Distributed school leadership through professional learning communities: An investigation of two secondary schools in Australia

This research examines the nexus between distributed leadership (DL) and professional learning communities (PLCs) in two public secondary schools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The study was co-designed between the researchers, school leaders and teachers, which involved an ongoing collaboration to design and implement the research. The study explores understandings of teachers and school leaders in relation to the functioning and efficacy of DL in PLC groups. Rather than assuming the relationship between DL and PLC groups as natural and synergetic, this article problematises this dynamic by focusing on the nuanced contextual factors in schools that are pivotal in constructing an understanding of the nature, affordances and limitations of DL in PLCs. The method of research was focus group discussions with staff members based on social network (SN) clusters. The research findings revealed that PLC groups can serve as powerful and meaningful vehicles to both engender and enhance DL practices, and collaboration. However, it was also observed that contextual factors such as the school culture, and nature of the PLC compositions and leadership dynamics could also influence and challenge the effectiveness of building and sustaining DL, evidenced in the different perspectives from participants in the two schools.