This qualitative study explored the collaborative team practices used by elementary teachers working in collaborative teams within one school district. The study consisted of simultaneous data collection that included: eleven observations of team meetings, fifteen individual in-depth interviews, one focus group discussion and document review analysis. The practices observed that seemed to most effective within the schools included reflective dialogue, a sense of shared responsibility and collegiality amongst team members, on-going professional learning with their colleagues, active teacher participation in the decision making processes and a positive learning culture. This study found that when teachers engaged in reflective dialogue, maintained focus on improving instruction through a shared sense of responsibility, used guiding questions to adhere to agenda topics, and engaged in the decision making processes, the collaborative team approach was observed more frequently and contributed to positive outcomes for student learning and instructional practice. The most common support systems that were observed included: providing teachers with structured times for collaboration, providing teachers with feedback regarding observations of classroom lessons by school administrators, providing teachers with professional development opportunities on the implementation of effective collaborative teams and providing a forum for teachers to share in the decision making processes of their schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]