Establishing sustainable school-community partnerships: strategies for school management teams

Abstract

ABSTRACT School-community partnerships (SCPs) in under-resourced contexts provide invaluable support and resources for meeting the needs of staff and learners beyond the perimeters of a school. This article explored the strategies which school management teams (SMTs) employ, in establishing sustainable SCPs in township secondary schools in the Johannesburg Central (JC) District of Gauteng, South Africa. The study followed a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design, to investigate the partnerships between 16 secondary schools and their respective community partners (CPs). However, for this article, the study reports only on the quantitative results. Two complementary, standardized questionnaires – one for SMTs and the other for CPs were used to collect data, which were subsequently analyzed using descriptive, factor, and reliability statistical analysis procedures. I employed sustainable SCPs, using the collective impact model as the theoretical framework. The study produced favorable findings regarding strategies for establishing sustainable partnerships between the school and community partners, including two-way conversations; negotiated partnerships; a common purpose; funding; a reflection on the quality of the partnership; accountability; monitoring and evaluation; trust and respect; commitment to implementing the partnership and collaborating to find solutions. To conclude, I highlight the implications of the findings for educational practitioners and make recommendations for future research.