The Tampa Bay Educational Partnership

A Hillsborough County Public Schools & David C. Anchin Center, College of Education, University of South Florida Collaborative

Left to right: Gwen Luney, Assistant Superintendent and Mary Ellen Elia, Superintendent of Hillsborough County School District; Jack Lamb, Chairperson of Hillsborough County School District; Bruce Jones, Director of Anchin Research Center and Associate Dean for Research; Anne Hancock, U.S. Department of Education, Southeast Regional Secretary; and Donna Elam, Associate Director for Program Development and External Affairs, Anchin Research Center

The Tampa Bay Education Partnership is a collaborative between Hillsborough County Public Schools and the David C. Anchin Center housed at the College of Education, University of South Florida.

Hillsborough County, Florida, which approximates the size of Rhode Island, includes Tampa, a large urban city, and several outlying municipalities and communities. Supporting over one million people, the county is economically and culturally diverse with over 75 different native languages spoken in the homes of students.

The David C. Anchin Center, College of Education at the University of South Florida has been a leader in the development and implementation of research sponsored and funded by the Florida Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation and private philanthropy. Initiatives of the Center fall under three broad categories: (1) Research and Service, (2) Communications and Information Dissemination, and (3) Policy Advocacy on Behalf of Research Based Best Practices in Education.

The partnership is a natural one since both organizations sit in the same County. Hillsborough is the eighth largest school system in the nation while USF houses the seventh largest College of Education in the nation. It is a new structure for the advancement of: (1) Mutual research and training needs that are consistent with our educational missions, (2) Joint action that is necessary to meet these needs, and (3) A formal and vital communication venue between Hillsborough County Public Schools and the University of South Florida.

The benefits are many: The enablement of the alignment of strategies for providing comprehensive services to our community relative to the mission of the school district and the University; the improvement of the relationship between Hillsborough County personnel and University of South Florida researchers as we seek to impact educational policy and school reform in the state, region and nation; the increase in the potential for interdisciplinary and coordinated K-20 research and training across the University of South Florida campus that will potentially bring great benefit to our ongoing goal to improve teacher, administrator and school staff efficacy in the areas of preparation, professional development and practice and; The design, development and implementation of coordinated strategies for interfacing with federal, and state agencies as well as private philanthropic institutions to support our mutual educational interests.

Over a five-month period (January 2007-May 2007) the partnership has generated over $50 million in external research funding.

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