Navigating disparate goals in the school–university partnership: reflections from two PDS liaisons relaunching partnerships

Purpose This article’s purpose is to describe two professional development school (PDS) liaisons’ processes of collaborating with local PDS schools to meet the goals and needs of the various stakeholders while strengthening the PDS partnership. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative descriptive study involves the authors recounting and reflecting on events, documents and interactions that occurred while reestablishing their PDS partnerships and managing them over five years each. They interpret ways that various stakeholders articulated, negotiated and enacted goals in service of their positions in the partnership while navigating tensions and building more cohesion. Findings This article provides insights and ideas for how to relaunch and strengthen PDS partnerships and build collaboration within potentially tenuous partnerships with changing and newer leadership. This is best accomplished through articulating goals and measures of success for each stakeholder as well as defining and embracing shared goals and related goals for “the field of education” and society at large. Originality/value This article fulfills an identified need to study how newer school–university partnerships can participate in collaborative decision-making to articulate and accomplish goals for the various stakeholders, thereby strengthening the advantages of the partnership for the preservice teachers and P-12 schools, including students, teachers, administration and families.