This study examined the influence of a semester-long seminar on student teachers' perceptions of their preparedness for student teaching. Eighteen pre-service teachers in elementary (grades K-6) and middle grades (grades 6-8) participated in the seminar. Seventeen pre-service teachers from the same programs were used as a matched comparison group.…

In education, the need to improve student achievement has been a focus of concern for several decades. Research has identified the teacher as being a powerful influence in the classroom and directly instrumental in how well students learn. The establishment of a link between teacher learning and student achievement indicates the importance of…

Partnerships among institutions of higher education and school districts are desirable. Partnerships enable organizations to leverage their resources as well as expand and enhance their capabilities. They also provide opportunities for personnel with specialized areas of expertise to address shared challenges. Partnerships take considerable time,…

In 1999, the Southern Illinois Schools University Partnership was born with the purpose of developing a series of professional development schools that would address the preparation of novice and experienced teachers, enhance Southern Illinois University Carbondale's teacher education program, and improve preK-12 student achievement. Being at the…

Differentiated instruction should be evident in every classroom; however, it is particularly critical in Professional Development Schools (PDS) that have the dual focus of instruction for both Pre-K-12 students and university students completing their final internship experience. In this article, the author illustrates a university and school…

We examined the effectiveness of a professional development school model of teacher education in Canada. Teacher education candidates responded positively to program features related to sustained participation and collaboration in school communities throughout the year. Their efficacy beliefs about developing professional knowledge were most…

Research on peer placements suggests that partnering two preservice teachers with a mentor provides a better, more supportive context for learning to teach. As extant research has focused more on student teachers' development, less is known about mentors' perceptions and experiences. This qualitative study focuses on seven mentor teachers who have…

As the number of PDS programs increased and awareness of the time, energy, and resources required became more evident, calls for evidence of PDS impact increased. Since 1998, researchers have attempted to design studies that investigate PDS structural features and participant outcomes more systematically. They have used both qualitative and…

The 2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference recognized the professional development school relationship between North Springs Elementary School and the University of South Carolina for its outstanding collaborative accomplishments, naming it one of the three recipients of the first-ever National Association for Professional…

In this article, the author shares his experiences on a journey with 10-12-year-old students from Chicago's Cabrini Green neighborhood. The quintessential point he wants to make is that curriculum is not all about what state boards of education decide is important for teachers to do with children, or what a teacher decides to construct alone. It…

In this article, the authors present a definition for co-teaching. They argue that co-teaching has the potential to be an effective arrangement for attending to student learning, preparing a teacher candidate to enter the profession, and eliminating some of the snags and pitfalls associated with traditional student teaching. In addition, they…

Small universities deal with two primary issues when beginning to use the Professional Development School model: Adequate Funding and Faculty Support. Possible solutions are discussed, including ways to provide adequate funding through grants, enrichment/tutoring programs, reallocation of existing funds, and university priority money, as well as…

In this article, I outline three structured protocols that professional development school steering committees and other collaborative groups could use to support an intentional reflective process aimed at growth and improvement. Using these protocols provides all participants with a voice in identifying current strengths and areas for growth,…

The Professional Development School (PDS) literature is filled with the stuff of good storytelling--archetypes of an ancient profession, struggles of marginalized individuals against powerful structures, personal triumphs, and devotion to a quest. However, much of the writing about PDS experiences that could be considered storytelling tends to…

In this article, Thomas Deering addresses possibly the most written about component of teacher preparation: "student teaching." Deering states that a cursory examination of literature databases identified some 4000 articles on this topic, spanning the last three decades. An issue often related to Professional Development Schools (PDSs)…