Study Links PLC at Work Process to Math and Reading Gains in Texas Schools
Research from Texas Tech University indicates that schools consistently implementing the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work process in Texas show year-over-year gains in student achievement in math and reading.
A new study from Texas Tech University has found that schools in Texas that consistently implement the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work process demonstrate year-over-year gains in student math and reading achievement. The research was published online in September 2026 in School Effectiveness and School Improvement: An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice.
The longitudinal study analyzed approximately 1.4 million student-year observations from 117 Texas campuses designated as "Model PLC at Work" between 2015 and 2023. Researchers compared these schools to non-designated campuses, finding that the strongest effects were evident after schools sustained the PLC at Work model for at least three years.
By the third year of implementation, schools showed overall math effects equivalent to 3.1 months of additional learning and reading effects equivalent to approximately 1.8 months of additional learning compared to similar students in non-designated schools. The study highlighted that economically disadvantaged students saw the largest math gains, while English learners experienced the greatest reading gains.
The authors describe the PLC implementation as "a multiyear improvement system rather than a short-cycle intervention." Cameron Rains, CEO of Solution Tree, which offers the PLC at Work model, stated that the study validates nearly three decades of experience and confirms the PLC process as a proven pathway to significant student growth that builds over time.