The American educational system has often been the whipping boy for the woes of the country. If there is a problem, education is deemed to most likely be at fault. A change in the marketplace, coupled with both the continuing social needs and social changes from the 1960s, left the educational system looking woefully derelict. Having fully…

The professional development school (PDS) is a model of choice for many teacher preparation programs. This approach integrates the functions of teacher preparation, professional development, inquiry and research, and student achievement to bring about whole-school improvement and the simultaneous renewal of the teaching profession. Ideally,…

In most western countries, the problems of effective university-controlled and largely university-based initial teacher education (ITE) have been apparent for many decades: whatever is achieved in the university, the teaching practices and attitudes that student-teachers usually learn to adopt are those currently dominant in the schools. So it is…

This research focuses on change processes. It considers how components of a change framework--namely, the concerns-based adoption model--can be used as diagnostic evaluation tools to examine how participants' attitudes and levels of participation affect the implementation of the professional development school model. This article demonstrates how…

If professional learning communities offer opportunities for improving the teaching and learning process, then developing strong professional development school (PDS) partnerships establish an appropriate framework for that purpose. PDS partnerships, however, can be less than effective without proper planning and discussion about the aims of those…

Colleges and universities across the U.S. are making efforts in teacher education reform in order to better the training of instructors and therefore the education of children. In this article, the authors describe two aspects of interrelated changes in teacher education. They share various aspects of their journey--to redesign their teacher…

This paper describes the strategies, issues, activities, and interactions associated with establishing six professional development schools (PDS) as part of the Benedum Project in West Virginia. Establishment of the PDSs was a collaborative project, a school-university partnership between West Virginia University and local school districts. The…

This book presents a theoretical basis for Professional Development Schools (PDSs) as well as practical guidance for establishing, funding, and evaluating them. It offers a comprehensive view of the role that PDSs play in today's educational renewal efforts and insights about the potential that a quality PDS can bring to learning at many levels.…

The College of Education at the University of Cincinnati agreed to examine its teacher education programs and initiate program changes within the broad framework provided by the Holmes initiatives. Those involved began by developing a conceptual framework for pursuing planning and implementation efforts in the college. Rather than proposing a…

One of four articles in the third section, "Reflection: What We Have Learned," this article presents and discusses 11 components of a partnership between an urban high school and the University of Louisville (Kentucky). The partnership has many of the characteristics of a professional development school although it does not have that…

One of five articles on professional development schools in this theme issue. This annotated bibliography of resources from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) features journal articles, reports, and project descriptions related to conceptualizations, planning, implementation, and evaluation of professional development schools. The…

Both the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future and the Holmes Group suggest that the solution to improving student learning is through formal university-school collaborations, or Professional Development Schools (PDSs). As the research base on PDS partnerships grows, so does the evidence that PDSs improve the quality of teaching in…

Improved professional education for teachers, counselors, and school administrators is needed in order to successfully reform schooling. Fundamental change in professional education requires educational partnerships between schools and universities. The professional development school (PDS) represents a pivotal element in the strategy of utilizing…

The recruitment, selection, and preparation of teachers, counselors, and administrators are among the areas within the educational establishment which are subject to change. The Holmes Group, a consortium of nearly 100 American research universities, which addressed its attention to improving teacher preparation programs as a step toward improving…

This paper describes the initial stages and activities associated with establishing professional development school (PDS) partnerships. Efforts to formulate working groups to develop PDSs began in 1987, and this discussion shares reflections on three years' work. PDSs generally begin when members of the college of education and local school…