The purpose of this Action Research study was to examine and improve professional dialogue and collaboration on student literacy among teachers at a Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 4 elementary school serving 460 students in a small rural college town. The project focused on teachers' collaborative processes in their efforts to address the literacy needs of students, especially those children experiencing socio-economic and environmental disadvantages. The study employed a qualitative approach to research which sought to consider the many challenges and realities facing both teachers and students involved in the process of learning to read. Designed to emphasize the experiences and perspectives of teacher participants, the data collected included structured interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions that were coded, analyzed, and vetted through a member-checking process to discern themes that informed findings. The study concluded that collaboration may serve effectively as an organizing principle for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) such as this school's revised Response to Intervention (RtI) model. The study also illustrated that cultivating formal and informal opportunities for professional dialogue enhanced collaboration, contributing to instructional continuity and student learning; that schools may take advantage of a cost-effective and impactful option for sustained professional learning through embedded practice-based learning opportunities that leverage collegial perspectives and expertise; and that teachers are empowered through collaborative leadership enabled by co-constructed professional dialogue in an organizational culture where trust and comfort, collegial engagement, and norms of sharing and flexibility predominate. Implications include the need to cultivate professional dialogue as the key to effective collaboration in meeting student learning needs; the negative impacts of poor collaboration; and the advantages to be realized by embedding practice-based professional learning and promoting collaborative leadership in a school's organizational culture. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]