Used by hundreds of schools and school districts across the country, the Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-driven, holistic process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. While providing a step-by-step methodology for the development and implementation of successful WFSGs, this newest edition of Murphy and Lick's groundbreaking bestseller incorporates the most current theoretical concepts on change, the latest refinements to change management procedures, and a wealth of new experiences from more than two thousand individual study groups. Other significant revisions to this edition include: (1) Three additional chapters: the research foundation for WFSGs, how to recognize and understand school culture, and fourteen key findings; (2) A reorganization of chapters to make the book even more reader-friendly; (3) New material on timely topics such as "learning communities" and "learning teams;" (4) An increased focus on assessment of student results; and (5) Updated sets of resources and illustrations in the appendix. WFSGs are a proven way to successfully reform, improve, and transition schools to meet tomorrow's needs. Filled with real-world examples and illustrative cases, this book provides both the practical knowledge and the theoretical foundation necessary to negotiate the societal, organizational, and cultural barriers affecting education. This new edition is essential for administrators, teachers, and staff in K-12 schools, as well as district level administrators, teachers of education, and anyone interested in increasing student learning. Following a foreword (Shirley M. Hord) and a preface, this book presents 12 chapters: (1) Introduction; (2) Enabling Faculties to Become Professional Learning Communities; (3) What the Research Tells Us; (4) Context: Conditions That Facilitate Change; (5) Recognizing and Understanding School Culture; (6) Process: A Proven Structure for Collaboration; (7) Identifying Student Needs for Targeted Study: The Seven-Step Decision-Making Cycle; (8) Content: Curriculum and Instructional Strategies; (9) Supporting Synergistic Groups and Learning Teams; (10) Sustaining School Improvement Efforts; (11) Success: Learning from National, State, District, and Local School Experiences; and (12) Fourteen Key Lessons. This book concludes with six resources; a list of references; and an index.