Challenges Encountered in Building a University-High School Collaboration: A Case Study

• Published in: The Professional educator Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 1 - 20
• Main Authors: Fuentes, Sarah Quebec, Spice, Loren
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Auburn Auburn University 01.04.2015; Truman Pierce Institute
• Subjects: Background; Barriers; Case Studies; Change Strategies; Classroom Observation Techniques; Classrooms; Collaboration; College School Cooperation; Colleges & universities; Communities of Practice; Education; Educational Change; Educational Practices; Group Dynamics; Guidelines; High Schools; Interviews; Language; Learning; Learning Processes; Mathematics; Mathematics Teachers; Motivation; Participant Satisfaction; Partnerships in Education; Pedagogy; Performance Factors; Preservice Teachers; Pretests Posttests; Professional development; Program Descriptions; Reflection; Schools; Secondary School Teachers; Student Journals; Student Teachers; Teacher Surveys; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Undergraduate Students; University faculty
• ISSN: 0196-786X; 2162-6618

In this paper, we describe the second year of a multi-year project that we developed to foster collaboration between high school teachers and university undergraduates. The project incorporates specific tools that help partners find an approach to collaboration that is right for them, allowing it to offer more flexibility than traditional collaborations (e.g., cooperating teacher-student teacher relationships). We analyze the partnerships that developed through the theoretical lens of communities of practice and find that they did not exhibit many of the characteristics desirable in such communities. We discuss the factors that contributed to this and suggest changes and offer guidelines for those interested in facilitating similar projects.