Within our sector, working in partnership is standard practice. Multi-stakeholder partnerships are a pivotal aspect of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, based on the premise that by working together, we can achieve more than when working alone.
Discourses on what constitutes a high-quality, equitable, ethical partnership highlight the importance of commitment to common goals and mutual benefit, diverse expertise, clear communication and taking time to develop trust and strong relationships. However, partnerships are almost always formed in contexts characterised by power imbalances, structural inequalities, and time and resource constraints. New partnerships need careful consideration and significant time to have the greatest chance of mutually recognised success.
In this sub-theme we are interested in the many different forms that partnerships and collaborations take, crossing boundaries including international borders, cultures and disciplinary and institutional divides. ‘Cross-cultural’ in the context of this sub-theme can be read in its broadest sense.
We are keen to hear about how bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise has helped to create and mobilise knowledge, to tackle complex education problems and/or implement possible solutions. We are also interested in creating opportunities to learn how partnerships between researchers and practitioners have helped bridge the gap between educational research and practice. We invite critical accounts and reflections on the challenges and barriers to equitable partnerships, aiming to open up space to (bravely) share experiences of learning from failure and ways that challenges have been or could be mitigated or overcome by others in future.
Submissions should address one or more of the following questions:
- What kinds of collaboration are the most powerful to tackle challenges in different parts of the education system to improve equity and quality? Are there any kinds that can lead to transformative systemic change?
- What is the value of working in partnership? How do we know? To what extent do our monitoring, evaluation and learning tools align with and aid our understanding of partnerships’ relative value / success?
- What are the required knowledge, skills and capacities for working in equitable, ethical partnerships? How can we reflect on and develop these in ourselves and with collaborators?
- How can we best use technology to develop and maintain successful partnerships?
- How (and to what extent) can partners reflect together on the roots of inequity, power, voice and representation and work to redress ongoing power imbalances?
- How can we change the systems and structures (including funding flows) that impede the development of more equitable partnerships and/or knowledge mobilisation?
- What can we learn from our attempts to work in partnership when things go wrong?
- How can we challenge whose rules and norms govern partnership development and/or mobilisation of knowledge?
- To what extent are equitable partnerships achievable without radical change in our sector?
Sub theme convenors
 Rhona Brown – University of Glasgow |
 Amy Lightfoot – British Council |