The Power of Partnerships

In the world of education, change is inevitable. New practices, policies, and priorities emerge constantly as schools strive to improve outcomes for all learners. But even the most promising ideas can stall out of the gate without the right conditions for implementation. That’s where partnerships come in, not as a nice-to-have, but as a critical component for sustainable and effective change.

At the intersection of education and implementation science, partnerships offer a way to share ownership, leverage collective expertise, and build capacity across systems. Whether between districts and technical assistance providers, states and communities, or schools and families, partnerships are the glue that transforms good ideas into real results.

Why partnerships matter.

Partnerships in education are not a new concept, but their importance has never been more evident. As schools confront increasingly complex challenges, ranging from workforce shortages to rapidly evolving technologies, no single entity can tackle these challenges alone.  Implementation science teaches us that sustained change requires more than one-time training or top-down mandates (Mesner et al., 2016, and Kirchner et al., 2015). It takes collaboration and shared responsibility.  

When partners come together intentionally, they can:

• align efforts across systems and levels
• co-create solutions rooted in a real-world context
• build trust and mutual accountability
• share and distribute leadership 
• expand capacity through co-learning and sharing

Each of these benefits is foundational to successful implementation. Without them, initiatives are more likely to be fragmented, underutilized, or abandoned altogether.

What makes a partnership work?

Not all partnerships are created equal. Some exist only in name, while others are grounded in mutual respect, clear communication, and a shared purpose. Research and practice both point to several key features of high-quality partnerships. First, structural features, such as formal arrangements, clear role definitions, and participatory decision-making, can enhance the coordination of the partnership (Bowersox et al., 2021). It is also critical to ensure that relational elements such as frequent and bi-directional communication are in place and that trust is built to ensure ease of conflicts that may arise (Young et al., 2020). Finally, it is important to take into consideration how the partnership can be operationalized and ensure social and capital resource sharing (Sun et al., 2020). To support the effort of developing partnerships, SISEP offers the following tools:

• Team Terms of Reference or Charter to define a clear purpose, roles, and structure
• Communication protocols and agenda structures to ensure open and transparent communication
• Partnership or Give/Get Agreements to operationalize the partnership

How do effective partnerships work?

One of the core messages of implementation science is that implementation is a team effort (Aijaz et. al., 2021). No single leader, teacher, or policy can drive systems change alone. It requires intentional structures, such as implementation teams, that bring together people across roles, sectors, and levels of the system to plan, coordinate, and monitor implementation efforts.  

These teams often serve as a hub for partnership. They create space for shared decision-making, resource coordination, and rapid problem-solving. And when they incorporate a diverse mix of perspectives –including those of educators, administrators, students, families, and community members – they become powerful vehicles for change.  

In practice, this might look like:

• a state education agency working alongside district leaders and teachers to redesign professional learning systems
• a regional service agency facilitating a learning network of schools implementing a new math curriculum
• a school district partnering with families to co-design supports for multilingual learners
• two technical assistance centers working together to support one agency

In all of these cases, it is not just what is being implemented that matters, but how. And HOW depends on the strength and quality of the partnerships involved.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Despite their promise, partnerships can also fall short. Some common challenges include:

• superficial engagement or individuals not fully involved in the work or focus of the partnership
• power differentials that silence key voices
• misalignment between goals and resources
• lack of follow-through or accountability

To avoid these pitfalls, partners should regularly assess the health of their collaboration. This could include regular examination of communication effectiveness, annual updates to their partnership agreement, and reviews of team memberships and roles.

A call to partner differently.

Education is changing, and the way we partner has to change with it. Quick fixes and one-off collaborations just don’t cut it anymore. With challenges like workforce strain and constant shifts in our working environment, what really makes a difference are partnerships built on trust, teamwork, and staying the course.

That means doing the work within partnerships differently – with more humility, more listening, and more shared ownership. It means embracing implementation as a collaborative process, not just a checklist. And it means recognizing that how we work together is just as important as what we are working toward.  

So, whether you are a superintendent or a school counselor, a family engagement lead or a classroom teacher, ask yourself: Who are my partners? What do we want to achieve together? And how can we strengthen our collaboration to make that vision real?

Because in the end, it is not programs that change systems – it is people working together in partnership.

References

Aijaz, M., Fixsen, D., Schultes, M. T., & Van Dyke, M. (2021). Using implementation teams to inform a more effective response to future pandemics. Public Health Reports, 136(3), 269–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354920988613 

Bowersox, N.W., Williams, V., Kawentel, L.M., & Kilbourne, A.M. (2021). Sustaining effective research/operational collaborations: Lessons learned from a national partnered evaluation initiative. Healthcare, 9(4), 100588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hjdsi.2021.100588 

Coburn, C. E., & Penuel, W. R. (2016). Research–practice partnerships in education: Outcomes, dynamics, and open questions. Educational Researcher, 45(1), 48–54. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X16631750 (Original work published 2016)

Kirchner, J.E., Woodward, E.N., Smith, J.L., Curran, G.M., Kilbourne, A.M., Owen, R.R., & Bauer, M.S. (2016). Implementation science supports core clinical competencies: An overview and clinical example. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 18(6). doi:10.4088/PCC.16m02004

Sun, X., Clarke, A., & MacDonald, A. (2020). Implementing community sustainability plans through partnership: Examining the relationship between partnership structural features and climate change mitigation outcomes. Sustainability, 12(15), 6172. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156172 

Young, B.-R., Leeks, K. D., Bish, C. L., Mihas, P., Marcelin, R. A., Kline, J., & Ulin, B. F. (2020). Community-university partnership characteristics for translation: Evidence from CDC’s prevention research centers. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 79. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00079