Abstract

School gardens have shown potential in improving students’ academic performance, dietary preferences, well-being, and physical activity. Gardening promotes students’ leadership and lifelong learning skills, especially when integrated in the community. To encourage the large-scale adoption of school gardens, there is a need to discuss factors that favor their integration and sustainability. In this article, the authors explore the process of developing school–community partnership in the context of school gardens in environmental and sustainability education (ESE). The research highlights the effective role of partnership programs in ESE in supporting community involvement of elementary and high school students. The study adopts a qualitative design, specifically a “two-case” case study method. Data sources include semi-structured interviews with eleven school garden administrators (teachers, principal, vice principal, garden coordinators, and garden volunteers) of an elementary school and a high school in two low-income neighborhoods in Ontario, Canada. Findings highlight initial partnership stages for school gardens’ establishment and community integration, including sharing a common vision and plan, obtaining administrators’ support, promoting community access, and involving students. Moreover, advanced partnership stages for school gardens’ sustainability include sustaining open communication with stakeholders, evaluating and celebrating progress, and gaining impetus. This study serves to motivate the large-scale adoption of school gardens by highlighting expectations and presenting the partnership model as a possible solution for the lack of funding and support staff that may arise when establishing a school garden.