Purpose: This article highlights the recipient of the Exemplary PDS Award given by the National Association of School-University Partnerships. In 2024, the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Watson College of Education (WCE) PDS School-University Partnership with Isaac Bear Early College (IBEC) and Southeast Area Technical (SEA-Tech) High…

Purpose: This paper aims to provide details around Essential 8 of the Second Edition of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Nine Essentials (NAPDS, 2021), which focuses on boundary spanning roles across university and P-12 school settings. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper represents an in-depth look at one…

Purpose: This article presents a professional development partnership which has grown together through collaboration resulting in increased capacity to engage mentor teachers (MTs), nurture teacher candidates (TCs), partner in university coursework and professional development, innovate teacher preparation practices and place new teachers with a…

Purpose: Annually, the National Association of School-University Partnerships (NASUP) awards individuals with the Exemplary PK-20 Boundary Spanner Award. The award goes to a university-based or a PK-12 school or school district-based individual who "innovates the systems or practices to enhance the learning of all of those involved in the…

In March 2020 a national Professional Development Schools (PDS)-School-University Partnerships (SUP) project was funded by a peer-reviewed grant from the American Education Research Association (AERA) to support education research conferences. In its original form, the project called for a three-day conference in September of 2021 to be held at…

This article provides details about Essential 7, which focuses on "Shared Governance" structures. The shared governance description in "The Nine Essentials, Second Edition" is fundamental to any partnership. PDS partnerships include structures that not only guide the work of the partnership, but also enable collaboration,…

How is it known that work in Professional Development Schools (PDSs) and school-university partnerships makes a difference? If the reader is in a situation to make a succinct argument with data and evidence about why PDS and partnerships should be supported and funded could they? Essential 5, which aims to support participants in partnership work…

Purpose: The following narratives describe how successful relationships between mentors and pre-service and inservice teachers go beyond observations and feedback. The purpose is to share the multifaceted approach mentors take to support teacher candidates in generative ways so they can develop their potential as practitioners and how they nurture…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a thriving partnership between Frostburg State University and the Garrett County Public Schools that aims to improve teacher effectiveness and retention through the implementation of a robust induction program. The initiative includes sustained, strategic mentoring; extensive professional…

In this article, the authors describe a key change from the First Edition to the Second Edition of Essential 3 of the NAPDS Nine Essentials. In the original Essential 3, the concept of "reciprocal professional development" was emphasized to honor PL opportunities that are led by either school-based faculty personnel as well as…

Purpose: This article, written by a multilingual learner program (MLP) specialist, provides a first-hand account of how a professional development school (PDS) (school-university partnership school) promotes teacher advocacy. Design/methodology/approach: Due to the subject of the piece, no research methods were necessary. Findings: Due to the…

Purpose: This practitioner-focused article highlights a collaborative, school-wide project at a PDS that showcased elementary students' strengths and talents. Based on the children's book, The Smart Cookie (John, 2021), teachers and the university professor-in-residence developed professional learning communities, which inspired the creation of a…

Purpose: This article shares how providing teacher candidates with experiences in a predominantly black elementary school for their clinical experiences highlighted a need to recognize, acknowledge and address antiblackness in teacher candidates' clinical courses. As well as, a need to emphasize the brilliance and assets of black students.…

This article seeks to deepen the understanding of the revised Essential 4 by describing the key aspects and examples of the Second Edition of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Nine Essentials. The key concepts that are brought forth in the revised Essential 4 include "Reflective Practice;"…

Purpose: The purpose of this viewpoint article is to share the reflections of school and university leaders on the success of their emerging school-university partnership for the preparation of middle school teachers. Design/methodology/approach: The article is a reflective paper in which the leaders of the school-university partnership discuss…