The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand what it has meant to be a teacher in a middle school that has undergone significant changes to improve student learning. The insights derived from this study can be applied to schools to solve real and significant problems within education. This study outlines a path for those involved in school reform to take. By reviewing the philosophical, structural and instructional implications that Lighthouse staff members share other schools can draw from those practices and consider the pieces of change that Lighthouse Middle School teachers went through to increase student learning. Each component outlined within each theme gives a clear window into what was done to improve student learning at Lighthouse while also explaining how teachers felt about each facet of the change. Inferences drawn from the voices of the Lighthouse experience can be used by other schools to begin reform. [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/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]