Collaboration in Education: Solving Problems Working Together

1. A-011F Collaboration in Education: Solving Problems Working Together Course Shopping August 27, 2013 Geoff Marietta, Instructor Harvard Graduate School of Education geoff_marietta@mail.harvard.edu

2. Knowledge and Practice Domains A-011F

3. Working Assumptions Complex social problems cross organizational boundaries and can only be solved through collaboration. Challenges of collaboration are rooted in fundamental social processes. We can improve collaboration by leveraging fundamental social processes.

4. Course Format

5. Modified Prisoner’s Dilemma Play Red: Your earnings increase by $2 Play Black: Your earnings do not change but the partner’s earnings increase by $8. Player A Black Red Black $8, $8 $0, $10 Player B Red $10, $0 $2, $2

6. Topics and Cases • What is collaboration? • What are the rewards of collaboration in education? Early childhood-K12 Invest early: Early childhood development in a rural community • Why do people pursue collaboration as a strategy to improve performance? • How do we know when the rewards of collaboration outweigh its risks? • What are the risks of collaboration in education? District-union The unions in Montgomery County Public Schools • What are the inter-group and inter-organizational barriers to collaboration? Nonprofit-school City Year: The Journey

7. Topics and Cases • How do you assess the strength of barriers in a collaborative group? • What needs to be in place for collaboration to occur? University-community Harriman College • What are some strategies for overcoming barriers and encouraging collaboration in education? • How should an organization initiate collaboration? Nonprofit-government, international Yaowawit School Kapong • How do you implement a strategy working with people from different organizations? • What are the systems and structures that sustain effective collaboration? Business-education Bell Atlantic and the Union City Schools

8. By the End of the Course You Will Be Able to: • Understand the risks and rewards of collaboration in education • Apply research about the underlying social and organizational processes that inhibit and facilitate collaboration to case studies and personal experiences • Examine contextual factors – historical, political, legal, social, and cultural – that affect collaboration in diverse educational settings • Analyze the process for developing shared perspectives and goals that facilitate people working in concert on complex social problems • Develop recommendations to enhance collaboration in organizations relevant to your own professional goals and interests

9. Grading and Final Assignment

10. Final Assignment Options

11. Course Days and Enrollment Procedures • 6 Wednesdays, 4-7pm: 9/4, 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, and 10/9 • Open enrollment course • Week 1 readings all on course iSite, under “Class Sessions” tab • Also, please fill out poll on home page prior to first class