The teacher has always had the leading role in schools everywhere. In democracy's high school his part becomes even more important. He does not merely play his assigned part; he helps select the play and is concerned with the whole production. Less figuratively, democratic education involves the individual teacher in the whole program of the school. He no longer works in isolation. He shares with administrators and other teachers in determining the school's principles and purposes, in formulating policies and in putting them into practice, and in building the curriculum.

In a school governed by the autocratic tradition the teacher was assigned a subject to teach. He was told by the "authorities" what textbook to use, the, number of pages to be assigned, the amount of work to be "covered" by the end of the term. He seldom invited to consider anything outside his immediate task, and almost never was he permitted to offer any sort of criticism, no matter how constructive it might be.

In the Thirty Schools teachers were brought into full sharing ill the general life of the school. This involved much more co-operative thought and action than before. Many teachers found this difficult. Some few were unwilling or unable to work happily with others, but the great majority did, to the advantage of the school and themselves. By studying and planning with others, teachers widened their own horizons and enriched their own lives. Narrow subject specialization had limited their interests. Collaboration enabled them to understand other fields more fully and to see the relationship of their own specific task to the whole work of the school.

It was in curriculum revision especially that the teachers entered more significantly into the general life of the school To make curriculum changes intelligently it was necessary to reconsider the educational principles which the school held and the practices which it followed. Participation by the teacher in this fundamental reconsideration of the whole range of the school's activity gave him a sense of whole school responsibility.

In almost all of the participating schools the changes that have been made in curriculum and teaching procedures have come through such faculty collaboration. Syllabi for courses are no longer prepared in the superintendent's or principal's office and banded out to teachers. In some of the member schools no decision affecting the general life of the school is made except by faculty consideration. In a few schools an elected committee of teachers shares with the principal in allocating the school's income even in such matters as teacher's salaries. This more extensive participation in curriculum building, policy making, and school management adds to teachers' loads, but they testify that it is worth much more in growth than it costs in time and energy.

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