Collaborative Efforts in the School Culture.

This paper presents findings of a study that examined how school participants in two schools in a Florida city coped with conflict, with a focus on developing a cooperative school climate. Constructivism, which states that learning is the making-sense of experiences in a social environment, provides the theoretical framework. From this perspective, knowledge is personally constructed; different individuals hold different interpretations of reality. Data were derived from observation, document analysis, and formal and informal interviews with different participants in two urban, public schools (one elementary and one middle school) in a low socioeconomic-status area of a Florida city. Participants in the school community organized themselves in different groups related to their common goals. For example, the teachers organized themselves to improve the daily functioning of their schools. A parent-teacher organization gradually involved administration to more effectively coordinate school activities. Each group shared school restructuring as its ultimate goal. Understanding and learning how to deal with the different conflicts led to a more positive school environment that was more conducive to student learning. A recommendation is to include change in the school culture as a subject in teacher-education programs. (LMI)