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The SURF Board: a collaborative strategy.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Schools across the United States are faced with increased student diversity and the challenge of providing a high-quality education for all students as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. Collaboration among school staff is one method to effectively meet the multiple needs of a diverse student population. The benefits of, as well as the barriers to, successful collaboration have been well-documented. This article provides a description of the SURF (Sharing Useful Resources Forum) Board: a strategy that increases collaborative relationships among school staff members while addressing collaboration barriers. Benefits and barriers of collaboration are reviewed, and specific steps in designing and implementing the SURF Board are provided.

The Importance of Collaboration

On January 8, 2003, the United States celebrated the first anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act. This was an important reminder of our commitment and responsibility to provide a high-quality education for all students regardless of background, ability, or income. However, translating that message into reality (i.e., practice) is not easy. Schools and teachers across the United States are reminded on a daily basis of their daunting task to teach an increasingly diverse population of students. The dimensions of student diversity are broad and may include cultural, linguistic, academic, social, and/or behavioral differences among students. For example, a general education fifth grade class may include a student from Mexico who doesn't speak English, a student with a learning disability who reads on a second grade level, a student who misses school frequently because she is bullied during lunch, and a student with attention deficit disorder (ADD) who is frequently off task, in addition to 20 other students with individual needs. These are the types of challenges teachers face daily that may also lead to students "being left behind." Teachers are frequently in positions to make complex decisions regarding educational service delivery with less than adequate knowledge. No single person has, or can be expected to have, all the answers. Consequently, a key message in school reform is that improved educational outcomes are facilitated when professionals and families work together collaboratively to increase service delivery coordination within our schools so all students succeed (Mostert, 1996).

Collaboration is one sensible solution to support teachers so that no child is left behind. Although collaboration is a frequently used term in education, definitions vary. Conceptualizations have included reciprocal effort (Mostert, 1996), consultation and teaming (Idol, Nevin, & Paolucci-Whitcomb, 1994), and shared responsibilities (Risko & Bromley, 2001). What seems to be similar across conceptualizations is that collaboration involves working together in supportive and beneficial relationships (Friend & Cook, 2002). There are many reported benefits of collaboration....

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