Private Christian Schools face the challenge of declining enrollment, tight budgets, frequent faculty turnover, and processes that allow for the hiring of inexperienced teachers. Teacher preparedness is one of the best predictors of teacher effectiveness. A supportive environment that empowers faculty and provides quality relationships with peers are top predictors of teacher satisfaction. These factors must be considered when attempting cost effective, high impact professional development. Professional learning communities are a well-established means to establish a culture of learning in the school that increases teacher efficacy, teacher satisfaction, and ultimately, impact student achievement.

Keywords: professional learning community, collaboration, school improvement, student achievement, collective capacity, community of practice, collective efficacy

Subject classification codes: K12 Education, Professional Development, Teacher Education, Education Leadership