this qualitative case study investigates how teachers and administrators perceive their participation in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and how these perceptions shape Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE). Grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory of collective efficacy and DuFour’s PLC framework, the research explores how structured collaboration enhances educators' shared beliefs in their ability to positively impact student learning. The researcher employed a qualitative case study design involving eight teachers and two administrators across two non-public, urban K-8 schools in Brooklyn, New York. Over the course of one month, the researcher collected data through ten semi-structured interviews, participant surveys, two non-participant observations of PLC meetings, and artifact analysis of meeting agendas and student work. To ensure validity, the researcher analyzed the data using open and axial coding and employed data triangulation to cross-reference the findings. The findings reveal that active PLC participation builds foundational trust and significantly strengthens CTE. Furthermore, the data demonstrates that active instructional leadership directly accelerates this collaborative growth and goal alignment among teachers. This study holds significant value for educational leadership and policy. Because researchers identify CTE as one of the top influences on student achievement, with an effect size of 1.57 (Hattie, 2018), understanding how PLCs build this efficacy provides school leaders with a practical roadmap for improvement. By examining smaller, independent schools, this research highlights how trust and shared responsibility drive instructional success. Ultimately, the study provides actionable insights that administrators can apply to foster continuous professional growth in both small independent settings and larger public-school districts.

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