Developing Communities of Instructional Practice: Lessons from Cincinnati and Philadelphia

Education reformers have increasingly invested in the development of communities wihtin schools as a central strategy to improve teaching and student learning. Two assumptions underlie the push for more intimate learning environments: teachers will get to know their students better and therefore be able to better respond to students’ learning needs, and teachers will be encouraged to collaborate more in order to improve their instructional practices. This issue examines the merit of these assumptions and the conditions under which teachers can improve their instructional practices and bring about enhanced student learning.