ABSTRACT SHARED FOCUS/COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF EDUCATORS AS MEMBERS OF A DATA TEAM IN A CONNECTICUT PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL This study explores the experiences of five high school English Teachers in a Connecticut public school acting as an Instructional Data Team as prescribed by the Connecticut Accountability for Learning (CALI) model. Data Teams are teams of educators that participate in collaborative, structured, scheduled meetings, which focus on the effectiveness of teaching as determined by student achievement. Data Teams adhere to continuous improvement cycles, analyze trends, and determine strategies to facilitate analysis that results in action. Data Teams can occur at the state, district, school and instructional level. In order to explore the experiences of my participants, I used qualitative case study design to gather data through in-depth interviews, document review, and observations of the Data Team. Analysis of the data revealed that although each participant had a unique experience as a member of a Data Team, all shared many perspectives in common. Six themes that emerged throughout the interviews were: collaboration, shared leadership, organizational conditions, standards-based education, assessment, and self-efficacy. The study points to recommendations for districts, schools, and policy makers who are hoping to train, support, and retain teachers. The study offers suggestions for future research on Data Teams as one strategy for school and district improvement.