Bridging the North-South Divide through Partnership
16 November 2009
Partnerships between schools in the UK and those in developing countries have the greatest impact when students and teachers from different countries actually meet each other, rather than simply having a long-distance relationship.
Dr Karen Edge, senior lecturer at the Institute of Education London (IOE), and colleagues investigated the impact of partnerships and what makes them work. In The Influence of North South School Partnerships, they recommend that resources should be focused on exchange visits and post-visit activities. The project was funded by the Department for International Development (DFID).
"Exchanges are the cornerstone of partnerships and the turning point for learning and engagement. We recommend policy makers consider ways to ensure that partnerships are able to take advantage of those opportunities," they say.
"Our findings indicate that students, above all else, benefit from and enjoy direct contact with teachers and students from their partner school," they say.
A member of staff at Lancaster Girls Grammar Schools says the partnership "covers all school life. In terms of experience, learning, achievement, confidence building. They learn how to get on with other cultures, toleration, and communication, how to cope independently, and basic skills of how to build a brick wall, community spirit, broadened their horizons."
The researchers found that "partnerships may be stronger when they are initiated by a small group of individuals. In secondary schools, this could take the form of a linked department – English or Geography, for example – rather than the whole school. This would concentrate resources, ensure suitable teachers from both schools are initially linked and provide a focus for activities within both schools. Thus the objective of the partnership is clear and focused hellp"
They also found that other factors which led to "high momentum" partnerships included: exchanges during the setting-up period, a personal connection, whole school involvement in decision-making, a clear purpose, supportive leadership and a support organisation's assistance.
The conclusions are based on 55 school case studies from 12 countries in the UK, Africa and Asia. The "high momentum partnership" recommendations are drawn from studies of 17 pairs of partnership schools. The report says partnerships enhanced teachers¹ enjoyment of their jobs as well as their
knowledge.
The findings also show that in schools in Africa and Asia and the UK, the partnerships frequently influence student outcomes, behaviour and learning. For example, partnership leaders in both UK (91 per cent) and African and Asian schools (85 per cent) perceived the partnership to have a positive influence on students' development of content and context knowledge.
More information from: www.ioe.ac.uk/study/departments/lcc/33261.html