School-Community Partnerships in a South African Rural Context

This book emanates from a qualitative research which investigated the possibilities for asset-based approach in school-community partnerships. One partnership between a South African University and one secondary school from KwaZulu-Natal (school-university partnership)was studied with an aim to find out what assets partners regard as central in their partnership, the extent to which they utilized these assets and what could be the possibilities for asset-based approach in their partnership. The book reveals that teachers, the principal leadership, the experience of the school in partnerships and local community representatives are regarded as great assets in the studied partnership. The results further suggests that assets are used in the partnership but several factors challenge asset-based approach. The focus on strong principal leadership, clear focus and aims of the partnership and coordinated assets-mapping strategies are argued to be factors that need to be given priority if asset-based approach will succeed.