The paper examines how collaboration might occur when research in comparative education employs ethnographic techniques. Following a brief review of the literature, a set of principles and a model for collaborative ethnography in school-based research are presented in order to provide direction for future research where the active involvement of those who live in the environment studied is desired. This process can illuminate educational concerns shared internationally. The model outlines the interactions among school staff members and researchers when they work together to understand fully the nature of educational events and practices. Several stages in the process suggest how the research relationships can develop over time in order to achieve this level of collaborative ethnography. The paper responds to several concerns raised by the issue, among them how any set of principles or models of collaborative ethnology in an international context could be applied to ethnographic efforts in other settings more typically faced by educational researchers. A five-page reference list is appended. (TRS)