Partnership is at the heart of how our team at The University of Washington Center for Educational Leadership (CEL) works with school and system leaders across the country. Over CEL’s 18 years, we have learned again and again that multi-year collaboration in schools and classrooms leads to the greatest change for students and adults in the school systems that we support.
“The most sustainable growth comes from rigorous, committed, side-by-side effort.”
We are clearer than ever about what partnership means to us. Specifically, when partnerships are rooted in courageous efforts to eliminate educational inequities, we know that:
- Relationships matter – we all chose education for similar reasons, and working closely together over time helps us build relationships that allow our partners and us to grow together for the benefit of students.
- Trust and confidence move us forward – as we challenge our partners and they challenge us, we both need to know that we do this to improve experiences and outcomes for students, teachers and leaders. We also aim to team up in ways that ensure confidence that our expertise, resources and approach add value to the authentic goals of the educators we work with.
- Building expertise and improving practice takes time – we balance urgency in our work with recognition that there are no quick-fix partnerships. The most sustainable growth comes from rigorous, committed, side-by-side effort.
