Teaching has long been seen as an individualistic and isolating profession (Hargreaves, 1994; Little, 1990;).   However, research has shown the impact of teacher collaboration on both creating a strong professional culture in schools and increasing student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2003, Hargreaves, 2012 Little, 1990). While many school districts support the notion of collaboration, teaching often remains a “lonely enterprise” (Little 1990). The traditional structural organization of schools continues to exist; where students and subjects are divided by grade level and teachers remain isolated in individual classrooms.

.            In addition, the current era of testing and accountability has further created individualism and competition in schools (Ravitch 2010).  As test scores are publicized and teachers’ jobs become more dependent on their success in producing positive gains on standardized tests, working together and helping other teachers improve their instruction may become less of a professional priority.   Although research (Little, 1990; Hargreaves, 1994, 2012;  Huffman, 2001) indicates that student achievement and human capital (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012) will increase when teachers collaborate, policymakers continue to focus on an accountability system which punishes and rewards individual teacher success. 

            This literature review examines the importance of a strong professional culture on student achievement and how culture and collaboration in schools are impacted by pressure from both state and national administrative. Furthermore, the role of coaching and mentoring will be examined to better understand how this type of collaborative professional development can support classroom teachers to learn new strategies allowing them to better meet the needs of all students and thereby increasing student achievement. 

This study focuses on the role of collaboration on professional cultures in schools.  It examines four relevant areas related to professional culture: collective responsibility provides insight into the importance of professional structures, data teams and challenging conversations emphasizes the role that collaboration plays in schools and districts,  and  coaching focuses on teacher interactions and how these interactions can change relationships and cultures in schools.   Furthermore, I provide an analysis of the contextual factors of pressure and support that either enable or constrain teachers from engaging in collaboration and have a profound influence on professional culture. 

This research explores the following questions:

How are teacher professional cultures influenced by different forms and combinations of pressure and support?

Related to this broad question is a subset of more specific questions:

• How were professional cultures influenced by the provincial ministry, specifically the Council of Ontario Directors of Education?
  • What types of pressure did board level administrators place on principals and teachers and was this pressure effective in promoting buy-in, shifting the culture, and creating sustainable change?
  • What types of professional development opportunities were available to teachers and were teachers mandated to participate or given a choice?
  • What support structures and pressure best motivated teachers to work collaboratively and maintain a sense of collective responsibility?
  • What types of structural and/or cultural changes occurred during this reform effort,  were these changes a result of pressure, support or both and were the structures and cultural changes sustainable?

Darling-Hammond, L. (2003). Keeping good teachers: Why it matters, What leaders can do. Educational Leadership, 60(8), 6-13. Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. Professional Capital. New York: Teachers College Press. Hargreaves, A. (1994). Changing Teachers, Changing Times. New York: Teachers College Press. Hargreaves, A. (1994). Restructuring Restructuring: Postmodernity and the Prospects for Educational Change. Journal of Educational Policy . Little, J.W. (1990). conditions of professional development in secondary schools. In M.W. mcLaughlin, J. Talbert, & N. Bascia (Eds.), The context of teaching in secondary schools: Teachers' realities (pp. 187-223). New York: Teachers College Press. Ravitch, D. (2010). The Death and Life of the Great American School System. New York: Perseus Books Group.