A Public–Private Networking and Partnership Model: The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science

Abstract

This article profiles public–private partnerships and networks established by the public, residential, STEM-focused Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky. Authors discuss relationships and partnerships cultivated to extend student learning opportunities beyond what public support provides. The article focuses first on key partnerships that were imagined when the program was created, profiling how these relationships have evolved in the program’s first 12 years. These foundational partnerships include the program’s integration with Western Kentucky University and a model designed to partner with every school district in the state. The authors then take a wider view of program partnerships, spotlighting relationships within the program’s portfolio of philanthropic networking, external funding, and corporate partnerships. The network of partnerships profiled includes strategies to endow summer internship programs, need-based scholarship funding, and to provide a rounded arts education in a STEM-focused learning environment.