Commonalities Across Effective Collaboratives

Abstract

This article looks across effective collaborations involving schools and colleges of education and other organizations to identify most commonly voiced reasons for collaboration and factors perceived as being most important to collaboration. Partnerships are often founded as means for a school or college of education to better fulfill its own mission through working with other departments on campus, community organizations, and schools. Those involved with effective collaboration report that willingness to listen, mutual respect, long-term commitment, frequent communication, flexibility, and careful selection of partners were key factors in the success of their collaboratives.