ABSTRACT
Schools will improve slowly, if at all, if reforms are thrust upon them.
Rather, the approach having most promise, in my judgment, is one that
will seek to cultivate the capacity of schools to deal with their own
problems, to become largely self-renewing. (Goodlad, 1987, p. 134)
Visions for better schools inform teachers’ decisions and shape the kinds of inquiry
interests they explore during their professional lives. Teacher action research is guided by
personal values and beliefs and is enriched and illuminated through dialogue with
colleagues and students. Schools become communities of learning, caring, and inquiry,
when students and teachers begin to envision what kind of places they want to create,
how they want to live, and what brings meaning in their lives. Importantly, schools must
find ways to cultivate trusting relationships and help teachers feel valued as colleagues
and educational leaders. Such valuing is evident in the opportunities and recognition
teachers receive for making key curriculum decisions, authoring school improvement
plans, taking ownership of professional development activities, doing research, and
assuming leadership in the educational community. Our premise is that to create better
schools, teachers must be viewed in dramatically new ways: as leaders, researchers, and
authors of their professional development.
