This article describes the journey of social venture, The Connection which through building the leadership capacity of educators has improved outcomes for students and children in vulnerable and low socio-economic status communities. 

Founded to address inequity in education 10 years ago, The Connection uses collaborative networking to build educators' leadership capacity. The Connection has worked with more than 80 schools or sites across Australia, involving 4,500 educators and impacting approximately 80,000 students. 

The article describes how The Connection's collaborative networking model works and some of the results of the program. It also identifies key contributors to its success including: recognising that real change takes time; thoughtful selection of schools and school leaders; creating genuine partnerships with schools; crossing state and international borders; continuous evaluation and improvement; and agility in the face of challenges. The Connection has recently transferred from SVA to The Smith Family, so the article also looks at the potential in this move.