The courageous community the Divergent Research Team began as a result of their involvement with the Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age. They are individuals dedicated to teacher excellence who have strong ties to the National Council of Teachers of English and the National Writing Project. They are also scholars who share their humanity in…

In an attempt to create a rationale for Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), schools have dedicated time to improve teacher collaboration. It is shown that time in PLCs can be reflective, collaborative, and overall inclusive with learning being a top priority among teachers. PLC groups are intended to enhance student teaching and improve…

This paper discusses an experiment-in-progress that focused on an investigation of novel school collaboration procedures. Two schools participated in the experiment. The principals of these schools were asked for their definition of "collaboration" and a metaphoric description of their schools. Following a collaborative skills workshop,…

This book provides activities and examples for learning about creating, sustaining, and enjoying new ways of working together. The book helps to develop a new language to deal with complicated situations on the journey to collaboration. The book is divided into four parts. Part 1, "How Do We Begin?" shares a story to develop the scenario. Part 2,…

The School Effectiveness Training Program (SET) and the Secondary School Development Program (SSDP) were school-improvement programs developed by the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), a state teachers' organization, and Research for Better Schools (RBS), a regional educational laboratory. Coordinating councils played pivotal roles in both…

Focuses on recognizing key indicators for developing teamwork and collaboration among child care staff. Addresses communicating clearly, interacting respectfully, demonstrating trust, negotiating different perspectives, building on each other's strengths, and promoting reliability and responsibility. Identifies strategies to cultivate growth in…

This literature review has the goals of: (1) reviewing and summarizing the existing research literature on factors which influence the success of collaboration; and (2) reporting the results of the research literature review so that people who want to initiate or enhance a collaborative effort can benefit from the experience of others. The review…

A staff development process that uses group-building activities to foster staff collegiality is described in this paper. As schools become involved in restructuring, cooperation and positive working relationships become more crucial for effective school teams involved in participative decision making. Five characteristics of group-building…

Examines teacher collaboration, collaborative arrangements, and the tools necessary for successful collaboration, as they relate to school reform. Suggests that teachers in all grade levels and disciplines need to work cooperatively with colleagues and representatives from other professional disciplines to address the public's demands for…

The Eugene (Oregon) Cadre develops school teams that can work together toward common goals. This volunteer group of teachers, administrators, staff, and parents is trained in organizational development. The paper describes the cadre and summarizes practices it has found useful in working with groups to promote teaming and collegiality. (SM)

This paper explores the use of cohort structures in administrator-preparation programs. The paper considers how cohorts operate effectively as communities and how the cohort promotes the enhancement of the individual. Data were derived from an analysis of the journals of 51 students enrolled in cohort programs at four university sites in…