Collaborative research can contribute to teachers' personal growth and professional development as well as to the coordination of instructional approaches and goals throughout the school. Collaborative research in teaching can be defined as research conducted inside the classroom by two or more individuals with different role orientations and professional concerns. The collaborative effort can be seen in the mutual work and ideas of the Ecological Perspectives for Successful Schooling Practice Project (Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development, San Francisco, California) and of another research project, Interactive Research and Development on Teaching (Tikunoff, Ward, and Griffin). Three general characteristics of collaborative research are: (1) Collaborative research requires the establishment of parity among collaborators; (2) It demands the maintenance of reciprocal relationships among team members representing different professional orientations; and (3) It requires the establishment of a common language among its participants. Three collaborative research activities found particularly productive are: (1) open-ended interviews; (2) collaborative data analysis; and (3) collaborative planning. Collaborative research on teaching has a central role to play in staff development programs. It provides an important core of activities in which teachers and researchers come together and examine the problems and possibilities of teaching. (JM)