School–university partnerships for educational research—distinctions, dilemmas and challenges

Abstract

This article examines partnerships between universities and schools that focus on the generation of educational knowledge through practitioner research and enquiry. It draws on a seven‐year study of a partnership between the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge and a group of eight secondary schools. The article explores what has been learned about such partnerships, including the benefits and challenges arising from some fundamental differences between the nature of schools and universities as organizations and the roles and perspectives of teachers and academics within them. It considers different understandings of the notion of knowledge generation, including which forms of knowledge are valued and found to be useful. Conditions, structures and organizational arrangements that are necessary to support such research within school–university partnerships are discussed.