Abstract
There is currently in many countries an enthusiasm for greater teacher collaboration. However, although the evidence for the contribution of collaborative professionality to school improvement and effectiveness is accepted, the purpose of this paper is to argue that effective collaboration needs more than enthusiasm. The paper begins by comparing school-focussed collaborating in England in the mid-1960s to mid-1970s with the externally-initiated collaboration of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. This is followed by a section which argues, with examples, that collaboration needs careful conceptualisation. The third section argues that the leadership role of the head is pivotal in creating structures, but more particularly cultures, for effective collaboration. A final note on micropolitics is included as a reminder of the limits to collaboration which are imposed by differential power in the school.
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