Building A Collaborative Structure for
High Performing Teams
Schools that build a high performing collaborative culture replace teacher isolation with a structure that
supports a school leadership team and teacher collaborative teams. Team members are called upon to
be contributing members of a collective effort to improve the school’s capacity to help all students learn
at high levels.
School Leadership Team (SLT): Members of the SLT are selected to work in partnership with the
principal to assume collective responsibility for creating conditions that enhance student and adult
learning. Team members engage in problem-solving and decision-making processes in order to move
the school’s improvement efforts forward. Teacher leaders that serve on the SLT facilitate collaborative
team meetings and serve as a communication link between the staff and the administration of the school.
Responsibilities of School Leadership Team (SLT)
• Takes a balcony view of the school
• Assists the principal in making decisions to govern the school (shared decision making)
• Ensures a focus on learning and continuous improvement
• Guides the work of the collaborative teams
• Supports and monitors the work of the collaborative teams
• Serves as the steward of the school’s mission, vision, core values (commitments)
• Monitors achievement, climate and satisfaction data to assure that the learning environment is
producing results consistent with the school’s stated goals
• Identifies gaps in performance or processes and plans for their improvement
• Aligns school’s work with the district and classroom
Responsibilities of Team Leaders (facilitators)
• Serve on School Leadership Team
• Organize and facilitate collaborative team meetings
• Must “communicate” with all team members
• Hold each team member responsible for the core tasks of the team
• Delegate the core tasks for equal distribution among team members.
• Share in the workload of the team
• Extend support and encouragement to new members of the course/team
»» guides new team members to gradually increase participation in the team
• See that deadlines are met by all members of the team
• Exhibit patience and a sense of humor
• Make a conscious effort of appreciation
Building A Collaborative Structure for
High Performing Teams
Considerations for Selecting Teacher Leaders to Serve on School Leadership Team:
• Willing to facilitate collaborative team meetings and lead change
• Willingness to work to make change effort successful…realizes there will be leadership team
meetings with the principal in addition to the collaborative team meetings they will lead
• Has the personal, family situation in place such that there is time to put forth the effort and additional
work as needed
• Open to studying best practices and making objective judgments based upon what is best for those
we serve, not those who serve
• Collectively represent faculty by grade levels, content areas, gender and ethnicity.
• Respected and listened to by other faculty
• Represent varied perspectives or formal leader roles, e.g. union/association leader
Selection Process Options:
1.Use existing department chairs or school team leaders
2.Principal appoints faculty to leadership team
3.Faculty elect members to serve as the leadership team
4.Principal asks for nominations or recommendations and selects members to fit diverse demographics
of the school (best approach)
The School Leadership Team seeks to build the collective capacity of
collaborative teams of teachers…
1.What do we need in order to conduct ourselves as a high-functioning team?
2.What do we expect all teachers to know and be able to do?
3.How will we know when they are able to do it?
4.How will we respond when teachers already know it?
5.How will we respond when teachers are struggling?
6.How will we know if our support is the stimulus for teacher’s professional growth?
Building A Collaborative Structure for
High Performing Teams
Collaborative Teams (CT)
• Focus on learning and continuous improvement
• Are responsible for service and program delivery
»» Standards
»» Assessment
»» Instruction
• Manage the day-to-day services provided to students
»» Those who exceed
»» Those who meet
»» Those who do not meet
• Monitor achievement, climate and satisfaction data to assure that the learning environment is
producing results consistent with the school’s stated goals
• Identify gaps in performance or processes and plans for their improvement
• Align team’s work with the district and classroom
• Align with grade level before and after
Collaborative Team Members
• Are prepared for each meeting
• Guarantee security for shared assessments
• Develop assessments, and personalize others to their individual instructional style using shared
resources as a guide
• Share assessments, materials and ideas with all team members
• Complete the assigned core tasks on time
• Provide voluntary participation and seek to help the team facilitator as needed
• Make a conscious effort towards appreciation of the team facilitator and other team members