We have conducted qualitative and quantitative research to better understand the meaning of partnerships. This section on Partnerships addresses two types of partnerships – family-professional partnerships and participatory action research.
The first type is the family-professional partnerships. In this partnership, families and professionals collaborate by capitalizing on each other's judgment and expertise in order to increase benefits for students, families, and professionals alike. We have identified seven principles of family-professional partnerships: communication, professional competence, respect, commitment, equality, advocacy, and trust.
The second type is the partnership between researchers and the potential beneficiaries of the research. We refer to this type of partnership as participatory action research. We define participatory action research as a process in which researchers and stakeholders collaborate to design and conduct all phases of research (e.g., formulating research questions, research design, data collection, data analysis, dissemination, and utilization). The ultimate goal is increasing the likelihood that the products resulting from research will solve the real, “on-the-street” problems that stakeholders experience.
You may read about each type of partnership in the sub-links to this section.