Date of Award
3-2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Secondary Education and Educational Leadership
First Advisor
Barbara Qualls
Second Advisor
Marigold Hudock
Third Advisor
Rhonda McClain
Fourth Advisor
Stephanie Washington
Abstract
Schools across the United States face increasing challenges related to student achievement, equity, and engagement that extend beyond the classroom. School–community partnerships are frequently used to expand support systems for students; however, many collaborations remain short-lived or fragmented. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to explore the characteristics and conditions that contribute to successful and enduring school–community partnerships between public schools and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) in the Educational Service Center Region 7 of Texas. Guided by Social Capital Theory, Epstein’s Overlapping Spheres of Influence, and Distributed Leadership, this study examined how campus administrators and BGCA directors perceive and sustain collaborative partnerships that support student learning and well-being. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, field notes, and reflective journaling and analyzed using thematic analysis. This study contributes to the understanding of how educational leaders and community organizations collaborate to support students through sustained partnership structures.
KEYWORDS: school–community partnerships, distributed leadership, social capital, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, educational leadership, collaboration
Repository Citation
Lacey, Christa, "BUILDING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY ON ENDURING SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN DEEP EAST TEXAS" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 704.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/704
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
