ABSTRACT
The idea that schools should create partnerships with families and community groups has become a commonsense, taken-for-granted aspect of education (Pushor, 2010; Tollefson, 2008). Yet there is a wide gap between the rhetoric and reality of partnerships in American schools (Davies, 2002; Gordon & Louis, 2009), with a lack of comprehensive approaches (Epstein & Sanders, 2006; Van Voorhis & Sheldon, 2004), or partnerships based on parity and common purpose (Cooper & Christie, 2005; López & Stoelting, 2010; Warren, Hong, Rubin, & Uy, 2009). This conceptual chapter problematizes the term partnerships, presents an alternative definition of authentic partnerships, and introduces a continuum of leadership for partnerships to inform practice.
