Mapping teacher collaboration for school success

Abstract

Collaborative support between teachers is crucial to school success. Communication, openness, and participation are key for creating a climate of trust. Professional relationships based on trust contribute to the development of a common vision for the school. However, building a collaborative atmosphere is challenging. A systematic review was performed to identify strategies for promoting staff collaboration with a view towards school improvement. Based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines for systematic reviews, we selected 18 articles focused on different approaches to building collaborative environments in schools. The main finding was that the most widely used collaborative modalities were related to instructional processes and improving student academic performance. Factors that hinder the establishment of a collaborative school culture were related to teacher reluctance to sharing and exchange of practices, lack of engagement, and teacher training. Educational leaders were also seen to play a key role in the development of cooperative environments and effective leadership delegation.