What happens in a school when, despite teachers' best efforts in the classroom, students do not learn? The administrators and faculty members at Papillion-La Vista South High School in Nebraska asked themselves this question when they realized that some of their students were struggling, were not turning in work, did not seem to care, and were…

In an organizationally competent school, everyone has a role that defines his or her obligations and everyone is part of a reciprocal relationship that spells out mutual obligations. Reciprocal role relationships enable informal communities of practice to bubble up and institutionalized collaborative cultures to trickle down. When such informal…