Addresses issues related to the need for and development of standards for Professional Development Schools (PDSs), describing the work of the PDS Standards Field-Test Project (operating under the auspices of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education). The paper discusses what PDS work is, characteristics of PDS work, conditions…

Southeast Missouri State University has collaborative partnerships with local school districts and Professional Development Schools. This article reviews the partnership processes and describes challenges experienced by both the university and the schools related to communication among partners, availability of physical space, university faculty…

Investigated what a diverse group of students in grades four through eight thought about the teaching and learning occurring in their Professional Development School (PDS). Surveys and focus-group discussions indicated that students had an overall good feeling about the PDSs, and the PDSs had a positive impact. Students made suggestions about how…

Examined leadership roles that classroom teachers filled within the University of South Carolina's Professional Development School (PDS) network. Focus-group discussions with participating teachers indicated that mentor teachers worked with preservice teachers in nontraditional ways, engaging in meaningful teaching experiences and instructing…

Describes the development of a successful Professional Development School (PDS) initiative involving Augusta State University and four very diverse county school districts, presenting information on the context and background of the PDS, principles guiding the PDS initiative, operative dimensions of the PDS initiative, program and performance…

Describes the National Education Association Teacher Education Initiative, a national collaborative of schools, professional teacher associations, and universities designed to accelerate the pace of change and renewal in teacher preparation and public education. The collaboration is organized around principles that apply to the continuum of…

Addresses various Professional Development School (PDS) functions (teacher preparation, staff development, research, and student learning), describing the development of one urban PDS. Highlights issues raised by an exploratory study of a cohort of interns at the PDS and by a collaborative effort of the school and a field-based teacher-education…

Describes a new role within the University of Southern Maine's Extended Teacher Education Program: the school/university site coordinator, which spans boundaries between the university and participating school districts. Surveys of site coordinators found that they worked closely with interns and cooperating teachers, emphasizing improvement of…

Discusses the role of standards, assessment, and program evaluation in the University of Southern Maine's Professional Development School (PDS) model. University and PDS faculty support standards-based assessment that is integral to the one-year graduate teaching internship and preparation program. Evidence indicates that shared responsibility for…