This study analyzes the characteristics of educational collaboration between educational administration and general administration in the implementation of the Education Development Special Zone (EDSZ) policy. A total of 19 focus group interviews were...
This study analyzes the characteristics of educational collaboration between educational administration and general administration in the implementation of the Education Development Special Zone (EDSZ) policy. A total of 19 focus group interviews were conducted with EDSZ stakeholders from basic and metropolitan local governments and offices of education nationwide. The findings revealed six key characteristics: a shift in collaboration leadership from education offices to local governments; a transitional positioning between functional and strategic collaboration aspiring toward integrated collaboration; goal-sharing collaboration driven by a shared crisis awareness of declining school-age population and regional depopulation; attempts at longitudinal and cross-sectoral policy linkages constrained by local governments' insufficient understanding of education; structural complexity of multi-layered inter-institutional collaboration exacerbated by the lack of specialized organizations in basic-level local governments; and a structural tension between the long-term nature of educational outcomes and the demand for short-term policy results. Based on these findings, the study suggests establishing an institutional foundation for educational collaboration, developing support systems for basic-level local governments, and building a dual performance management framework.