Institutional Partnerships Overview
EducatorsAbroad (EA), a global network of professional educators, has developed
relationships with educational institutions in over 60 countries through which pre
and in-service cross cultural professional development experiences are arranged.
EA colleagues also use this network to assist institutions that are seeking to form
partnerships by helping them to:
- clarify their goals for entering into a partnership.
- determine the financial and programmatic feasibility of alternative strategies.
- locate institutions/organizations with whom there is potential for long term, financially
feasible, and mutually beneficial partnerships.
- initiate partnerships.
- realistically assess the value of their partnership initiatives.
Partnerships between and among pre-primary through secondary schools, colleges,
and universities have a long history of achieving a wide range of mutual and/or
compatible goals of participating institutions. These partnerships provide professional
development opportunities for faculty and administrators, interaction among students,
enhancements to the curriculum, increased effectiveness in achieving educational
goals, and can even provide efficiencies that result in financial savings, among
other benefits.
Partnerships range from operating within a community to bringing institutions around
the globe and across multiple national, cultural, and linguistic lines together
for common purpose. The possibilities are limited only by the creativity and openness
of educators willing to share, learn from, and cooperate with colleagues working
in other institutions and settings.
A wide range of approaches and strategies are available for forming and managing
institutional partnerships. When effectively implemented partnerships achieve their
purpose, function efficiently, operate within available resources, and are long
lasting. Among many alternatives the following are examples of strategies used in
international partnerships for which there is a long history of achievement:
- twitter, pen pal, e-mail, and phone/video conferencing dialogue among students and teachers
through which they learn from and with each other.
- individual and group student, teacher, and administrator visits and exchanges that
take many forms.
- joint research projects.
- institutional policy development.
- integrated degree programs.
- recruiting and enrolling students from each other's institutions.
We welcome the opportunity to assist in your efforts to explore institutional partnerships
as a component of internationalizing your educational programs.
Contact: Dr. Craig Kissock, Director, EducatorsAbroad Ltd. to explore possibilities.
(craig@educatorsabroad.org)