ABSTRACT: This case study describes coiiaboration between business executives
and superintendents to influence locai/regionai K-12 educational change.
Specifically, we examine participant iike-mindedness about the ethics and appropriate
focus of K-12 intermediary collaboration, the extent of democratic
functioning, and key individuals to involve. Data sources consist of existing
semistructured interviews with 6 superintendents and 28 business executives
involved in intermediary organizations (i.e., chambers of commerce, businesseducation
roundtables, educational nonprofits) within a metropolitan area of the
U.S. Southwest. Furman's (2004) ethic of community frames the analysis. Participants
narrate common moral purpose motivated by civic duty for the public good
over profit-driven interests. Moreover, deficiencies in democratic collaborative
processes formed divergent views on how this should be operationalized and
thus caused some voices to be silenced. Superintendent inattention to democratic
processes reinforced deficiencies despite the enabling potential of certain
business executives.