The Establishment and Organizational Characteristics of The Hokkaido Research Council of Education for Children with Speech and Language Disorders

An Analysis Based on the Concepts of Professional Learning Communities

Abstract

　This study is part of a historical study aiming to clarify the dynamism of resource rooms for children with speech and language disorders, from the postwar days to the present. This study investigated the characteristics of the Hokkaido Research Council of Education for Children with Speech and Language Disorders（hereafter, Dogenkyo）,an organization that creates training materials and offers opportunities for specialized learning for teachers. Dogenkyo can be considered a “professional learning community”（PLC）for people engaged in the support of children with speech and language disorders, who may be ashamed of working in so-called “resource rooms” for children with speech and language disorders and therefore consider their profession to be an unattractive vocation. 　As a result, Dogenkyo was established as a network organization of multiple teachers specialized in providing support for children with speech and language disorders, principals, and administrative staff. In addition, it has the organizational characteristics of a PLC. At the time of its founding, society and schools did not understand the educational needs of children with speech and language disorders. Therefore, the founding members worked to conduct research and find solutions to the problems of school management. In this way, Dogenkyo created a PLC. 　Oda（2011）pointed out the importance of the school principal’s leadership in promoting and improving the organization. In contrast with their study, the present study focused on leadership, specifically the organizational management of the Dogenkyo staff.