Communities of Transformation: Creating Changes to Deeply Entrenched Issues

The purpose of this article is to describe a new variation of communities of practice: communities of transformation. We define communities of transformation as communities that create and foster innovative spaces that envision a new future. This article is based on research examining four undergraduate STEM faculty communities of practice designed to engage faculty in STEM reform work. It is informed by the communities of practice, professional learning communities, and transformational learning literatures and analyzes data gathered through document analysis, interviews, and observations. We highlight three elements critical to these communities and suggest implications for future research and practice.