An Integrative Literature Review of Collaborative School Culture: Basis for a Proposed Model

Abstract

Collaborative school culture brings administrators, faculty, students, parents, and the community to work together harmoniously for school improvement and student achievement. This type of culture is considered a crucial solution to the future of education. Many studies have been conducted on collaborative school culture but focused on the roles of leaders or teachers. Hence, this study investigates what the literature says about collaborative school cultures, the best practices of schools in fostering and sustaining collaborative cultures, and the roles of stakeholders such as leaders, teachers, parents, and the community in developing a holistic model of collaborative school culture. This benefits school administrators, faculty, and students by providing ideal collaborative practices and methods for sustaining collaborative cultures that can serve as a blueprint for schools to achieve their mission, vision, and goals. Using an integrative literature review, this paper explored empirical and theoretical studies from 2010 to 2022. Findings show that schools with strong collaborative cultures create leadership teams, conduct teacher forums, organize peer-to-peer observations, connect and partner with other sectors, consult stakeholders, collaborate in research and publications, and celebrate growth and acknowledge shortcomings. To sustain a collaborative culture, schools monitor and strengthen collaborative practices with relentless consistency, coach one another about collaboration, develop employees to build capacity centered on dispositions and skills that help them collaborate, promote continuous learning and reflection, and establish collaborative relationships. This review reinforces the idea that schools that work and learn together grow stronger, handle disruptions better, and can innovate deeper.