We hope that, as byproducts of this strategy, teachers will be accorded respect as professionals, administrators will sense that their efficacy grows, and all members of the school community will experience the satisfaction of accomplishing important goals through teamwork. The benefits of collaboration are the subject of chapter 2. Following a brief discussion of teacher isolation and its consequences, we discuss the positive effects of collaboration on school renewal, teacher satisfaction, teacher learning, cooperation among students, and school governance. The following chapters recommend steps toward introducing collaboration in schools. In sum, this Bulletin examines the defects of the typical school structure, describes the educational benefits of the collaborative approach to schooling, and suggests ideas for introducing those structures in other schools that wish to become more collaborative.
Introduction Consider how the adults in two different kinds of schools interact.
In school A, teachers do not discuss with one another their practice of teaching nor do they help one another to improve their skills. The principal's annual visits to the classrooms to evaluate teachers with the district checklist contribute little to teachers' growth. When administrators initiate new programs, teachers respond with apathy or are uncooperative. The faculty seldom unites around any effort to improve the school. In contrast to the isolation and fragmentation that characterize school A, teachers in school B feel they are working toward a common goal of school improvement.