Building a Competent, Cohesive Faculty The Whole Is Bigger Than the Sum of Its Parts

In one school, teachers resist change and blame students, parents, or administrators for failure. In another, they take responsibility for every student’s learning, and expect to continually improve their practice. In the first school, each teacher is an independent contractor who develops her expertise separate from her colleagues. In the second, teachers work and learn together to challenge the status quo and nurture one another’s growth. As a result, a synergy develops and the whole becomes larger than the sum of the parts.