Abstract
Purpose:The purpose of this study was to identify and describe strategies used by public school superintendents and local teacher union presidents to foster and maintain collaborative relationships. Methodology:The participants in the present study were 10 California public school superintendents and 10 local teacher union presidents purposively chosen because they were recommended by an expert panel. Participants responded to 34 items on a survey to identify strategies used by participants in regards to collaboration. In addition, five superintendents and five local teacher union presidents participated in telephone interviews to gather deeper information. Findings:Examination of mixed methods data from the 10 school districts participating in this study indicated a variety of findings. First, there was a significant difference between the way superintendents and local teacher union presidents rated strategies related to fostering joint decision-making. Further, both superintendent and teacher union president who work to build collaborative relationships participant in several strategies to assist them including, regular scheduled meetings, joint-trainings, consistent communication, joint-guiding principles, honest, respect, supportiveness, confidentiality, active listening, participation in some form of Interest Based Problem Solving structure, reflection, open conversations, group presentations, inclusion, use of committees, and common language. Conclusions:The study supported the fact that superintendents and local teacher union presidents use specific strategies to foster and maintain collaborative relationships, supporting those found in the literature on collaboration. Organizationally, if public school districts find themselves in difficult situations, they could look to collaboration as a viable method to bring about transparency and openness. Recommendations:Further research is advised to: identify strategies building principals and building site union representatives use to foster and maintain collaboration, study additional districts to add to the body of research, identify the role the school board plays in collaborative relationships, identify strategies used by superintendents and local classified school employees associations to foster and maintain collaboration, study collaboration's effects on student achievement, and to study the collaborative relationships between local presidents and assistant superintendents of Human Resources departments.