The Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) was established in 1993 to bring together health, education, and social service agencies to address the needs of children and families in two eastern North Carolina counties. Collaboration theory provided a useful lens through which to examine the development of the partnership, recognize preconditions…

Partnerships pose opportunities and challenges for school principals, especially when involving organizations and programs outside education. Collaborative school leaders must be able to appreciate diverse perspectives, understand the big picture, gather and use data for planning, motivate themselves and others, facilitate group efforts, solve…

This qualitative case study details the Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC), one of the local Smart Start partnerships providing child care programs and direct services to children and families in 43 of North Carolina's 100 counties. The DEPC is an interagency partnership designed to model and support the delivery of integrated health,…

The Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) was established in 1993 to bring together health, education, and social service agencies to address the needs of children and families in two eastern North Carolina counties. As the staff grew from 2 to 20 and communication within and outside the Partnership became more complex, an analysis of internal…

In full-service and community schools, principals must possess a collaborative attitude and strong boundary-spanning skills. Principals must believe that collaboration can address children's complex needs, be able to obtain and distribute information strategically, view problems imaginatively, craft solutions, and develop and support others'…