Support for School-to-school Networks: How Networking Teachers Perceive Support Activities of a Local Coordinating Agency

Abstract

External support by a local coordinating agency facilitates the work of school-to-school networks. This study provides an innovative theoretical framework to analyse how support provided by local education offices for school-to-school networks is perceived by the participating teachers. Based on a quantitative survey and qualitative interview data from a networking project in eight German districts, we argue that in order to enable networks to work independently on innovative reforms, local coordinating agencies should focus on autonomy support, such as training on network management, and on support aimed at establishing significance, i.e. through vision and goal setting.

Leadership across partnerships and networks

“…These and equivalent reviews (e.g. Brown, 2020;Penuel and Gallagher 2017;Sartory et al 2017;Mintrop 2016;Bryk 2015;and Suggett, 2014) suggest that networking policies and practices are developing most clearly in Anglo-Saxon, European, and Latin American contexts. However, the fact that most published evidence is weighted towards these contexts does not mean that educational networks are not a feature of policy and practice in other parts of the world.…”

Transforming Input Into Output: How Downward Networking Mediates the Effect of External Networking on Organizational Performance

“…These studies emphasize the constructive role of peer-to-peer feedback on instructional methods, although collaboration can also be focused on goal setting (cf. Sartory, Jungermann, & Järvinen, 2016). Muijs et al (2011), for example, studied the drivers of successful collaborative partnerships between UK primary schools and found that intensive involvement in actual joint projects and joint "development of teaching and learning approaches" were particularly crucial (p. 576).…”

Do informal networks become formalised over time? Analysing school networks and multi-academy trust membership in England using ego-centric analysis

“…Inter-school partnerships, collaborations and networks have been promoted in education as mechanisms for sharing knowledge and expertise, improving pupil outcomes, addressing equity challenges, making schools more responsive to parental and community needs, and/or securing wider innovations (Hargreaves, 2012;Leithwood, 2019;Paniagua & Istance, 2018;Rincon-Gallardo & Fullan, 2016;Sartory et al, 2017;Suggett, 2014). Evidence that networks impact in the ways that their proponents claim is growing, but remains far from comprehensive (Armstrong et al, 2020;De Lima, 2010).…”