School-University Partnerships: Power of complementarity

1. School-University Partnerships:Power of complementarity Joseph P. McDonald New York University American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting San Diego April 2009

2. Two Claims • Complementarity arises from paired institutional traits that under the right circumstances balance asset and deficit. • The power of complementarity is the power to lend a necessarily joint enterprise (for example, teacher education) adventurousness and continuity.

3. Theoretical Very Loosely coupled Grounded Increasingly Tightly coupled University v. School

4. Skeptical Stable Resolute Unsettled University v. School

5. Traditional Prestigious Comparatively lots of resource slack Experimental Under threat Comparatively little resource slack University v. School

6. What is needed to Tap the Power of Complementarity? • Championship • Interpretation • Contact • Formal Agreement • Action space

7. 1. Championship Champions with clout on both sides Aware of the culture gap Appreciate the value of the university’s social capital, and of the school’s grounding. Speak well of the other

8. 2. Interpretation • Bi-cultural liaisons on both sides • Return each other’s phone calls • Show up in each other’s world • Feel empowered in each other’s world • Scout opportunities for mutual self-interest • Expect and handle problems • Interpret one world to the other

9. 3. Contact Critical mass of interning professionals Research involvement Shared space Service on each other’s committees

10. 4. Formal agreement To operate in mutual self-interest To exchange liaisons To scout needs and resources on both sides To license each other’s use of the relationship To work toward critical mass in contact To expect sustainability, but exit gracefully at either partner’s choosing

11. 5. Action Space • Something of mutual interest and obvious importance is at stake. • A community of reliable inquiry has formed. • Multiple sources of knowledge and intuition are brought to bear. • Resources are committed. • A strong sense of we develops.

12. Example of Action Space Co-teaching Inquiries into Teaching & Learning in NYC schools • Introductory course for all NYU aspiring teachers • Co-taught by NYU faculty or doctoral students, and NYC teachers appointed as NYU adjunct faculty • Taught in high-needs schools • Up to 28 sections a year