The purpose of this report is to explore the structuring of academic departments within contemporary comprehensive high schools. It begins with an argument for research on the organization of schools that takes account of the fact that high schools are fundamentally different structures from their elementary school counterparts and that departmental specialization and differentiation are key elements in understanding that difference. Two exploratory studies provide evidence of the department as the site of both a distinctive subject subculture within the school and a significant administrative unit of it. This departmental structure assists in organizing assumptions as well as needs and demands of particular interest in policy formation and implementation. Preliminary findings suggest: (1) departments form interconnected sub-groups within the school; and (2) it is at the department level that the potential for collegiality, collaboration, and shared goals within a high school seem most possible. (Author/LL)