In an effort to meet the requirements of the many reform efforts facing schools, professional learning communities (PLCs) have been created and implemented by many schools as a valuable strategy to increase student achievement. The main focus of most PLCs is on the cultivation of learning, which includes teachers and administrators working collaboratively with the same vision, values, and support of one another. The problem addressed in this study was teachers are concerned current PLCs are not effective at impacting student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to better understand teachers' perspectives about what helped them translate what they learn in PLCs into meaningful action in the classroom to impact student achievement. The theoretical framework for this study was based on constructivism and social constructivism. The literature identified such themes as the history of professional learning communities, disciplines and key components of professional learning communities, PLCs and building a collaborative culture, culture of collaboration among teachers, and academic achievement. This study used a qualitative case study design, which included seventeen teachers from a middle school district in Southwestern Arizona. The researcher collected and analyzed data from a demographic survey and a ten short-answer questionnaire. Data triangulation was achieved through the use of multiple data collection methods. Based on this study, recommendations included establishing a high level of collaboration among school professionals, establish an agenda prior to all PLC meetings consisting of current data that focuses on student academic outcomes, and establish various levels of PLCs within the school that consist of district and school wide PLCs, grade level PLCs, and interest related PLCs. Recommendations for future research include conducting a study using a larger scale with open-ended questions because of the limitation on the bias of teachers and use multiple sources to code data. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]