The NPLS Project explores the social and relational aspects of professional learning communities, recognizing them as essential infrastructures for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and professional growth in schools. Professional learning does not happen in isolation—it is embedded in everyday interactions among educators. NPLS looks at how teachers and school leaders build professional connections, share knowledge, and engage in collective learning that shapes instructional practices and strengthens school-wide learning cultures.

As an early foundational study informing NetLead Lab, NPLS focuses on how educators sustain professional ties, access research-based knowledge, and participate in learning networks that shape their professional practice. The project examines how knowledge flows within and across PLCs, helping to uncover the patterns of collaboration, trust, and shared expertise that make learning communities thrive. These insights help schools and education leaders understand how networked professional learning structures evolve over time and how they can support leadership practices, instructional capacity, and school-wide learning cultures. 

NPLS contributes to NetLead Lab’s broader mission by offering practical insights into how schools can foster professional networks that strengthen collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and system-wide learning.