Date of Award
2025-8
Degree Name
PhD Leadership Studies
Dissertation Committee
Robert Donmoyer, PhD, Chairperson Leslie Boozer, EdD, JD, Member Antonio Jiménez-Luque, PhD, Member
Keywords
collaboration, college readiness programs, student centered mission, leadership, vision, sustainability, resource sharing, structural support, partnerships
Abstract
Education gaps exist in the United States in large part because not everyone has equal access to the educational resources or role models that will prepare them to seek a college education. To help combat this phenomenon, Federal and State Governments have promoted college readiness programs via collaborative partnerships between school districts, on the one hand, and colleges and universities, on the other.
To better understand the role that partners can play in creating and sustaining college-readiness programs, this study focused on the history and current practices of collaborations involving oversight of college readiness programs in two school districts. Partnership participants shared their experiences with college readiness partnership programs, including the role they have played in creating and maintaining such partnerships and how they determine program success. They also spoke of the challenges currently facing the college readiness partnership programs and the leadership strategies they think are used or should be used in the programs.
The effectiveness of the partnerships appeared to be highly dependent on the collaboration taking place among diverse stakeholders. Relevant stakeholders included K-12 professionals and representatives from community colleges, universities, families, and other parts of the community. When they are successful, stakeholders appear to be driven by a shared vision. In addition, strong leadership was repeatedly emphasized as crucial to the success of partnership. Among other things, effective leaders were able to clearly define required roles and responsibilities, as well as provide effective coordination among all partners.
This study contributes to a broader understanding of the vulnerability of established programs for students. Partnerships allow the group to have a shared space for transparency, mutual accountability, trust, open communication, and follow-up. However, systems that are currently in place are not always managed effectively. They are impacted by leadership transitions and changes in organizational goals that require quick modifications in a partnership’s approach to supporting schools and their students.
Document Type
Dissertation: Open Access
Department
Leadership Studies
Digital USD Citation
Sanchez, Jose A., "Collaborative Action in Education: Empirical Explorations of the Role of Partnerships in College Readiness Programs" (2025). Dissertations. 1076.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/1076
Copyright
Copyright held by the author
Included in
Community College Education Administration Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons
