Collaboration: A Framework for School Improvement, 8(5)

Abstract

The ability to work collaboratively with others is becoming an essential component of contemporary school reform. This article reviews current trends in school reform that embody collaborative principles and also draws on the literature to provide a theoretical overview of collaboration itself. The article then outlines the findings from a qualitative, self-contained focus group study that involved 16 individuals (parents, teachers, and administrators) who were selected using a purposeful sampling technique. According to Patton (1990), “the purpose of purposeful sampling is to select information rich cases whose study will illuminate the questions under study” (p.169). Accordingly, because of their experience in collaborative school improvement activities, the participants were able to assist the researcher in addressing the general research question, what are the understandings, skills, and attitudes held by participants in school improvement initiatives that result in successful collaboration. This study allowed the essential nature of collaboration to show itself and speak for itself through participants’ descriptions of their experiences. The findings are presented within a graphic conceptualization that not only represents the large number of issues that participants identified in their collaborations, but also demonstrates the complexity of the interrelations between these issues and school improvement. The model provides a framework for thinking about the school improvement process that is anchored in collaboration.