Realizing Professional Capital by, for, and With the Learning Profession

Abstract

This chapter proposes that the future of educational change requires prioritizing and realizing the vital importance of professional capital for educational change to be led by, for, and with the teaching profession. It examines each component of professional capital-human, social, and decisional-and discusses lessons from research within Canada about the realization of professional capital in policy and practice for teachers' professional learning and development. The chapter discusses each component of professional capital and suggests some lessons identified from research in Canada and potential implications for the future of educational change. Professional development is considered a legal right and responsibility for the teaching profession across Canada. There has been extensive emphasis on the development of professional collaboration within educational change. For example, Hord first proposed the concept of professional learning communities (PLCs) as a form of school restructuring in response to the professional isolation of teaching and traditional hierarchy of schools. PLCs have become widely promoted and popularized.