International Journal Publishes Study Linking PLC at Work® to Year-Over-Year Gains in Math and Reading in Texas Schools

BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Peer-reviewed research finds that Texas schools implementing the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work® process with fidelity see year-over-year gains in math and reading achievement, with the strongest effects evident after a school sustains the work for at least three years.

The study, "Do Sustained, Structured Professional Learning Communities Improve Student Achievement? Longitudinal Evidence From Texas Public Schools," was published online September 17, 2026, as open-access research in School Effectiveness and School Improvement: An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice. 

Authored by Kristin E. Mansell, Ph.D., assistant professor of blended and personalized learning at Texas Tech University, and J. Jacob Kirksey, Ph.D., associate professor and associate director of the university's Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education, the study shares longitudinal, statewide data from the University of Houston Education Research Center. The researchers tracked math and reading scores on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) for students in grades 4 through 7 at 117 Texas campuses that earned Model PLC at Work designation between 2015 and 2023, comparing them to non-designated campuses using a staggered difference-in-differences design. The analysis covered roughly 1.4 million student-year observations.

Texas Tech Study data highlights

• Gains grew each year after Model PLC at Work designation. Effects were near zero before schools began the PLC at Work process, then turned positive and grew progressively stronger in each of the first three years afterward in both subjects.
• By year three, overall math effects reached the equivalent of 3.1 months of additional learning, and reading effects reached approximately 1.8 months of additional learning, compared to similar students in non-designated schools.
• Economically disadvantaged students saw the largest math gains. 
• English learners saw the largest reading gains.

As the authors put it: "PLC implementation functions as a multiyear improvement system rather than a short-cycle intervention."

Cameron Rains is Chief Executive Officer of Solution Tree, which exclusively offers the PLC at Work model for school improvement. Recognizing the importance of this moment, Rains said, "The publication of this peer-reviewed study in an established international journal confirms what we've known to be true from nearly three decades of work with schools and districts worldwide: The PLC at Work process is a proven pathway to significant growth in student achievement that builds over time. This study shows that Texas educators who commit to the process with fidelity have realized meaningful gains for their students, and those gains grow the longer schools sustain the work."

See the research.

About Solution Tree

Since 1998, Solution Tree has worked to transform education worldwide, empowering educators to raise student achievement. With more than 60,000 educators attending professional development events and more than 12,000 professional development days in schools each year, Solution Tree helps teachers and administrators confront essential challenges. Solution Tree has a catalog of more than 600 titles, along with hundreds of videos and online courses, and is the creator of Global PD Teams and Avanti, online learning platforms that facilitate the work of teachers and educators. Follow @SolutionTree on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Learn more about Solution Tree.

About PLC at Work®

PLC at Work® is Solution Tree's process for building professional learning communities in which educators work in collaborative teams and engage in collective inquiry to raise student achievement. Schools and districts that document at least three years of sustained work in the process, along with evidence of improved student learning, can earn Model PLC at Work® designation from Solution Tree.

Contact:
Solution Tree
Scott Brown, Chief Marketing Officer
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800.733.6786 ext. 908

SOURCE Solution Tree