This paper describes the development and implementation of a collaborative, interdisciplinary curriculum program, the Quest program. Implemented at a suburban New England high school, the program was loosely based on the tenets of the Coalition of Essential Schools. Ethnographical methodology included document analysis, participant observation, and interviews with participating teachers and students. After 1 year, several lessons about school change and collaboration were learned. First, the successes were accompanied by setbacks. Second, the experience highlighted the centrality of interpersonal issues; conflict abounded between the Quest teachers and college faculty. Third, if research is an agenda for a collaborating party, it undermines the true meaning of collaboration. Fourth, teachers need released time and support if they are to remain committed. Fifth, goals must be clearly defined. Overall, the findings demonstrate the slow, often painful nature of organizational change. (LMI)