Collaborate or Compete?

Schools are facing new circumstances, particularly from policies that encourage inter-school competition through parental choice of school and devolved financial control - the so-called market forces. Do these events erode or strengthen educational partnerships? Do new alliances emerge to meet new situations? This text assesses relationships in education at a time of rapid change. Its authors bring a range of experiences and analyses to these issues, providing insights and guidance relevant to school managers, teachers, parents and others with a practical interest in schools, as well as to researchers and policy makers. It is concerned with one of education's most pressing current issues: educational partnerships in a market economy. The book draws four major conclusions: competition between schools can increase the need for co-operation with others; schools must recognize that they share the curriculum with other educational providers; information technology will increase the opportunities for and needs for wider interaction; and skills in good management of co-operative relationships are essential for school governors, headteachers and everyone concerned with schools.