Professional learning communities have developed into one of the greatest tools of school improvement, along with being a critical component of educational reform. The problem addressed in this study was decreased teacher performance and student achievement in six North Carolina schools resulting from negative perceptions of professional learning communities. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative survey study was to examine perceptions of PLCs and understand perceptions of teachers regarding the implementation of the DuFour PLC model. The following research questions directed this study: (1) What are teachers' perceptions of the content from a professional learning community (PLC), including the educational setting, teachers, and administration during a one-year process? (2) What are teachers' perceptions of the process of professional learning communities and the components of data, assessment, and methodology after one year of implementation? (3) What are teachers' perceptions of student achievement post one year of implementation of professional learning communities? Data was gathered and evaluated using the TELL survey. Each educator was interviewed independently. The themes that emerged included: (1) Content discussed is data-driven; (2) Educational settings are supportive relationships; (3) Teachers are given time to collaborate; (4) Assessment data is readily available; (5) Teachers collaborate to ensure student achievement; and (6) Shared value and vision in schools. The findings of this study parallel preceding research concerning the importance of teacher's perception and the apparent value of professional learning communities. Implications in each of the participating schools were that the results inferred professional learning communities did include the following elements: (1) support structures, (2) support relationships, (3) shared practices, (4) distributed learning application, (5) shared values and vision, and (6) distributed leadership. By blending these elements, professional learning communities were overall deemed effective and impacted the participating schools positively. Implications constructed from the data collection implied that all of the aforementioned elements had a noteworthy impact on the apparent effectiveness of professional learning communities. These results provided implications for expanding student achievement. The recommendation for practice is that educators should establish cohorts built upon expertise, knowledge, and comparable assets. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]