Precarious conditions of partnership sustainability: examining the factors that enabled a multi-school–university partnership to persist

Purpose This article illustrates how participants' continuous productive learning interactions within a multi-school–university partnership strengthened the organizations' enabling conditions, thereby sustaining the work amid threats to partnership funding. The partnership was designed to support school leaders in implementing evidence-based practices in reading. By combining elements from several established research-practice partnership (RPP) frameworks, we examine the interactions among the RPP's structural components, affording us a more nuanced understanding of factors that contribute to learning among partners and to the partnership's long-term outcomes and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This study draws on data from a larger instrumental case study (Merriam, 1998; Stake, 1995; Yin, 2018). Researchers collected data from 2023 to 2025 across multiple sources, including interviews, meeting observations and documents. The participants included members of the RPP leadership team from the participating university and school district, as well as participating principals and instructional leaders at 15 elementary schools. Findings This study provides insights into how organizational enabling conditions, despite threats to funding, were central to long-term sustainability through interactions among partnership participants as they navigated boundaries around the timing of implementation, instructional coaches' capacity and the strength of communication pathways. Originality/value RPP leaders across contexts and countries who are navigating their commitments to student outcomes amid universal challenges can use the guidance in this article to fortify where productive learning is occurring, extending and sustaining partnership work.