| As many schools have faced declining enrollment or dwindling financial resources, it has become important to develop support for educational projects and programs beyond the walls of the classroom. There are many factors involved in initiating, developing, and sustaining school and community partnerships for the mutual benefit of the champions and the individuals served by the collaboration.;The purpose of this study was to determine how school and community partnerships are sustained. The literature contends that the champion is the key to sustainability of the partnership (Sanders, 1996). Kotter and Cohen's (2002) eight-step change model, suggests that leaders are important in making change become the new reality. School and community partnerships were examined to investigate the role of social capital in sustaining these collaborations.;A comparative case study approach was used in this research. Three mid-western school and community partnerships that have been active for at least seven years were examined and data were coded in accordance with the questions in the research. A cross-case analysis was conducted to yield emerging themes for each partnership.;The findings indicated that the champions' social capital influenced the formation of the partnerships. Their ability to build relationships, maintain the philosophy of the collaboration, and establish trust were key factors to a sustained partnership. Champions that have the ability to adjust their leadership style to the needs of the partnership were more successful in sustaining the collaboration. The research concluded that partnership capital emerges as a separate entity from social capital, as the relationships within the partnership deepen, the role of the single champion was replaced by the capital created by the group's team interactions. |
