ABSTRACT
What should we know about partnerships that can be called educational collaborations? Experience and research reveal that they can be as cacophonous as a symphony tuning or as raucous as a New England town meeting. Ultimately, however, for them to be successful, partners must, like the orchestra, achieve harmony, and, like the town citizens, plan together toward common goals. Perhaps the most apt metaphor at the moment to describe educational collaboration is “Miracle on the Hudson.” When U.S. Airways Fight 1549, carrying 155 people, crashed-landed in the Hudson River in February 2009, credit was given to the various state and federal agencies that deployed a fl otilla of rescue vessels to save the passengers from the icy waters. The crew, particularly the captain, was praised for their fl ight experience, command of the aircraft, adherence to protocol and procedure, and exceptional leadership (Wald, 2009, p. A25; Wilson & Baker, 2009, p. A1). The diverse group of passengers, largely strangers, became enmeshed in a human drama during this “orderly mess” to save lives (Wilson & Buettner, 2009, p. A1).
