The Nature of School-University Partnerships

A key element of success for school-university partnerships is the way that they are sensitive to their context and meet the needs of the parties involved. This chapter draws on data from a multiple-case study of four Australian school-university partnerships to explore how their heterogenous approaches supported each partnership. These embodied examples illustrate the wide variety of options available to those seeking to establish or maintain contextually relevant school-university partnerships. In this chapter, a matrix is used to examine the possibilities available for school-university partnerships. Examples are given of a deep singular partnership where the school has an exclusive relationship with the university via key personnel, and a broad multiple partnership where several school staff are connected to various colleagues at disparate partner universities. Differences in the initiators and drivers of these partnerships are also explored, as are similarities related to the importance of relationships, voluntary participation, and funding. These similarities and differences demonstrate the way that school-university partnerships can (and ought to) be sensitive to context to ensure they are relevant for their stakeholders. This chapter gives a framework for understanding the diversity of approaches within school-university partnerships, which are further explored through subsequent chapters in the book.