Partnerships

Partnership is an important aspect of the Ball Foundation's approach to school transformation. Through partnership, the foundation establishes relationships that promote systemic transformation. Furthermore, partnership is part of the foundation's identity as an operating foundation rather than a grant-maker.

The foundation partners with mid-sized urban school districts who are committed to creating high performance schools in which all children learn at high levels. Education Initiatives and its partners work in a cycle of inquiry, engagement, and partnership that leads to transformation.

Inquiry: Partners learn about each other. Engagement: Partners identify shared goals. Partnership: Partners bring expertise and resources to accomplish goals. Transformation: Partners harvest and share knowledge from the work and reassess partnership.

Typically, interventions start with a small cohort of schools within a district. As school transformation begins to take root within the initial cohort, the partners develop a strategy for bringing the work to more schools and ensuring sustainability by strengthening district-level support.

Education Initiatives (EI) currently has three major partnerships: Springfield (Illinois) Public School District 186; Northview Public Schools in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and the Chula Vista (California) Elementary School District. Our partners come together to share their experiences and improve their practice through the Partnership Learning Network.

The foundation also established two charter schools in the metro Phoenix area in 1998: Dobson Academy and Hearn Academy. Both are now self-sufficient. While the foundation no longer provides direct support to these schools, they remain part of the foundation family by participating in the Partnership Learning Network.