10 Reasons to Have a Teaching Collaboration Partner

By Jon Konen, Last Updated: August 26, 2026

A teaching collaboration partner is a fellow educator you check in with regularly to trade ideas, troubleshoot problems, and push each other's practice forward. The relationship works because both people bring solutions, not just complaints. One Montana elementary principal built this kind of partnership with a colleague 200 miles away, and it changed how both of their schools operate.

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1. Bounce Ideas Back and Forth

Most educators get stuck doing school the way they've always done it: the same PowerPoint from a decade ago, the same activities pulled off the shelf each fall. It's not laziness. It's usually time. Accountability goes up every year, but planning time doesn't keep pace.

Travis and I pick up the phone, trade texts, or meet in person throughout the school year. Some exchanges last five minutes. Others run all night. A real collaboration partner listens well but is also confident enough to push back, and they know your school well enough to suggest ideas you can actually use, not generic advice you'll have to translate.

2. A Solution to Stagnancy

Whether it's the winter slump or a flat loss of ideas, a good partner gives you a way out. When I've told Travis about a problem in my building, he thinks through what he's done, what he's seen in other schools, and what he's read on the topic, and hands me back two or three directions instead of the one I walked in with. That's the value: more options, faster.

two colleagues in conversation, reviewing notes together

3. A Twist on the Same Old

A partnership is also a place to rework routines and rules you've never questioned. Travis is good at this. One of his best events, the Amazing Shake, is based on Ron Clark's Amazing Shake competition, and it teaches manners through a series of real-world rounds: introducing themselves to business partners in the school gym, creating a news story for a local TV station, selling a product they disliked to a live audience, and using proper eating manners with the mayor. The twist gave ownership to staff, students, and the wider school community.

4. Shared Passion and Energy

Energy moves between buildings the same way it moves through a staff room. Travis brings a level of it that's rare, and it's changed how I show up each morning: greetings, check-ins, a smile before the first bell. My staff and students notice.

Travis runs live interviews on his school's Facebook page and pulls students into them. In one, students had to sell an audience on a new juice product using nothing but their pitch, without letting on that the "juice" was actually pickle juice. Students loved being in on the con, and they were fully engaged for the whole activity.

5. Creating New Ideas and Strategies Together

Adapting someone else's idea is normal in education. A partnership goes further: two people who think alike can build something neither would have landed on alone. Travis and I put together 21 strategies for principals to build community, ranging from something as small as smiling and keeping your hands visible to a full "Shark Tank"-style pitch process with local businesses.

We're both after the same goal: getting students college- and career-ready. One partnership brought a local architecture firm to Travis's school to walk small groups through the math behind architectural designs, giving students a real-world application of what they were learning in class.

6. Implementing Ideas at the Same Time

Two schools rarely match up exactly, even when they're similar on paper. This year, Travis and I ran business-partnership programs in both Great Falls and Billings at once, starting from the same premise. Our leadership teams surveyed students and staff, built proposals, and pitched them to local business leaders, who funded the ones they backed. We tailored the structure to our own students and staff as we went, and comparing notes along the way made both versions better.

7. The Power of Self-Reflection

A partner forces reflection, whether you're doing it together or on your own before a call. Hattie's research has generally found metacognitive and self-regulation strategies to have positive effects on student learning, although reported effect sizes vary by strategy and edition of the research. Hattie has used 0.40 as a benchmark, or "hinge point," for evaluating educational effects. That's a meaningful reason to build reflection into a partnership rather than leaving it to chance.

Before I talk with Travis, I review what I'm proud of, what's stuck, and what I want his read on. During the call, I'm reflecting on his projects too, so I can ask questions that actually help.

8. Working Through Hurdles Together

Travis and I spend real time on what's gone well, but just as much on what hasn't. We talk through specific events, people, and decisions that slowed us down, and we're honest that some of it was avoidable. Naming the hurdle before you hit it, using what your partner already ran into in their building, means you clear it faster than you would solo.

9. Giving Back to the Profession

Teacher and principal leaders end up mentoring, answering questions, and connecting people constantly. Travis and I lead workshops and PLC sessions for others in our districts, and we both stay active in education groups on social media, where many of our ideas come from in the first place.

two colleagues collaborating together at a table

10. Building a Personal Learning Network

One partner is a start, not the finish line. A personal learning network, or PLN, extends the same idea to more people, usually found through social media, conferences, or professional groups, each filling a different gap in your own strengths and blind spots.

To build a live PLN document, list everyone you talk with daily, weekly, or monthly, then apply three tests to decide who stays on it:

They fill a specific need over time, whether that need is general or narrow.
You talk with them often enough to matter: daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the need.
The relationship is positive and goes both ways.

My own PLN runs from my assistant superintendent and fellow district principals to a retired mentor, an author I've never met in person, and Travis. When I look at the list, the gaps show up fast: I'm short on people who push me in teacher evaluation, science, social studies, and math. Building the list is what surfaces those holes in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a teaching collaboration partner?

A teaching collaboration partner is another educator you meet with regularly, usually by phone, text, or in person, to trade ideas, work through problems, and challenge each other's thinking. It's a two-way relationship: both people bring solutions, not just requests for help.

How do I find a collaboration partner if I don't already have one?

Start with people you already talk to often: colleagues in your building, other principals in your district, or contacts from a conference or professional group. Social media groups for educators are also a common starting point, since they surface people working on similar problems outside your own school.

Does this replace a Professional Learning Community (PLC)?

No. A PLC is a structured, scheduled team process, usually built around a grade level or subject. A collaboration partner is more personal and less formal, and the two work well together rather than replacing each other.

How often should partners check in?

There's no fixed schedule. Some exchanges are quick texts a few times a week, and others are longer calls once a month. What matters more than frequency is that both people show up ready to contribute, not just to vent.

What if my building doesn't have anyone who fits?

That's common, and it's exactly why looking outside your own school helps. Travis and the author of this piece work in different districts 200 miles apart. Distance isn't a barrier if the partnership is a priority for both people.

Find one reliable partner first. A single trusted educator to call with a half-formed idea does more for your practice than a long list of loose contacts.
Reciprocity is the requirement. The relationship only works if both people bring solutions, not just problems, to the conversation.
Build reflection in on purpose. Hattie's research has linked metacognitive and self-regulation strategies to positive effects on learning, underscoring the value of deliberate reflection.
Distance doesn't matter. Some of the most useful partnerships, like the one in this piece, run between districts 200 miles apart.
Grow it into a PLN over time. Use the three tests above (need, frequency, reciprocity) to decide who belongs on your list, and revisit it as your gaps change.

Building a strong collaboration partnership is one part of growing as an educator. If you're weighing whether to add a credential or move into a leadership role, the programs listed on this page include options built for working teachers who need flexible scheduling.

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