Article
Understanding Collaboration: A Formative Process Evaluation of a State-Funded School-University Partnership.
School-University Partnerships
(2017)
Abstract
School-university partnerships are widely promoted yet little is known about what contributes to their effectiveness. This paper presents a participatory formative evaluation of a state-funded school-university partnership. The study employed an empirically derived systems model--the Bergen Model of Collaborative Functioning (BMCF)--as the analytical frame. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews with a range of participants were conducted, transcribed, and then analyzed according to the BMCF. Participants described the foundation of partnership work between schools and universities as requiring the cultivation of humility in order to overcome hierarchical barriers for students, parents, and staff within schools. The central findings include a practice model for changing organizational structures to institutionalize protected collaborative space, a theoretical model providing a framework for better understanding the process of partnership, and a policy model which indicates the importance of significant funding to surmount organizational barriers and provide incentives for the intensive, long-term work required.
Keywords
- Partnerships in education,
- College school cooperation,
- Educational resources
Disciplines
Publication Date
January 1, 2017
Citation Information
J. Hope Corbin, Marilyn Chu, Joanne Carney, Susan Donnelly, et al.. "Understanding Collaboration: A Formative Process Evaluation of a State-Funded School-University Partnership." School-University Partnerships Vol. 10 Iss. 1 (2017) p. 35 - 45 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/hope_corbin/14/