School‐to‐school collaboration in England: A configurative review of the empirical evidence

Abstract

In recent years school‐to‐school collaboration in the English context has been promoted by a myriad of policy initiatives. Many of these initiatives have been directed at structural reforms seeking to facilitate a 'self‐improving system' in which schools support one another to raise standards of teaching and learning and address educational inequality. Yet, at the same time, the English school system remains a deeply marketised and competitive arena while there are debates concerning the extent to which collaboration between schools can meaningfully facilitate educational improvement and equity. Taking these issues as a starting point, this paper reports on findings from a configurative review of the empirical evidence on school‐to‐school collaboration in England. Drawing on 46 peer‐reviewed empirical studies from 2000 onwards, the paper provides insight into the reasons why schools enter into collaborative arrangements and the conditions and factors that can facilitate and hinder such activity, as well as the possible benefits that can result from collaboration between schools. A number of weaknesses within the field are also identified. For example, there is a need for more conceptual and terminological clarity and a stronger theoretical basis for research in this area. We also argue that the field is deficient in respect of critical perspective and interpretation (of collaborative practice). Furthermore, research into school‐to‐school collaboration is lagging behind policy and practice, presenting a formidable challenge for a system increasingly underpinned by an expectation that schools will work in partnership with one another.

Is distributed leadership an effective approach for mobilising professional capital across professional learning networks? Exploring a case from England

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Building education groups as school collaboration for education improvement: a case study of stakeholder interactions in District A of Chengdu

“…A literature review on a global discussion on school-toschool collaboration shows it is a complementary approach which provides resources, knowledge, skills through collaboration between high-and low-performing schools. And research indicate positive impact of the collaboration on school improvement, such as improvement of student outcomes, improvement of capacity building of teachers and professional development, and enhancement of resource sharing (Ainscow et al, 2006(Ainscow et al, , 2020Armstrong et al, 2021;Liu, 2018a;Mujis, 2015). Notwithstanding, research show school collaboration has influence on school automony, power balance between schools in school collbaotion (Armstrong, 2015;Hayes & Lynch, 2013;Liu, 2018a;Muijs et al, 2011).…”

“…Notwithstanding, research show school collaboration has influence on school automony, power balance between schools in school collbaotion (Armstrong, 2015;Hayes & Lynch, 2013;Liu, 2018a;Muijs et al, 2011). Moreoover, researchers highlight the importance of trust and clear communication between stakholders in school collaboration (Armstrong et al, 2021;Liu, 2018a). The marketised education system that encourages competition among schools is also a major barrier for collaboration beteen schools (Keddie, 2015).…”

Evidence-Informed Educational Practice in Catalan Education: From Public Agenda to Teachers’ Practice

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