DEVELOPING COMMUNITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE

"Over the past several years, education reformers have increasingly invested in the development of communities within schools as a central strategy to improve teaching and student learning. These communities come in various guises, including small schools, small learning communities, and teacher teams. Two assumptions about how these communities will enhance the quality of instruction underlie the push for these more intimate learning environments. First, supporters believe that teachers will get to know their students better and therefore be more able to respond to students' learning needs. Second, advocates contend that small communities will encourage teachers to collaborate more in order to improve their instructional practices. This issue of CPRE Policy Briefs, which draws on major research studies in Philadelphia and Cincinnati, examines the merit of these assumptions and the conditions under which communities of teachers can improve their instructional practices and bring about enhanced student learning."