A shared understanding is an important precondition for cooperation between educational science, administration and practice. This article argues that a theory of change approach which is part of impact-oriented planning could be a useful tool for communication. The author proposes a theory of change for cooperation in area-based education networks and gives insights into how science and practitioners can complement each other using this tool and approach. While the approach seems promising, some limitations are also discussed.

Keywords
theory of change, education networks, interface management