Visions From Professional Development School Partners

Rich clinical preparation combined with progressive experiences in professional development school (PDS) settings are proposed to bring about systemic and impactful transformation of educator preparation and professional growth in order to improve and enhance P-12 student learning. In this book, diverse authors describe their efforts to forge PDS partnerships to develop and deliver high quality training and practical experiences for candidates, and simultaneously provide professional development for experienced practitioners in ways that mirror recommendations found in authoritative reports and literature. The authors’ collective wisdom is vividly captured in the multi-voiced chapters that are collaborations between cooperating teachers, school administrators, county and district level administrators, university supervisors, and instructional faculty. The contexts authors write about are recognizable, and the accomplishments they experienced and challenges faced will resonate with institutions courageously undertaking change or renewal. The book will be invaluable to school and university faculty and administrators as they transition to a partnering model of clinical preparation for teacher candidates: it will help stakeholders decide if their schools and institutions are ready to commit to a partnership, and highlight the benefits they stand to gain, but realistically address challenges that may be faced by administrators and faculties as well as teacher candidates in the PDS enterprise.

In keeping with the tradition set forth in volumes 1-4, this fifth volume, Creating Visions for University- School Partnerships: A Volume in Professional Development School Research, continues to exemplify current thinking of practitioners and researchers in the field. The range of authors from the Prek-16 arena illustrates the ways in which professional development schools generate possible solutions to the complex problems facing educators. The diversity of their work represents perspectives of classroom teachers, preservice teachers, school leaders, and university faculty who grapple with identifying “ways of knowing” and “ways of doing” that enhance educational outcomes for Prek-12 students while also serving to transform the profession. The volume’s contents of 19 chapters divided into four areas: (1) Clinically Rich Practices (2) PDS Stakeholders’ Perspectives (3) Enriching Content Area Instruction (4) Family Engagement, gives us a more vivid picture of the work that partnerships are doing to fulfill the PDS promise for improving teaching and learning at every level.

The professional development school (PDS) is a unique educational reform initiative that attempts the simultaneous reform of education at the school and the university. By conducting reform at both levels of education, the PDS is a solution to the piecemeal reforms of the past, from Dewey's Progressivism to the Sputnik reforms to New Math to Whole Language, which have targeted educational change in the public schools but most have overlooked the preparation of new teachers. The PDS addresses the professional development of experienced teachers in the field, the preparation of new teachers, and improvement of the programs of K-12 schools at the same time and at the same place—the school site. In this way, reform goals are agreed upon and implemented by both new and experienced teachers so that reform efforts are seamlessly supported by all parties involved. Nevertheless, most educators engaged in PDS reform agree that PDSs are a high stakes reform effort and are fraught with difficulties. This case study provides an annotated road map of one PDS partnership so that others interested in partnership work are provided general principles to guide their work.

This book examines the ways in which PDSs build cultural competence for various stakeholders including pre-service teachers, classroom teachers, school leaders, college faculty, and K-12 students. Given the increased national attention on the opportunity gap present in underserved marginalized communities across the country, the authors in this series identify a combination of research-based practices and institutional changes that increase student attainment and develop educators’ capacity to serve a range of diverse learners. We are certain the timeliness of the topic will provide educators with context for understanding the role PDSs play in the creation of culturally responsive schools.

Professional Development Schools are complex and comprehensive school university partnerships focusing on professional development of new teachers and veteran teachers while providing high quality education to P-12 students. The chapters of this book contain the stories of 8 highly successful and nationally recognized professional development schools. Each story provides the reader with practical ideas, procedures and policies that can be implemented by the reader to begin new partnerships or help improve and sustain existing partnerships. Each chapter discusses the rich clinical preparation combined with progressive experiences in PDSs that have made the partnership successful. The diverse authors from several different states describe their efforts to forge PDS partnerships to develop and deliver high quality teacher preparations, practical experiences for teacher candidates, and simultaneously provide professional development for experienced practitioners. The book will be a valuable resource to school and university faculty and administrators as they transition to a partnering model of clinical preparation for teacher candidates: it will help stakeholders decide if their schools and institutions are ready to commit to a partnership, and highlight the benefits they stand to gain. The book also realistically addresses challenges in a way the reader can prepare for to reduce obstacles in establishing and sustaining PDSs.

School-university partnerships have the potential to greatly benefit teaching and learning in PK-12 environments, as well as educator preparation programs. This collaboration is advantageous to teachers, counselors, and administrators. Professional Development Schools and Transformative Partnerships provides a comprehensive look at the design, implementation, and impact of educational initiatives between schools and universities. Including cases and research on existing collaborations, this publication addresses barriers and trends in order to provide direction for successful partnerships in the future. This book is an essential reference source for educational leaders in colleges, schools, and departments of education, as well as leaders of PK-12 schools.

This book offers a comprehensive guide to the impact of professional development schools and school–university partnerships (PDSs-SUPs), articulating both the major issues that confront PDSs-SUPs and the various research methods shaping the field. Stemming from a national PDS research conference and project funded by the American Educational Research Association, this collaborative effort presents a vision aimed at promoting inclusive, equity-focused research within PDSs-SUPs and delves into the insights of researchers as they examine revitalized perspectives, persistent challenges, and emerging areas of study. This volume will appeal to scholars, teachers, teacher educators, university students, and education policymakers with interest in social justice in research, teacher education, and P-12 partnerships.

Professional Development Schools offer P-12 schools and universities the opportunity to create rich learning environments for students, teacher candidates, teachers, university professors and administrators. The creation of Professional Development Schools requires careful thought and planning by leaders from both institutions who understand the importance of a systemic approach to gathering information that will allow them to build strong, sustainable partnerships. This book is a practical, hands-on guide to exploring and assessing school and university readiness and compatibility to pursue a PDS partnership. The Professional Development School Exploration and Assessment (PDSEA) Protocol provides surveys and focus group interview questions that facilitate the identification of P-12 school and teacher preparation program qualities, characteristics and perceptions to determine institutional compatibility. Collaborative discussion and PDS planning templates provide guidelines for planning new PDSs. Assessment instruments used with the PDSEA Protocol are available online. The authors offer unique insights into Professional Development Schools based on their experiences as educators in elementary, middle school, high school and as university professors who have been active in Professional Development Schools for 13 years. In this book, they share their insights and practical ideas about what it takes to develop viable and sustainable Professional Development Schools. Developed over a period of 8 years in a study that involved three universities and 13 partner schools, the PDSEA Protocol will assist teacher preparation programs, P-12 school districts and individual school sites as they explore, assess and plan school-university partnerships.