Collaboration: "The Faint of Heart Need Not Apply"

Abstract

As the Executive Director of the St. Louis Professional Development Schools Collaborative (PDSC), people often ask me to explain the PDSC's mission and how it functions. It is, after all, a unique organization. The PDSC is a consortium of eight universities and colleges and 18 public and private schools that are working together to bring about simultaneous renewal through PDSs. I usually respond that working with the PDSC is akin to building an alliance that would commit General Motors, Toyota, Ford, and Honda to engage jointly in research and development. Indeed, the university and college members of the PDSC are competitors in the academic marketplace, vying for both students and recognition. Their record of successful collaboration is spotty at best. The PDSC's higher education members are small public and private liberal arts colleges, private research universities, and large public universities. Their school partners are equally diverse; they include a large urban district, smaller inner suburban schools, affluent suburban districts, and private schools. Clearly, the work of PDSs and collaboration among multiple universities, colleges, and school districts are not for the faint of heart.