Respect and share expertise among faculty members preK-12. High school teachers, for example, often have content expertise that can help elementary and middle school teachers understand how the content is building. Elementary teachers often have expertise in addressing diverse learning styles and needs of students that can serve as models for middle and high school teachers. Middle school teachers have experiences working in teams to share. Use data more efficiently and identify the needs of students across grades.
Shared information can be powerful when used for diagnosis and planned intervention.
Schools must leave their individual egos behind and become more cooperative than competitive, serving as critical friends and viewing themselves as part of the community of educators preK-12. The process of creating a preK-12 community of educators begins with superintendent and central office leadership that is ready to roll up its sleeves and work beside building administrators. However, building administrators must take responsibility for beginning the dialogue with colleagues. Together, school system adminstrators must share the responsibility for creating opportunities for sharing ideas and making coordination a priority. Students deserve nothing less.