Redesigning Schooling – 9: Collaboration and networking

In the first pamphlet of the Redesigning Schooling series, Sue Williamson outlined why change was needed in our education system. She argued that schools must lead the way in educational reform because they are the ones with the knowledge and experience to do so.

In this pamphlet, Chris Smith argues that if schools are to lead the way in redesigning schooling – as this series contends they must – it is down to them to create and operate a truly collaborative culture, enabled through networks.

Assessing the evidence so far on the role of collaboration in education, Chris observes that the evidence indicates strongly (more so than may currently be realised) that it can be a powerful driver of school improvement. But to harness the as-yet-untapped potential – and avoid the pitfalls – schools will need to genuinely understand and leverage the structures, complexities and dynamics of the different types of collaboration and networking. Professor Sir Tim Brighouse notes, too often school-to-school collaboration lacks a clear purpose resulting in inefficiency and participants who are unsure when and how to withdraw from a partnership. To help schools do this, Chris explores the characteristics of networks, and the critical role of collaboration in innovation, and suggests a framework for collaboration. He concludes that, with unprecedented structural change in the system and growing school autonomy, ownership of a collaboration and networking agenda is there for schools to grasp – and that if they do so, it could hold the key to unleashing the school-led redesign of our schooling system: one that can meet both the challenges of the present and those of the future.