11: Navigating the Challenges of School, Community, and University Partnerships

There is a wealth of research on the benefits of public school- private partnerships, however, there is little information on the sustainability of public school’s university partnerships. Beabout (2010) argued that external relationships can be difficult for school leaders to establish and maintain. Yet, these partnerships prove especially helpful for human capital, financial support, and facilities. In addition, public school/university partnerships provide experiential opportunities and lend themselves to the creation of high school to university pipelines. Since partnerships are essential to offset school personnel shortages and provide opportunities for students, it is crucial to expand our understanding of how schools adroitly navigate the challenges of their school, community, and university partnerships. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related policies, the challenges that public school leaders face when navigating relationships with community members, businesses, and universities in partnerships have increased.