Teacher Collegial Groups: A Structure for Promoting Professional Dialogue Conducive to Organization Change

Abstract

To improve public education we first may need to change and improve the prevalent culture of schooling. Current assessments describe school culture as lacking intellectual depth—despite the fact that Ted Sizer, a prominent school reformer, contends that the students’ intellectual growth should be the main purpose of schooling. From the organization development perspective, we might identify structures conducive to promoting professional dialogue among administrators, teachers, and students. Teacher collegial groups (TCGs) may be such a structure. In this article the co-authors define TCGs; then the principal—based on her own experience—suggests how a TCG can be implemented. The authors conclude with the principal's observations on the effect of the TCG on a school's organization culture.