Developing and sustaining school partnerships in a networked improvement community

The Tamam project

Bibliographic Data

ID22417676
AuthorsSonya D Hayes (0000-0002-6826-2117, University of Tennessee Knoxville Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies), Julia Mahfouz (0000-0002-3095-8207, University of Colorado Denver Department of Leadership of Educational Organizations), Rima Karami-Akkary (0000-0002-0623-6802, American University of Beirut Department of Education)
Year2026
Volume64
Issue4
Pages482-496
Publication date2026-06-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Educational Administration (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0957-8234 • E-ISSN: 1758-7395
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/jea-02-2025-0053
OpenAlexW7128810767
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited30

Purpose Networked improvement communities (NICs) support sustained educational improvement through collaborative learning and iterative problem-solving. This study examines how the TAMAM initiative, spanning schools across multiple Arab countries, has been sustained over time through a partnership between the university hub and its member schools. Using learning organization theory as a lens, we highlight the structures, practices and conditions that enable the initiative to adapt, evolve and maintain long-term sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Through a case study design, we examine the experiences of the TAMAM leadership team in designing, developing and sustaining a NIC through school partnerships in the Arab region. Findings Our findings reveal five themes that are instrumental in developing and sustaining a NIC partnership: (a) a laser-like focus on the improvement process; (b) shared leadership focused on common mission and goals; (c) human development, growth and empowerment; (d) leading and learning across varying contexts and (e) relational trust as the glue of the network. Originality/value TAMAM builds partnerships with schools to address the needs of practitioners and to support them in finding solutions to their problems. At the basis of this partnership is a collaborative iterative process of research-based design, where both K-12 educators and university researchers join efforts to design improvement interventions that are informed by research and grounded in the sociocultural context of the schools.

Collaborative learning · Distributed leadership · Focus group · General partnership · Grounded theory · Psychological intervention · Sociocultural evolution · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Organizational Learning and Leadership

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