UNESCO and the World Economic Forum Global Education Initiative have launched a new programme, .Partnerships for Education.(PfE). PfE aims to create a global coalition for multistakeholder partnerships for education, including the private sector, in order to advance progress towards the objectives of Education for All (EFA). To this end, PfE will carry out studies and develop tools and frameworks for the establishment, implementation and evaluation of multi-stakeholder partnerships. It will build capacity for implementation at the country, regional and global levels, through decision support, sharing of good practice, advocacy, evaluation, and the mobilization of practitioners, donors, governments and experts. This study was commissioned to help lay the groundwork for PfE in complement to a set of case studies and the development of a database to document good practice. It defines basic concepts and surveys the hopes, expectations, needs and pitfalls in partnerships for education. It provides recommendations for action as well as avenues for reflection. It is intended for development practitioners at the international and country levels.