| What are the defining elements and structure of collaboration in school districts committed to reform? This action research study used a triangulated data collection strategy to examine collaboration and dialogue between three elementary school districts. The administrators in this study participated in a reform effort funded and actively supported by an intermediate organization—an ambitious reform network of teachers and district-level administrators whose theory of action was to teach a process of inquiry and accountability so that school sites might implement meaningful change in practice.; This research was based on the assumptions that (1) Collaboration is an effective organizational structure for problem solving and managing complexity (Fullan, 1999, 2000; Palmer, 1998; Schrage, 1989). (2) Dialogue is an effective way of communicating in order to surface ideas, tensions, and diverse perspectives (Burbules, 1993; Isaacs, 1999; Timperley & Robinson, 1998). (3) Facilitators can create safe environments for exploration of deep assumptions of work and organizational structure (Riehl, 1998; Schwartzman, 1989).; Results of the data collection were used to provide feedback to the collaborative of administrators, and to propose two tools for planning and managing collaborative work for other district administrators. This research was not a critical analysis of their reform work or of the sponsoring intermediate agency, nor an empirical study of curricular change and resulting test scores. It evolved into a descriptive study in which the researcher and participants co-constructed an understanding of the key elements of collaboration.; Through observation, surveys, and interviews, the research explored the collaborative strategies used by 10 district level administrators during their first 5 years (1995–2000) of reform work with the intermediate agency. Data were collected from November 2000 through April 2002. Data suggested that successful collaboration begins with vision, relationships, and leadership, and that collaboration looks different at the various levels of the school system, suggesting a concept of differentiated collaboration. Two tools for use in designing and managing collaborative work are proposed: a Collaborative Discourse Analysis (a quantitative analysis of meeting dialogue) and a Collaborative Weave (a qualitative collaboration building tool). Worksheets for both tools were created for further exploration and research. |
