INSIGHTS FROM SCHOOL BOARD FOCUS-GROUP INTERVIEW
The K–5 school board members assumed and expected that
the partnership would bring change in terms of academic rigor,
teacher quality, and marketing strategies to attract more students.
This last assumption was never a part of the original agreement.
However, this misunderstanding may reveal a need for more effective
communication between the university mentors and the K–5
constituents. School board members interviewed agreed that, as
a result of the partnership, there was a higher level of academic
rigor, curricular changes, and teacher quality. Throughout the
interviews, they identified several outcomes as a result of the
A Partnership Experience in Private Education 139
partnership. Student expectations were higher, which resulted in
higher student achievement. State standards were adopted to guide
the school curriculum enabling the students to become more academically
competitive with their public school counterparts. Two
teachers completed their credentials and two more are currently
working on their credentials. Prior to the university involvement,
only one teacher had a credential from another state. Teacher quality
improved as a result of teachers attending credentialing classes,
as well as working closely with university mentors.