Creating a context that supports change may be the most critical strategy for successful implementation of a CSR program. A school's context encompasses all of its facets including:

• culture,
• the relationships of people within and outside of the school,
• resources,
• local, state, and federal policies and rules,
• demographics, and
• the physical facilities.

A school's context can help "make" or "break" a CSR program. Dennis Sparks, executive director of the National Staff Development Council, explains, "Usually when people begin change efforts, they discover that there are some invisible barriers. And those invisible barriers almost always reside in the context. They reside in the norms and structures of the school that make it more difficult for people to move ahead."

Because of its complexity, creating this context for school change and improvement may be the most difficult step in the implementation process. It involves more than just deciding to implement a reform model or changing the curriculum. It may mean changing organizational and physical structures. Even more difficult, it may mean changing the school's culture to provide a supportive atmosphere where trust is pervasive and leadership is shared; a collegial culture where teachers are free to discuss problems and practice, and where continuous learning among the staff is valued.

A Collaborative Culture is Needed

Participation in a collaborative culture like the one just described, supports the risk-taking needed to make changes for school improvement and the struggle inherent in school change and reform. Michael Fullan, dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, who often writes about leadership and change issues, notes, "The process of helping to develop collaborative work cultures is complex. It requires great sophistication on the part of school leaders: to express their own values without being imposing; to draw out other people's values and concerns; to manage conflict and problem solving; to give direction and to be open at the same time."

An effective collaborative culture is the professional learning community (often called a PLC), which has been defined as "a community where teachers engage in reflective dialogue, where there is deprivatization of practice, collective focus on student learning, collaboration, and shared norms and values."6 Research has shown that learning communities can help teachers make sense of student outcomes and help them reconcile their ideas regarding what constitutes good practice. Staffs who become PLCs continuously seek and share learning and act on their learning. Student learning becomes their focal point. Says SEDL program manager Shirley Hord, "The learning community focuses directly and incessantly on kids and kids' needs."

It is this focus on the students that can make a huge difference in student learning and help ensure a successful school reform program. As will be discussed below this was a major difference between Sierra Vista and Sunrise Elementaries.

While the PLC may be the ideal collaborative culture according to Hord, it often takes several years to establish the community. However, by beginning to work toward the establishment of a PLC, a collaborative culture may emerge even though the school may not be a true PLC.

Working Through Concerns

The atmosphere of trust that is inherent in a collaborative culture encourages staff members to work through concerns they may have about a reform program or change process. Because many concerns that teachers have in the early stages of a reform program are personal concerns (e.g., How will the CSR program change what I do in my classroom?) or are related to sensitive issues such as staffing and personnel, teachers will feel more comfortable voicing these concerns in a supportive culture where ideas and problems are freely expressed.

Encouraging Staff Resistant to Change

Some staff members may be downright resistant to change, and it is important they have a voice as well. The collaborative culture ensures that these staff members are heard. It is common for "shadow" organizations to crop up at schools undergoing change. These are the informal groups where members play out hidden agendas and sometimes work to foil programs or changes. John Brown and Cyrelle Moffett write in their book, The Hero's Journey: How Educators can Transform Schools and Improve Learning, "People in the 'shadow culture' can be called on to provide meaningful contributions to the school improvement process, if they are acknowledged by the formal leadership structure and brought into the dialogue.

Likewise Michael Fullan observes, "Reform often misfires because we fail to learn from those who disagree with us. Resistance to a new initiative can actually be highly instructive. Conflict and differences can make a constructive contribution in dealing with complex problems."

Hord stresses that those resistant to change often have personal concerns about some of the changes in practice required by CSR. Their resistance may give way to cooperation once they are given the opportunity to work through concerns and become comfortable with changes. In their book, Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Leadership Development for Teachers, Marilyn Katzenmeyer and Gayle Moller provide another solution to drawing resisters into the fold. According to the researchers, "There is an advantage to inviting resisters into the mainstream of school change. The dissatisfied or withdrawn teacher may be willing to provide positive leadership if the principal can find an area the teacher really cares about changing."

Learning from Mistakes and Successes

Getting together as a group and discussing practice and changes made in the classroom provides the opportunity for teachers to learn from mistakes—their own and those of others. "If teachers don't talk about what works and what doesn't, not as much learning occurs," explains SEDL program specialist Tara Leo.

When a school staff gets together regularly, as does Sierra Vista, there is the opportunity to provide feedback as to the positive results of the reform efforts. Seeing success is a critical incentive during implementation. Celebrating even small successes can be crucial to boosting staff morale and provide tangible results that changes are making a difference.

Developing Shared Leadership

Shared leadership—one of the factors that contributes to successful school change—often emerges in a school that possesses a collaborative culture where teachers actively participate in the decision-making process. This type of leadership has been described as "a form of power manifested through other people, not over other people."

When shared leadership is developed, a school or district will be able to sustain reform efforts because there are multiple sources of leadership and enthusiasm; if a school leader should leave, there will be enough momentum and alternate leadership available to continue the reform process. In order to foster shared leadership, school and district leaders must encourage others to assume leadership roles and be able to recognize when staff, parents, and others are ready to take on a leadership role. A collaborative school culture encourages shared leadership because of the equality inherent in such a culture.

Creating a Context for Change:
How Did Sierra Vista and Sunrise Valley Measure Up?

Reflecting on the description of Sierra Vista Elementary, we can see the collaborative culture evolving and learn that it is valued. That Sierra Vista staff often discussed what changes needed to be made at the school, is telling of how much the school focused on collaboration and change—essential for success in school reform.

At Sunrise, the collaborative culture Mr. Davis attempted to develop during his tenure is eroded because teachers were not meeting regularly to reflect upon the reforms being initiated and how these reforms affect instruction and learning. Although the Sunrise teachers had a history of congenial, social relationships, that is quite different from having collegial relationships that are professional in nature. Collegial faculty relationships are generally based on equality among all staff members and enable staff members to focus on their practice and how students are affected by their practice. Adults in schools who have a collegial relationship 1) talk about practice; 2) observe each other engaged in the practice of teaching and administration; 3) work together on the curriculum by planning, designing, researching and evaluating the curriculum; and 4) teach each other about teaching, learning, and leading.

Many members of the Sunrise staff were quite comfortable with each other, and had Ms. Smith been more savvy about the importance of collegiality, she could have capitalized on the congeniality of the group to move them toward the professional, open relationships that could support the school reform process.

The differences between Sunrise and Sierra Vista were quite apparent when teachers at the schools talked about their experiences reflecting on student learning and achievement. The Sierra Vista staff met frequently, discussed what was and what was not working in their classrooms, and valued collaborating with colleagues. Sunrise teachers appeared to be concerned about their students' learning, based on the comment from the veteran teacher at the school who believed teachers had their students' best interests at heart. However, staff members did not have the guidance they needed to focus on change issues on campus or in their classrooms.

Regarding shared leadership, at Sierra Vista we saw that Mrs. Martinez began to develop teacher leadership capacity as soon as she arrived at the school by forming study groups. In the case of the reading program, she allowed the study group to make decisions about the school's program and help others acquire the training needed for the program.