BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS AND EDUCATORS OF THE GIFTED - A STUDY OF COLLABORATION

The Collaboration Research Study examined the incidence of collaborati on, as well as the assumptions of those who entered collaborative alli ances. Collaboration was defined as ''dialogue and planning between pr ofessionals in which the goal is to provide differentiated services fo r high achieving students.'' Two hundred and eighty-nine enrichment sp ecialists, classroom teachers, and administrators, selected purposeful ly, took part in this national , descriptive, ex post facto research. The response rate from the three groups was 61%, 55%, and 51%, respect ively. Results indicate that more than 80% of those sampled engage in collaboration. Data suggest that classroom teachers and enrichment spe cialists enter the collaborative relationship with different, and some times conflicting, sets of assumptions about the skills and attitudes of their collaborative partners. These empirical findings suggest that collaboration is a complex, interpersonal process. Implications of th e study are twofold. First, collaboration depends upon highly develope d interpersonal skills. Second, successful collaborative relationships rest upon the match between the assumptions that each party holds abo ut the other. In order to ensure collaborative alliances that can prod uce high quality, differentiated learning options, the assumptions of each party need to be understood and, if necessary, bridges need to be built when gaps exist between the assumptions and the actual skills a nd attitudes of collaborative parties.