PDS08 Proceedings - College of Education - University of South ...

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Table of Contents
1 .......Strand #1 – Individual Roles
1 ....... A Circle Story: A Year In The Life Of A PDS Partnership
1 ....... A Lesson In Diversity: Preparing Student Interns For The
Real World
2 ....... A Proficiency Team Powering Pepperhill To Excellence –
Diverse Pathways Teacher Quality Project Team
2 ....... A Role Of The PDS Assessment Team: Identifying Data
Collection Resources
3 ....... An Established Professional Development School And A
New Principal: What Should He/She Know?
3 ....... Assessment Of Student Thinking: The University
Supervisor Role In One PDS
4 ....... Building As We Grow: Revisioning Our Roles And
Responsibilities At Two Secondary PDSs
4 ....... Cognitive In – Concrete Out: A Model For Student Goal
Setting
5 ....... Complementary Mentoring And Support: How Does It Look
On A Day-To-Day Basis?
5 ....... “Days Of Our Lives:” Growing And Sustaining Our PDS
Relationship
6 ....... Defining Roles In The World Of Professional Development
Schools
6 ....... Developing A PDS Mentor Profile
7 ....... Effective Principals And PDS Leadership: What Does It
Look Like?
8 ....... Finding The Balance: The Role Of The Principal And
University Coordinator
8 ....... From Hybrid Educator PDA To IST: Returning To My
Roots; Lessons and Knowledge Gained Through PDS Help
Guide New Instructional Support Team Procedures
9 ....... From The Ground Up: The Early Growth And Role
Development Of Healthy And Effective PDS School-Based
Partners
9 ....... Guiding The Intern In Selecting And Developing Portfolio
Artifacts: From Good To Great
10 ..... “Hey ...I Have A Great Idea!” – Conceptualizing A
University-School Partnership And Putting It Into Practice
10 ..... Hybrid Educators Revisited: Issues, Readiness And
Lessons Learned
11 ..... Individual Roles – Building And Sustaining Professional
Development Partnerships
11 ..... It Takes A Village From Pre-service To In-service: The Full
Circle Of Involvement In PDS
12 ..... It’s Not Just Dinner – Someone Has To Cook And Wash
The Dishes: Acquainting Pre-service Teachers And ILTs
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With The Whole School
12 ..... Key Players In Creating And Sustaining The Paradise
Professional Development School: Roles, Responsibilities
And Rewards
13 ..... Listener, Communicator, Problem Solver, Enthusiast: The
Role Of The Professional Development School Coordinator
13 ..... Mentor Teachers: Three Roles And Endless Possibilities
14 ..... Multiple Perspectives On The Role Of The Professor-In-
Residence In An Urban PDS
14 ..... One Foot In Each World: Bridging The Gap Between
Theory And Practice As A PDS Special Education Liaison
15 ..... PDS Coordinator Role In Stimulating Synergistic
Relationships
15 ..... PDS Liaisons: Building The Bridge Our Way
16 ..... PDS Maintenance: Assumptions, Attributes, And
Ambivalence
17 ..... PDS School + Liaisons + Teacher Candidates = Powerful
Learning For Children
17 ..... Planting The Seed: Growing And Sustaining A PDS
18 ..... Planting The Seeds: Cultivating PDS Relationships To
Enhance Pre-service Field Placements
18 ..... Planting The Seeds For A Successful Future: Utilizing A
Professor-In-Residence To Sustain A Long-Term Bountiful
Professional Development School Relationship
19 ..... Professional Development Schools And Site Based Courses
19 ..... Re-Defining Partnership Roles For Early Field Experiences:
A Model For The Development Of School-Based Clinical
Faculty
19 ..... Recognizing Teacher Candidates’ Voices As Critical To
Growing Our Own
20 ..... Reinventing Roles: How Partnerships Foster Professional
Growth
21 ..... Role-Alike Session For University PDS Liaisons
21 ..... Site Coordination Of Pre-service Teachers: Three Different
PDS Models
22 ..... Student Teacher Success Through A Collaborative
University/School District Partnership
22 ..... “Survivors: Chicago” The P-12 School’s Role In Preparing
Future Teachers
23 ..... Sustaining Our Professional Growth In The Mathematics
Classrooms At RESA
23 ..... The Accountable PDS School Counselor: An Agent For
Change
24 ..... The Challenges Of Maintaining Quality Staff At An At-Risk
School
24 ..... The IHE Liaison Viewed As An Active Member Of The PDS
– AKA: The “Doer”
25 ..... The Importance Of The PDS Liaison

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
25 ..... The Many Faces Of PDS
25 ..... The Patriot Initiative: Achieving Consensus Of
Dispositions For Teacher Education Candidates
26 ..... The Power Of More Than One: A Collaborative Model
27 ..... The Shared-Supervision Model
27 ..... The Superglue Of The PDS: The Role Of Effective Field
Supervisors In PDS Work
28 ..... The Synergetic Effects Of Professional Development
Schools: The Benefits For Graduate Students
28 ..... The View Of The Professor: A Self Study During An
Elementary Education Methods Course
29 ..... Three Years Later . . . The Journey Of One Professional
Development School Model
29 ..... Trading Places For Science Education: Switching Roles
Between A Middle School Teacher And A University
Education Professor
30 ..... University Liaison Lenses: Elementary And Secondary
31 ..... We’re All In This Together! A Collaborative Model Of
Professional Development For Student Teaching
Supervisors
31 ..... What Do They Do All Day? A Look At The Daily “Life” Of
Partnership Liaisons
32 ..... What It Means To Be A TOSA: The Master Practitioner
And Wearer Of Many Hats!
32 ..... Working With A Cohort Program In A Year-Round School:
The Rewards And The Concerns
33 ..... Yours, Mine, And Now Ours – How “Teaming” For
Supervision And PDS Coordination Redefined Our Focus
35 .....Strand #2 – Common Understandings
35 ..... A “PDS” Relationship Is “Pretty Darn Special”
35 ..... A Principal’s Inquiry Into Building School Community
36 ..... A Value-Based School-University Partnership
36 ..... Bringing Us Together: Professional Development And
Simultaneous Renewal
37 ..... Building Capacity For Implementing Innovation: A
Professional Development District’s Grant-Writing Initiative
38 ..... Collaborative Structures: A Vehicle For Developing
Common Understandings Across The PDS Community
38 ..... Common Understandings Based On The Assessment Of
Candidates’ Electronic Portfolios
39 ..... Commonalities In Conceptual, Physical, And Emotional
Understandings: Using Former Students As Mentor
Teachers In Urban School Settings
40 ..... Continuing The Partnership After Key Players Move On To
Other Roles
40 ..... Creating A PDS Pipeline For School Leadership
41 ..... Creating, Expanding And Sustaining A Unique School/
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University Partnership: Essential Policies, Procedures, And
Players
42 ..... Creating Learner-Centered Professional Development
Schools
42 ..... Cultivating PDS Partnerships: Collaborative Documentation
Strategies
43 ..... Dialogic Consciousnesses And Ability: The Focal Point In
The Development Of The Teachers’ Development Schools
43 ..... Embedded Professional Development: How A PDS Impacts
The Coaching Teachers’ Professional Development
44 ..... Empowering The School Community: Data-Driven Decision
Making Model For Practitioners - University Faculty,
School Principals, Teachers, And Parents
44 ..... Establishing An Elementary Science, Technology,
Engineering, And Math (STEM) PDS
45 ..... Fish! Partnership
46 ..... Freedom To Learn, Serve And Lead
46 ..... From Skepticism To Enthusiasm: Strategies For Developing
Common Understandings
47 ..... Guided Growth Or Growing Wild? The Role of Action Plans
In PDS Institutional Reform
47 ..... Have “Faith” In PDS
48 ..... Identity Crisis: From Model PDS To New Kid On The Block
– Starting Over With New Players
49 ..... Illinois State University PDS Partners Building A
Continuum Toward National Board Certified Teachers
49 ..... Inquiring Minds Want To Know: What Has Experience And
Time Taught Us About Meaningful Collaborative Planning
In A PDS Partnership?
50 ..... International PDS Platform: A Panel Discussion
51 ..... Keeping The Relationship Alive And Well: Revitalized
Partnership After 15 Years
51 ..... Linking Hands, Heads, And Hearts: Five Steps To
Reinventing A Professional Development School
52 ..... Mentoring And Leadership: It Begins With PDS Teacher
Education Candidates
53 ..... More Than A Road Map: A “GPS” System For Job-
Embedded Mentor Training
53 ..... Not Your Grandmother’s Lab School: An Innovative PDS
On An Urban University Campus
54 ..... On The Theory And Practice Of The Constructions Of
Teacher Development Schools In Capital Normal University
55 ..... Orientation To Celebration
55 ..... Partners In Time: Linking Schools, Families, And Teacher
Education To Improve Professional Development
56 ..... PDS In The Middle Grades: Shared Vision For Teaching
And Learning
57 ..... PDS In The Netherlands: A Commitment Between Teacher

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Training Schools, School Boards, And Schools
57 ..... PDS Inquiry: Growing A Culture Of Research
58 ..... PDS Partnerships: Nurturing New Teachers In Urban
Settings
58 ..... PDS Structures For Site-Based Leadership, Collaboration,
And Inquiry
59 ..... PDS Three Ways: One University With One Rural, One
Suburban, And One Urban School District
60 ..... Professional Development Schools The Western Way:
Western Connecticut State University And Danbury Public
Schools Partnership Model
60 ..... Project ECHO - 360: A New Paradigm For Early Literacy
Learning
61 ..... Putting The Pieces Together: Solving The Internship Puzzle
61 ..... Quality Collaboration Within A Professional Development
School
62 ..... Quid Pro Quo: Professional Development School On A
Handshake
63 ..... Seeds For Success: Cultivating A Strong Middle School
Partnership
63 ..... Sustaining the Momentum: The Power Of Common
Understandings
64 ..... Teacher Candidates As EMTs (Emergency Math
Technicians): Meeting Immediate Needs Of Professional
Development Schools
64 ..... The Core Of Our Relationship: How Can We Impact The
Learning Of All PDS Participants?
65 ..... The Impact Of PDS On Enhancing Learning For All
66 ..... The Tale Of Two Partnerships: The Good, The Bad, And
The Future
66 ..... The “Unwritten And Understood” Shall Become . . . A
Partnership Agreement
67 ..... Through The Lens Of Common Understandings: Informing
And Sustaining A University-School Partnership
68 ..... Trials And Tribulations Of Establishing A PDS In A High
Needs School
68 ..... You, Me, And The DOE: PDS Scholarships And A Two-
Year College/Universitiy Partnership
71 .....Strand #3 – Governance and
Communication
71 ..... A Governance Model In Tandem With Collaboration,
Communication, And Cooperation In A K-5 PDS
Partnership Is Effective
71 ..... Are We There Yet? Establishing Bridges Of Communication
Across The School System/University Continuum Through
A Three-Tiered Governance Model
72 ..... Beyond The Beginning: Developing Depth And
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Establishing Maintainable Structures
73 ..... Bridging The Gap Between Standards And Reality: How
Higher Education PDS Coordinators And Liaisons Use
Governance Structures To Foster Communication
73 ..... Building Successful Learners: A Model For Well-Designed
Governance Structures And Meaningful Communication
74 ..... Communication Efficiency Through Blogging
74 ..... Emerging Governance Structures In A Small Professional
Development Partnership
75 ..... Emerging Roles And Structures In Partnership Work: A
Network Of Support
76 ..... Enhancing Communication Through Multiple Governance
Structures
76 ..... Enhancing PDS Through Intentional Design
77 ..... Four Schools In One: Maintaining A PDS Partnership
Through A Complete High School Restructure
78 ..... Governance And Communication: It Takes A Mighty Good
Meeting To Beat No Meeting At All
78 ..... Governance And Communication: Sustaining A Successful
Professional Development School Network And Expanding
To Meet The Needs Of The Community
79 ..... Not Everything That Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas:
Building A Communication Structure!
79 ..... PDS – S.O.S.! (Professional Development School – Site
Offered Snippets)
80 ..... Redesigning The Governance Structure, Improving
Communication, And Rebuilding Trust: A Winning
Combination For Becoming A Powerful PDS For Preparing
Professionals
81 ..... School Renewal Team Enhances Communication Between
The Partners
81 ..... School System-Based PDS Coordinators Say, “Let’s Talk,
Let’s Learn, Let’s Share Best Practices”
82 ..... Strengthening A Charter PDS Through Strategic Planning
Following NCATE PDS Standards
82 ..... Strengthening Special Education PDS Governance Through
Effective Communication
83 ..... Successfully Unsuccessful: A Process For Navigating
Teacher Candidates Experiencing Dispositional And Other
Difficulties
83 ..... The Power Of PDSs: Partnership, Outcomes, Work,
Evaluation, Revision
84 ..... The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts
84 ..... Using Future Teachers’ Standardized Test Scores To Shape
Teacher Education Program Admission Requirements
87 .....Strand #4 – Classroom Practices
87 ..... 21st Century Learning Practices: Affecting Education

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Today And Tomorrow
87 ..... 3-2-1 Action! (Research)
88 ..... A Co-Teaching Model In Action
88 ..... A Collaborative Model That Works ... Moving Professional
Development Beyond The Parking Lot . . . A University/
High School Model For Increasing Student Achievement
And Improving Teaching Practices.
89 ..... A Cord Of Three Can’t Be Broken - Collaboration To
Strengthen Secondary Teacher Candidate Preparation
89 ..... A Northern PDS Experience
90 ..... A Senior Year On-Site Program: Elementary Education In An
Era Of Accountability
91 ..... Action Research As A Tool For Classroom Improvement
91 ..... Action Research In A PDS: The ESU Way
91 ..... Action Research Video Findings For Change And Program
Improvement
92 ..... An Inquiry Into Literacy Data
92 ..... “...And They Wrote Reflectively Ever After...” Reflection
As Development Through Journals
93 ..... Arriving Home: Unpacking Mentor Teachers’ Decision-
Making Processes Through Video Analysis
94 ..... Authentic And Relevant Assessment Assignments For
Preservice Teachers
94 ..... Beginning The Intern On The Road To Best Practices
Through Systematic Observation
95 ..... Behavior Management In The Classroom
95 ..... Beyond Reflective Practice: Using Video-Analysis
Technology To Examine Problems Of The Practice
96 ..... Building The Student Teaching Triad Plus
96 ..... Classroom Management And Community Building In The
Primary Classroom
96 ..... Classroom Practices
97 ..... Classroom Practices: A Unique Co-Teaching Partnership
98 ..... Co-Teaching And Mutual Planning During Student
Teaching: The Outcomes For Interns, Students, And
Mentors
98 ..... Coach, Communicate, Collaborate: Supporting ALL
Students Through The Clinical Supervisor/Teacher
Candidate Team
99 ..... Coaching High School Content Area Teachers: Every
Teacher A Reading Teacher
99 ..... Collaborating To Improve University Students’ Classroom
Management During Clinical Experiences
100 ... Cross-Career Learning Communities At Work
100 ... Cultural Proficiency Impact: Whose World View?
101 ... Dancing With The Stars: A Learning And Teaching Tandem
Featuring Pre-Service Education Candidates And Autistic
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High School Students In A Unique PDS Model
101 ... Data-Informed Practice: Leadership Tools For Diversifying
Teaching And Learning
102 ... Developing College Interns’ Knowledge Of Literacy
Instruction By Implementing A Fluency Intervention To
Assist Elementary Students
103 ... Differentiating Instruction Through Learning Centers In A
Kindergarten Classroom
103 ... Differentiating The Instruction: With An Emphasis On Co-
Teaching Practices
104 ... Differentiation Of Instruction: This Is How We Do It PDS
Style
104 ... Dispelling The Myths: PDS Internships In Urban Settings
105 ... Do Professional Development Schools Reduce Teacher
Attrition? Evidence From A Longitudinal Study Of One
Thousand Graduates
105 ... Electronic Communication - Ways To Improve Instruction
Using Technology
106 ... Embedding Action Research In PDS Teacher Candidate
Classroom Contexts
106 ... Enduring Connections: The Mentor/Mentee Relationship In
An Urban Middle School
107 ... Enhancing Classroom Practice Through Guided
Observation And Discussion
107 ... Enhancing P-12 Student Learning: Collaboration Between
Coaching Teachers And Teacher Candidates
108 ... Essential Questions: What’s The Point?
109 ... Everything You Need To Know About My Classroom:
Developing The Intern Resource Guide
109 ... Extra! Extra! Student Teachers Making Current Events A
Priority In The Classroom
110 ... Fiesta De Matematicas Esta Noche: An Exciting Night Of
Math In A PDS Collaborative
110 ... Fly On The Wall: The Use Of Distance Learning Equipment
To Observe Student Teachers
111 ... Go Get ‘Em, Van Gogh: Practical Arts Integration Strategies
For PDS Interns and Mentors
111 ... Grand Rounds: Building Capacity And Expanding
Perspective
112 ... Graphic Organizers: 7 Secrets To Unlock Their Power
113 ... Growing And Sustaining A Collaborative PDS Cohort
Through Community-Building
113 ... Harnessing The Power Of Teacher Preparation: Assessing
The Impact Of Our Partnerships
114 ... Help For Struggling Learners In A Professional
Development School
115 ... Increasing Educator Retention And Student Achievement
Through A Collaborative University-School Induction

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Program
115 ... Innovative Teacher Preparation To Raise Student
Achievement: Focusing Attention On Struggling Students
116 ... Integrated Research Projects: Growing And Sustaining
Inquiry Across The Curriculum
116 ... Integrating Field-Based Methods Courses At PDS Sites
117 ... Interactive Notebooks For Pre-Service Teachers
117 ... Investigating The Effect Of Teacher Questioning On The
Cognitive Level Of Student Responses In A Problem-Based
Mathematics Classroom
118 ... Investing In Mentor/Coaching Teachers’ Professional
Development Reaps Educational Rewards For Teacher
Candidates And P-12 Kids
118 ... Learning From Each Other: Co-Teaching In A Professional
Development School
119 ... Let’s Talk: The Power Of Dialogue Between Mentor
Teachers, Teacher Candidates, And University Liaisons
119 ... Literary Accomplishment, Text Understanding, And
Language Teaching: A Case Study On The Teaching Of
Hugo’s Normandy Ship Disaster Tale
120 ... Looking Deeper Into The Pages Of Children’s Literature As
Instructional Resources: Student Teachers Developing A
Sense Of Responsibility To See And Do Differently
120 ... Making The “Rounds:” A Reflective Model Expanding
Opportunities For Classroom Observations For New
Teachers
121 ... Our Ride Through The Magical Kingdom Of Teacher
Inquiry
122 ... Partnering Science Inquiry And Inclusion In PDS
122 ... PDS Coaching Teachers And College Faculty Collaborate
For Student Learning
123 ... PDS Online Learning Community
123 ... PDS Participants Witness Successful Celebrations Of
Learning: Integrating Social Studies And Literacy
124 ... PDS Triage: Rapid Response To School System Needs
124 ... Perceptions Of Financial Literacy – Listening To The Voice
Of Students
125 ... Preparing General Education Pre-Service Teachers For
Inclusive Classrooms: Capitalizing On The Expertise Of
School-Based Partners
126 ... Preparing The Ground And Planting The Seed: Preparing A
School Site For Pre-Service Teachers
126 ... Programs That Work: Bridging The Gap Between PDS
Cohorts
127 ... Promoting Responsive Classroom Management Practices
Through Collaboratively-Developed Intern Courses And
Mentor Professional Development
128 ... Proven Strategies That Enhance Practice In A Large PDS
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Network
128 ... Providing Hands-On Experience For Pre-Service Teachers
By Bridging The Gap Between Neighborhood Schools And
Surrounding Universities Or Colleges
129 ... Research In A Fifth-Grade PDS Collaboration: Using Drama
To Move Students To Higher Levels Of Comprehension
130 ... Role Switching: A Powerful Approach In Preparing
Professionals
130 ... S.O.S. (Student-On-Student): Building Relationships
Between High Schools And Universities to Promote
Transition Opportunities
131 ... Starting An Elementary Science Lab
132 ... Supporting ALL Learners And Seeing Real Results . . . No
More Excuses!
132 ... Teachers And Candidates Learning Together
133 ... Ten Easy Tips Coaching Teachers Can Do To Help
Professional Development School Teacher Candidates
Reduce Their Stress Load
133 ... The Capacity Building Revolution: Growing and Sustaining
Our Own Through The Power Of PDS
134 ... The Clinical Practice Model: Bridging The Divide Between
Theory And Practice
134 ... The Memo Of Understanding: The Foundation For Effective
Partnership Work
135 ... The Next STEP-UP (Students And Teachers Educating
Positively Under Pressure) The Sago Mine Disaster:
Recovery and Reflection
135 ... The Phenomenon Of True Collaboration: Classroom
Practices For Coaching Teachers And Teacher Candidates
136 ... The Picture Of Collaboration: Building Partnerships To
Improve Classroom Instruction
136 ... The Pond Study Project: Teaming With L.I.F.E. (Leadership
And Inquiry Through Field Experience) At An Urban PDS
137 ... The Power Of Quantum Learning: Renewing Partner
Schools And Professional Educators
138 ... The Power To Inspire: Establishing New PDSs At The
Middle Level Through The Use Of Technology
138 ... The Quartet Model: A Unique Learning Community
139 ... The TOTAL Experience: A Journey Of Change For Faculty,
Pre-Service Teachers, And PDS Schools
139 ... The Watering Can Of Experience Facilitating The Growth Of
The PDS Intern
140 ... Training Teachers To Manage Conflict Effectively: The
Conflict Resolution Education In Teacher Education
(CRETE) Project
141 ... Transformative Action Research: Bridging Preservice And
In-service Contexts In Teacher Education Programs
141 ... Using Collaboration To Nurture PDS Relationships

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
142 ... Varied Paths To One Destination – Models Of PDS
Classroom Instruction
142 ... We’re In This Together: A Step Beyond Content
143 ... “What’s Up Your Sleeve?” Creating An Arsenal Of “Tricks
Of The Trade” For Beginning Educators
143 ... Why We’re The BEST At Emporia State University
144 ... “Writing Right”: Creating Techniques, Strategies, And
Understandings Of The Writing Process - A Year-Long
Collaborative Project Between Urban Second Grade
Classrooms And Pre-Service Students
145 ...Strand #5 – Achievements
145 ... 7 Habits + Leadership + PDS = Sky-Rocketing Test Scores
145 ... A Truly Powerful PDS
146 ... Accomplishing The Development Of Novice Teachers’
Content Knowledge In Professional Development School
Partnerships
146 ... Achievements All Around: The Power Of Elementary
Education/Special Education Professional Development
Schools
147 ... Achievements Of A PDS Partnership To Address The
Learning Needs Of Low-lncome Children: An Evaluation Of
Year 2 Activities
148 ... Achieving Excellence In New Teacher Induction: Mankato’s
Success Story
148 ... Alabama A & M University And Montview Elementary
School - A HBCU And A Title 1 School Partnership Year
Four: Our List Of Achievements
149 ... “And The Survey Says . . . !”: Tracking “Success” And
“Impact” Of Partnership Curricula, 2001-2008
149 ... Assessing Teacher Candidate Dispositions
150 ... Celebrating Change: The Value And Need Of Celebrating
Success In Changing The Culture Of A School
151 ... Collaborative Inquiry: A Powerful Tool For Impacting
Student Learning And For Deepening Our PDS Partnership
151 ... Does A PDS Experience Make For More Effective
Teaching?
152 ... Evidence-Based Professional And Instructional Change
(EPIC): Professional Development To Integrate Curriculum,
Assessment, And Technology
153 ... Failure And Success Of A PDS In A Rural, Low-
Socioeconomic, Low-Performing District
153 ... Five Achievements That Impact Student Learning In The
PDS
153 ... Following Through With A Virtual Hand
154 ... Growing A Community Of Writers And Teacher Leaders In
A PDS-2
154 ... Growing Teacher Leadership Through Science Community
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155 ... Growing The Seeds Of Communication Beyond The
Classroom Door
155 ... How Do Suburban Interns Survive In Diverse Urban PDS
Schools And Demonstrate Higher Teacher Retention Rates?
156 ... Inquiry Explosion
157 ... Intervention Program For At-Risk Readers: Petersen
Professional Development School Follow Up Presentation
From 2006 – Where Are We Now?
157 ... Learning To Conduct Action Research Projects At A Long
Standing Urban PDS: Impact On Students, Teacher Leaders,
And University Faculty
158 ... Leonardo And Math Standards - How Art Classes Can
Contribute To Achieving AYP In Professional Development
Schools: A Workshop Presentation
159 ... Lessons Learned: PDS Expansion Into Middle School 6th
Grade
159 ... Measuring The Achievement Of Professional Development
Schools To Ensure The Growth And Sustenance Of
Powerful Partnerships
160 ... Middle School Science Professional Development Learning
Community: Sharing Our Achievements, Successes, And
Our Dreams
161 ... Moving From Acceptable To Recognized: A PDS
Collaboration Story
161 ... Northern Arizona University And DeMiguel/Knoles
Elementary Schools: Achievements And Successes From A
10-Year Process Using A Professional Development School
Model
162 ... One Will Get You Ten, Or Maybe 15? - An Examination Of
Growth From One Partner To A County-Wide System And
Our Documentation Of Accomplishments
162 ... Partnerships: Why Bother?
163 ... PDS: Enhancing Teacher Quality In PA
163 ... PDS Partnerships – Promoting Teacher Leadership
164 ... Principles To Consider
165 ... Professional Development Schools’ Achievement In
Raising Student Scores And Enhancing Clinical Experiences
165 ... Project TEACH: The Emerging Reflection Of Teaching
Effectiveness
166 ... Singing The Praises Of Professional Development Schools:
Collecting PDS Data
166 ... Stress And Anxiety Of PDS Interns: A Data-Based
Transformation Of The Year-Long Internship For One PDS
Cohort
167 ... Struggling For Success: Insights Into Why Interns Struggle
Within A Professional Development School
168 ... Teacher Candidate Attitudes That Influence Preparation
Choice: Traditional Versus Professional Development
School Options

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
168 ... The Fruits Of PDS In Eastern North Carolina
169 ... The Impact Of The PDS Project On African-American Males
In Urban High Schools Across Metropolitan Atlanta
169 ... The Introduction And Development Of PDS In The
Netherlands
170 ... The PDS Then And Now
170 ... Tools For Action Research: Crafting Effective Teaching
Practices Through Collaborative Studies
171 ... What Impact Do Professional Development School Interns
Have On Students’ Reading And Math Achievement?
171 ... Working Collaboratively In A PDS Environment To Improve
Teaching And Increase Student Learning
173 ...Student Poster Sessions
173 ... Another View: Undergraduate Teaching Internships In A
PDS Environment
173 ... Clarifying The Professional Development School Program:
Common Misconceptions Perceived By Teacher Candidates
About PDS Programs - “Tips From The Trenches”
174 ... Collaboration In Piloting Professional Development Schools
At Morehead State University
174 ... Documenting Student Achievement Attributable To PDS:
Emerging Readers
175 ... Documenting Student Achievement Attributable To PDS:
Technology Skills
175 ... Experience Is Priceless
176 ... From Playgrounds To Parent Nights - Teacher Candidates
In Action
176 ... Making Connections Through Inquiry
176 ... PDS School + Liaisons + Graduate Student + Teacher
Candidates = Powerful Learning For All
177 ... The Role Of Teacher Candidates In PDS Governance
177 ... When The Rubber Meets The Road . . . Methods’ Theories
Meet Classroom Realities
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2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
STRAND #1 – INDIVIDUAL ROLES
A Circle Story: A Year In The Life Of A PDS
Partnership
Dorothy Giroux, Loyola University Chicago
Nel Sychangco and Nancy Tarpey-Cole, Stephen K. Hayt School
While each individual partnership role at a PDS site is unique and
each day affords new challenges, taking a snapshot over the entire school
year provides the opportunity to observe the long-term effects of the
interactions that determine the quality of the PDS experience. Decisions
about the development of the academic curriculum and the field experiences
are not made in one day but after thoughtful deliberations over the
entire school year. Changes in personnel at the university level led to a reexamination
of the roles in this PDS site. This session will chronicle the
routine and not-so-routine activities and decisions that are made by key
members of the PDS partnership. A university faculty member, a site
supervisor, and a faculty member at the PDS school will share their roles
and the year’s work.
A Lesson In Diversity: Preparing Student
Interns For The Real World
Richard Metzgar, Towson University
Nancy E. Neilson, Baltimore City Public School System
Given the understanding that today’s teachers must be able to work
with diverse populations of students and colleagues and must create a
classroom climate that values diversity, a collaboration between a large
university’s interns who are placed in suburban settings and a large urban
school district has resulted in experiences that have prepared the interns
for a more realistic view of the world.
Recently the Towson University Professional Development Schools
Liaison for Harford County, Maryland, a predominantly suburban school
system of 51 schools, and the Coordinator of Professional Development
Schools for Baltimore City, an urban district of 192 schools, formed a
partnership to expand the experiences of student interns. The goal of the
partnership was to allow suburban interns to interact with students,
teachers, administrators, and other interns in a school district with great
racial, gender, socio-economic and cultural diversity.
The session will describe how the interns shared their perceptions
of the challenges of teaching a diverse population of students, share
materials used to increase the interns’ sensitivity to diversity, and describe
the inter-visitation experience as interns shadowed their urban peers. As
the interns prepared for their Baltimore City visits, they were given a list
of “look-fors” that incorporated aspects of diversity in curriculum, instructional
strategies, and classroom climate. The interns were able to gain
valuable insight by debriefing with the mentor teachers that they observed
and the administrator of the building. They were able to incorporate their
observations into an assessment activity that included creating lesson
plans that demonstrated diversity.
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CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
2
A Proficiency Team Powering Pepperhill To
Excellence – Diverse Pathways Teacher
Quality Project Team
Eve Elizabeth Conroy and Mary Pomroy, Pepperhill Elementary School
Using precise professional development, Pepperhill Elementary, a
Title One school in North Charleston, South Carolina, has proceeded to
raise state test scores continually over a four-year period. As we start on
our fifth year with a brand new principal, we are continuing to work as a
team to create proficiency. Over the years, we have embraced professional
development in conjunction with funding from the Diverse Pathways
Teacher Quality Project, which has provided our school with a partnership
with local colleges to serve as an observation center for prospective
teachers.
Our school diversifies instruction using Measures of Academic
Performance, or MAP, data. Students are grouped according to levels in
areas of reading and math. Teachers produce differentiated lessons based
on the needs of the students and plan collaboratively each week. Change
is our motto, and this year class size is being reduced in grades 3-5 with
a proficiency specialist who differentiates instruction for the students who
are already at proficient and advanced levels on MAP tests. This new
measure allows for more flexible small group instruction within our school’s
classrooms. Come and see our journey to proficiency, through precise
professional development and collaboration with the Diverse Pathways
Teacher Quality Project, as “Excellence is our Standard” in Charleston
County School District.
A Role Of The PDS Assessment Team:
Identifying Data Collection Resources
Cordelia D. Zinskie and Dorothy A. Battle, Georgia Southern University
A significant role in each PDS partnership is that of the assessment
team. Assessment provides guidance in structuring, implementing, and
sustaining these collaborative efforts which are designed to transform
educational practice. Each PDS partnership is unique and context-specific,
so different information may be needed for different entities. Participants
must keep in mind what works for their particular setting.
PDS researchers have noted that use of multiple measures, a combination
of quantitative and qualitative sources, is key when assessing the
outcomes of the partnership. Once research objectives have been established,
the assessment team is responsible for identifying appropriate data
collection methods and tools. A number of researchers have provided
examples of quantitative and qualitative measures that can be used to
document the impact of PDSs.
PDS assessment teams need access to high quality, existing instruments
as well as professional assessment and evaluation references to
enhance the design and conduct of their inquiry. We have developed a
compendium of data collection resources that will be valuable for members
of the assessment team.
This information will be presented in a matrix and includes quantitative
measures such as surveys, self-evaluation instruments, and pre-

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
service and in-service teacher assessments as well as resources regarding
qualitative data collection strategies such as use of existing school
documents, school and classroom observations, and individual and group
interviews. The availability of this comprehensive data collection resource
will facilitate this role of the PDS assessment team.
An Established Professional Development
School And A New Principal: What Should He/
She Know?
Susan Steaffens, Dean Petersen Professional Development School
A smooth transition is important in the continuation of a Professional
Development School when a new principal is appointed. This
session will discuss what information is important to provide a new
principal, and questions that may assist with this transition. Balancing the
district’s expectations and procedures, working within the school’s structure
and culture, and understanding the collaboration with the university
can be a daunting task. Experiences will also differ depending on whether
an experienced principal or a new principal is selected to lead the school.
Dean Petersen Professional Development School has been involved
with the University of Nevada - Las Vegas for three years. At the end of
its third year, the principal retired and a different principal was selected to
replace her. Fortunately, this principal had experience as an administrator
in that school district. What would have happened if a new principal was
selected to lead this PDS? What is the important information that a principal
should know when beginning his/her leadership at a Professional Development
School? Participants will be asked to add their own ideas and
information to this presentation.
Assessment Of Student Thinking: The
University Supervisor Role In One PDS
Stacy Pritchett, University of Maryland
What is the role of a university supervisor in a PDS? With many of
our interns teaching in classes that will undergo mandatory state testing,
how do we know that the intern is an effective teacher? What roles and
responsibilities does the university supervisor have in observing and
evaluating intern progress?
The University of Maryland Secondary Science Supervisor’s approach
is to focus on the intern’s attention to student thinking. Supervisors
in the field of secondary science at the university use four categories
when observing interns. Conceptual knowledge, what do students know
about science? Epistemology, what do students think science is? Context,
how do various learning contexts affect how students learn? And reasoning,
how do students think through ideas? While addressing the four
concepts above, the supervisor generates discourse with interns to
engage in reflection about teaching styles and strategies with an emphasis
on the attention to student thinking. In this presentation we will discuss
the approach supervisors take to address the intern’s focus on student
thinking and provide details about changes in instructional strategies to
address student needs. We will discuss the many facets supervisors use
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while observing interns, specifically observation tools, assessment, and
analysis. Documentation of case studies, transcripts of supervisor observations
and evaluations will be shared in the presentation.
Building As We Grow: Revisioning Our Roles
And Responsibilities At Two Secondary PDSs
Susan Myers, Texas Tech University
Sonja Crowell and Jennifer Shipman, Lubbock High School
Kris Tullos and Stacy Acevedo, Estacado High School
This presentation will examine the roles and responsibilities of our
PDS members from three perspectives as it has evolved over the past
several years at two secondary PDS sites.
The university liaison (Susan Myers) will discuss how she entered
an established partnership as a new faculty member. Her perspective will
include how five university faculty members negotiated the relationship
building process as the PDS expanded into two high-need secondary
school settings within the local school district.
Clinical faculty member (Sonja Crowell) has been with the PDS since
its inception at the original site and has played an active role as the
partnership has undergone several iterations. Her perspective provides a
description of how her role has evolved over the past several years into
that of greater responsibility and leadership.
Additional perspectives from the other clinical faculty members
(Kris Tullos, Jennifer Shipman, and Stacy Acevedo) provide insight into
how newer members of the PDS view their respective roles and how their
involvement in the PDS has changed their practice. Included within this
portion of the presentation is a description of the similarities and differences
of the two settings and how this has impacted how the partnership
has been implemented within each context.
Cognitive In – Concrete Out: A Model For
Student Goal Setting
Jim Moryan, Kean University
Kelvin Rogers, Conackamack Middle School
This presentation is designed to aid teachers and undergraduate
PDS students enrolled in their field experience with a model that addresses
change in students’ attitudes and beliefs. The model focuses on in-depth
discussions with one student, or a group of students (3-4 per group), in
looking at their beliefs, attitudes, and goal setting. It helps teachers identify
students who tend to establish “elaborate” goals with no concrete
evidence of a plan to meet them.
The model’s design is for students to realize that although they know
“what is expected of them,” they may not be demonstrating attention to
those expectations in school as noted by teachers and school administrators.
This can be seen in their grades, discipline records, teachers’
responses, and their responses to “what is important to me.” The discussion
then centers on the students’ beliefs and values. These discussions
are designed to realign students’ current belief systems with that of the

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
school and teacher in terms of showing each student the importance of
“buying in” to the school’s and teachers’ expectations of current educational
demands as a vehicle for personal goal achievement.
In this presentation, participants will review the model and its
potential use in their school setting, along with data that has been collected
over the past two years. Each participant will then be given the opportunity
to explore the model’s core areas and experience an application of its design
during the presentation. Participants will discover the importance of
bridging the gap between students’ current belief systems as compared to
their actions.
Complementary Mentoring And Support: How
Does It Look On A Day-To-Day Basis?
Wren Bump, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Joan Maier, Sam Houston State University
Nancy Segura, K. E. Little Elementary School
Nancy Teichelman and Gayle Holder, Sparks Elementary School
The support system that UHCL has developed for its interns is multifaceted
and involves several different layers of personnel in the university
and the district. These layers form a complementary structure of support
as each entity “supplies mutual needs or offsets mutual lacks.” (American
Heritage Dictionary, 2006) On the district side we have the PDS principal,
the mentor teacher, and the district supervisor. On the university side we
have the Center for the Professional Development of Teachers, the
Teacher Education Advisory Committee, and the university supervisor.
This presentation will describe the role of each of these supports, as well
as give specific activities, tips, examples, and resources to help the
audience understand the importance and scope of each role. Actual PDS
practitioners will share what a typical day looks like as they interact with
the interns and each other in practical, meaningful ways.
“Days Of Our Lives:” Growing And Sustaining
Our PDS Relationship
Gina Greenwald, Paul T. Wright Elementary School
Sharon E. Smaldino, Northern Illinois University
As we move into our fourth year of a Professional Development
School initiative between the DeKalb School District and Northern Illinois
University, we have learned many things about our partnership relationship.
We have recognized the pressures of each other’s responsibilities
and our primary responsibilities to answer to our respective institutional
masters. We have grown together learning from each other and how our
priorities, while ultimately focused on the support of the K5 student
learning, have different indices to achieving that outcome. We have
discovered how to recognize each partner’s priorities and found ways to
bring about a means for solving our issues. In our lessons learned, we have
developed ways to address our collaboration through: 1) seeking balance,
2) improving communications, and 3) negotiating and compromising. In
building our relationship, we have learned that working together is a key
to successful implementation and ultimately to maintaining a successful
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PDS endeavor. Representing the partners in this discussion are the
school’s principal, the College’s Director of Partnership, and two of the
faculty liaisons to the school. Their roles within the partnership are crucial
components to building this relationship. This session will focus on
capturing the essence of each person’s roles within the partnership and
discussing how we have worked together to build our relationship with a
goal of sustaining our PDS.
Defining Roles In The World Of Professional
Development Schools
Bruce Johnson, Marilyn Morey, and JoNancy Warren, Illinois State University
Mary Lange, Pekin School District 108
Cheryl Witucke, Chicago Public Schools
Illinois State University’s Professional Development Schools have
a long history with their public school partners. The effective execution of
many roles, within a proven structural model, has caused Illinois State’s
PDSs to be viewed as assets within partner districts.
This session will chronicle the inception of these roles and highlight
how they have evolved over time, enhancing the growth of the PDS work
at ISU. The presentation will showcase a brief timeline of responsibilities
within the academic year.
Professional Development Schools involve many individuals who
are dedicated to the development of young teachers. School-based roles
include administrators, mentors, and site coordinators. The university
roles consist of administrators, university liaisons, professors, and the
partnership coordinators. Participants in this session will share the parameters
of their collaborative roles in the nuts and bolts of daily programming.
Throughout Illinois, varied settings (rural, suburban, and urban)
show the power of the PDS model across cultural, socio-economic, and
geographical boundaries.
This session will describe the unique aspects of each role, distinctions
of the various sites, and lessons learned. You will learn from the
stories shared.
Developing A PDS Mentor Profile
Jo-Anne Mecca and Ken Counselman, New Jersey City University
There are at least two major assumptions about Professional Development
Schools which may be illusory. The first assumption is that all
participants working in a PDS are equally interested and excited about their
participation. The second is that teacher education candidates may be the
major beneficiaries of their work in those schools.
Embedded within the No Child Left Behind legislation is the provision
for on-going professional development for K-12 faculty. We assume
that part of this professional development in a PDS is obtained through
mentoring student teachers. However, teachers’ commitment in a PDS may
vary. Some may indeed see the mentoring inherent in their role as an
excellent opportunity for professional growth. Others, however, may
regard this role as merely fulfilling a professional obligation or even as

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
taking on an added, unwanted responsibility (Ganser, Koskela, & Koskela.
1997).
Research does exist supporting the significance of the mentoring
experience for the mentee or student teacher (Weasmer & Woods, 2003;
Ganser & Wham, 1998). Furthermore, we know that student performance
is influenced by the expertise and quality of professional development
opportunities existing for the classroom teacher (Sparks, 2002). Less,
however, is known about the professional impact of the student teacher
on the cooperating teacher.
In response to this situation, our session will address a number of
questions:
1. What skills should a PDS participant teacher possess?
2. What levels of teacher participation can be expected in a PDS?
3. What can and do mentor teachers learn from mentees?
4. What is an appropriate model for exploring this mentor learning?
Effective Principals And PDS Leadership:
What Does It Look Like?
Keith Tilford, Illinois State University
Lacy A. Redd, Newberry Elementary School
This presentation will be based on a series of interviews conducted
with three effective principals in a 10-school elementary Professional
Development School network in the southeast. Of the participants, one
had been a principal for only one year before her school became a PDS. The
other two principals had multiple years of experience before the partnership
was established. This phenomenological study using Seidman’s
(1998) model for interviewing took place in the 2006-2007 school year.
Foster, Loving, And Shumate (2000) wrote of the importance of the
principal in all stages of PDS work. This study was conducted to gain
insight into the specialized roles principals play in PDS work. As a result
of this dissertation research, six themes emerged highlighting the roles
these three principals enacted as PDS participants: culture maker, collaborator,
change agent; inquirer/learner, knowledge broker; and protector of
teachers.
Through this presentation, the researcher plans to share findings
related to the six themes that emerged. Additionally, the similarities and
differences between early service and seasoned principals and how they
enact and benefit from their role as a PDS principal will be discussed.
Finally, the special role of inquiry and how each principal utilized it for the
growth of their teachers and themselves will be discussed. Audience
members can expect to hear how these principals embraced their PDS
leadership and integrated the partnership work into their school missions.
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Finding The Balance: The Role Of The
Principal And University Coordinator
Dee Dee Hines, Lindbergh Elementary School
Eileen L. Hogan, Emporia State University
This conference session will cover how two key individuals, the
principal and the site coordinator, find a balance among the many roles they
maintain in a successful PDS program. Several topics will be included:
interviewing and placement of interns, providing placements balanced
between structured and more flexible mentors, and analyzing the contributions
of the interns toward student learning and to the profession as new
teachers in the district; helping interns find the balance of how to allocate
their time among school, assignments, personal life, and outside work;
facilitating the mentors as they balance the needs for student learning and
releasing their class to the interns; helping interns develop from students
to professionals; and articulating the balance of benefits to the children,
the school, and the university.
From Hybrid Educator PDA To IST: Returning
To My Roots; Lessons and Knowledge Gained
Through PDS Help Guide New Instructional
Support Team Procedures
Marion Wheland and Donnan Stoicovy, Park Forest Elementary School
Following my experience as a hybrid educator or, as we say,
Professional Development Associate with the State College Area School
District-Pennsylvania State University PDS, I returned to the school
district in a new position as Instructional Support Teacher. This session
focuses on how the lessons and knowledge gained from being a Professional
Development Associate involved with the supervision and instruction
of student interns can be employed in new situations and positions
within the school district. Special emphasis will be given to the use of
Conversation as Inquiry Groups/Critical Friends Groups and how the
protocols used in this practice can also be used to enhance the process
of the Instructional Support Team in identifying and meeting the academic,
social, and emotional needs of our students.
Conversation as Inquiry Groups consists of 6-12 educators dedicated
to continual professional growth by examining their practice and
issues in a collaborative and reflective setting. In addition, the technology
skills learned as a PDA have enabled me to transform the presentation of
information during an Instructional Support Team meeting creating a more
personal and relaxed environment. You are welcome to come and discuss
the continued growth and transplanting of PDS ideas.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
From The Ground Up: The Early Growth And
Role Development Of Healthy And Effective
PDS School-Based Partners
Dina Deveney and Marcia Pietroski, Whitehall Elementary School
Corine Meredith, Rowan University
We know that a Professional Development School partnership is
NOT a “one man show,” but a combination of specific people in specific
roles working in unison to nurture the growth of all participants. Join
school-based leaders and the university liaison from one elementary
school in New Jersey to learn about our growth in understanding the PDS
process and individual role development in the first year of a new
university-school partnership. Our “Year in the Life” overview of the
emerging roles and responsibilities of novice partners will focus on four
topics of discussion: 1) identifying characteristics of school-based partner
roles (both site coordinator and principal), 2) communication between
school and university partners, 3) overcoming obstacles, and 4) ideas for
developing effective support structures. Come learn from our journey as
we grew from the ground up in Year One.
Guiding The Intern In Selecting And
Developing Portfolio Artifacts: From Good To
Great
Kimberly Durkan and Sarah Adams, Jeffers Hill Elementary School
In a PDS relationship, the mentor teacher has significant influence
on the development of the teacher intern. In particular, the mentor teacher
influences the acquisition of skills and knowledge defined by the core
principles and standards of INTASC and CEC. Towson University’s
College of Education requires that all of its interns develop a portfolio of
artifacts which demonstrates evidence of each principle or standard.
Interns must receive a passing grade of 3 or better in each INTASC/CEC
standard in order to graduate. One way the mentor teacher can assist the
intern in the acquisition of INTASC/CEC standards and principles is
through guidance with portfolio artifacts. In this session, an elementary
school special education mentor teacher and a general education mentor
teacher will showcase examples of and ideas for portfolio artifacts that
demonstrate evidence of professional growth towards INTASC and CEC
performance principles or standards. By equipping mentor teachers with
artifact ideas, this session will also serve as a way for mentor teachers to
help reduce one of the many stresses interns encounter during their final
year.
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“Hey ...I Have A Great Idea!” –
Conceptualizing A University-School
Partnership And Putting It Into Practice
Donna R. Sanderson, West Chester University
This session specifically addresses strand # 1 (Individual Roles) by
examining the unique roles and responsibilities of a university liaison as
she works with a school principal, multiple classroom teachers, her
university colleagues, and her teacher candidates to begin a Professional
Development School partnership. Learn what a liaison does as she lays the
foundation of the partnership in the months leading up to beginning of the
school year. Learn about the conversations that ensued, the topics
discussed, the pitfalls and lane mines that were encountered, and the
collaboration and connections that were made to make this dream a reality.
Follow the liaison as she takes you on a journey into the summer “think
tank” conferences, the first faculty meeting of the year, the first university
classes of the semester, and the first day of fieldwork for the teacher
candidates. If you want to learn how to start a partnership off on the right
foot, attend this informative session. You will not just learn about the role
of the liaison through a “Day in the Life” vignette, but through a “Year in
the Life” vignette so you, too, can begin to plant the seed to grow a
university-school partnership.
Hybrid Educators Revisited: Issues, Readiness
And Lessons Learned
Bernard Badiali, Penn State University
Jodi Kamin and Deana Washell, State College Area School District
Mardi McDonough, Mount Nittany Middle School
The Penn State- State College Area School District Elementary
School partnership provides year-long student teaching internships for
selected Penn State elementary education majors in their senior year. The
partnership includes 61 interns with 65 mentors in ten elementary schools
and two middle schools in the State College Area School District. Working
in collaboration with each mentor/intern pair is a Professional Development
Associate (doctoral students, university faculty members, school
district employees).
Several teachers in the partnership are given the opportunity to step
out of their classroom teacher role and into the role of Professional
Development Associate (PDA) for two years. The job requirements during
these two years include supervising student teacher interns, supporting
the mentor in the classroom, and facilitating work with children in the
classroom, in addition to being an integral part of decisions involving the
PDS in general. The role provides and encourages tremendous professional
development for the classroom teacher turned PDA, yet it creates
changes in the teacher that impact the return to their classroom.
This presentation focuses on what it means to be a hybrid educator
stepping away from the role of classroom teacher and into the role of
university supervisor. Two perspectives will be shared: how veteran
teachers view their readiness as they begin the new role as hybrid and how

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
experienced hybrids view the role as they prepare to return to the classroom.
Individual Roles – Building And Sustaining
Professional Development Partnerships
Teresa B. Jayroe and Margaret Pope, Mississippi State University
Angela Mulkana and Suzanne Brasfield, West Point School District
During the senior year of the Elementary/Middle Level Education
Program at Mississippi State University, teacher candidates enroll in the
Elementary/Middle Level Methods Block which is a collaborative partnership
between the university and a rural school district in the southern
United States. This professional partnership provides opportunities for
teacher candidates to work in classrooms with K-6 students, classroom
teachers, and administrators.
In this proposal, two university professors, a classroom teacher, a
federal programs coordinator, and a teacher candidate discuss what makes
this partnership successful. In addition, they explain the importance of the
classroom teachers, teacher candidates, university supervisors, and principals
working together to sustain the partnership.
The federal programs coordinator will explain how the professional
partnership developed, the impact on student learning, and the sustainability
of such partnerships. The classroom teacher, teacher candidate, and
university supervisors will discuss how they work together on a daily basis
to sustain and improve the partnership. The group will explain how
changes have been made to the elementary/middle level education program
and partnership to meet the needs of the school district, the teacher
candidates, and elementary/middle level students. In addition, the group
will share evaluation instruments, reflections, and student work samples.
It Takes A Village From Pre-service To Inservice:
The Full Circle Of Involvement In PDS
Robert Pelton, Villa Julie College
Lenore Chapman, Susan Pillets, and Jennifer Karolkowski, Chatsworth
School
One person does not make or create a successful PDS partnership;
instead it involves all stakeholders at every level working collaboratively
to develop high quality teachers. State standards and reflective practice
guides the operations of this PDS. From an original placement as a teacher
candidate to the hiring and successful retention of veteran teachers, the
PDS model develops high quality teachers whose focus is student achievement.
Listen as roles and responsibilities are discussed by the principal,
lHE faculty member, PDS Site Coordinator, mentor teacher, and former
intern. Topics addressed will include: collaboration, mentoring, professional
development, program assessment, and action research.
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It’s Not Just Dinner – Someone Has To Cook
And Wash The Dishes: Acquainting Pre-service
Teachers And ILTs With The Whole School
Edward Clark, Rebecca Griffith, and Dawn Poore, Avery County High School
Most pre-service teachers and beginning teachers (ILTs) are taken
into a classroom, given a roll book, a policy manual (if that!), and a textbook,
then told to get busy. Most do not realize that there is much more to a school
than the classroom. In order to alleviate this, Avery County High School,
in collaboration with Appalachian State University, began a program that
acquaints pre-service teachers and ILTs with the “underbelly” of the
school.
We began with an after-school session titled “Conversations with
Teachers” which answered questions pre-service teachers and ILTs often
have. Quickly we realized that our pre-service teachers and ILTs knew
nothing about the school itself. Each member of our PDS took a topic, and
we began showing our pre-service teachers and ILTs the other side of the
school once each week for 15 minutes after school. Each PDS member took
a topic and facilitated a tour. The topics included: school secretaries and
their duties, a talk with custodians, a ride on a school bus, a conversation
with cafeteria personnel, counseling and special education, and technology
services. We stress the contributions and importance of these staff
members to the overall education and well-being of our students. This
whole-school approach helps our pre-service teachers and ILTs realize
that education is a cooperative effort by everyone in the school.
Key Players In Creating And Sustaining The
Paradise Professional Development School:
Roles, Responsibilities And Rewards
Pam Campbell, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Wanda Oden, Ruth Devlin, Michael Henry, Tyra Tripp, and Jan Mathis,
Paradise Professional Development School
Eva White, Clark County School District
The partnership between the Paradise Professional Development
School and the University of Nevada Las Vegas was created in 2005. After
only two years, it is not just stable; it is flourishing. There has been wide
participation by both UNLV and Paradise faculty, administrators, students,
staff members, and parents. University courses and PPDS professional
development activities have been developed and implemented
collaboratively. Field-based research and inquiry have been conducted by
faculty and students from both settings. The Las Vegas community and
another university are actively involved.
The partnership is guided by the UNLV/CCSD PDS Joint Governance
Board and the Paradise PDS Coordinating Council. However, it is the
day-to-day dedication of key players to the vision of the Paradise PDS that
has brought a “concept” to life.
In this session, presenters will share a “day in Paradise” through the
eyes of the Principal (Wanda Oden), the university Paradise PDS Coordinator
(Pam Campbell), and the Paradise Site Coordinator (Ruth Devlin).
They will talk about and show participants what, why, and how they do the

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
work that they do and the ingredients they consider essential to the
success of the Paradise PDS. In addition, others from UNLV and Paradise
PDS, who have assumed both formal and informal leadership roles, will
describe their contributions to the partnership. Presenters will share their
own professional and personal experiences (roles, responsibilities, and
rewards), the qualities and characteristics needed to sustain and move the
partnership forward (systemic and human), and their collective vision for
the future.
Listener, Communicator, Problem Solver,
Enthusiast: The Role Of The Professional
Development School Coordinator
Kathleen Pittman, Eastern New Mexico State University
Roles of the PDS Coordinator vary from PDS to PDS. Our PDS,
Monterrey Elementary School in Roswell, New Mexico, is in its second year
of existence. Monterrey is one of two PDS partners with Eastern New
Mexico University, some 90 miles away. I also serve as university faculty,
along with one other person, in her first year at ENMU and Monterrey. The
rest of our courses are taught by resource faculty, including the principal
of our PDS. The development of this PDS was planned using the NCATE
PDS Standards. Our first year was spent developing the structure and
defining responsibilities within the PDS. The second year gave our
planning an opportunity to solidify as practice. Next year, we will be
looking for results, both with student achievement and teacher satisfaction,
and with the success and retention of our pre-service teachers. The
success of our PDS is dependent on all of our stakeholders: students,
parents, teachers, administrators, and university faculty, staff, and students.
Sometimes challenging, sometimes rewarding, the role of PDS
Coordinator is ever changing to meet the needs of our partnership.
Mentor Teachers: Three Roles And Endless
Possibilities
Deborah Carr and Eryca Neville, University of Missouri - Columbia
Mentor teachers play a key role in the implementation of the MU
Teaching Fellows program and induction year Master’s program for firstyear
teachers. This program releases a full-time outstanding teacher in a
building where an open position exists. This creates two openings within
the building, and two first-year, fully certified teaching fellows are recruited
and placed into those classrooms.
The role of the mentor teacher in this program is three-fold. The
primary component of the assignment is to mentor the two teaching fellows
for the school year. The mentor teacher also devotes one-third of his/her
time to building and/or district needs. The final third of the mentor teacher’s
time is dedicated to the University of Missouri’s College of Education in
supporting the Teacher Development Program.
How these mentor teachers work within each of these three areas of
responsibility, and the impact that they have in all of these areas, will be
addressed. Examples of how their day is organized, the types of work they
encounter, and the magnitude of their contribution to a large mid-western
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partnership will be explored. The role of the mentor teacher is the key role
that connects the support of first-year teachers, the impact of these
individuals in developing key relationships with the university, their
contributions to their schools and the districts in which they work, and
their tremendous impact on teacher preparation.
Multiple Perspectives On The Role Of The
Professor-In-Residence In An Urban PDS
Muriel K. Rand, New Jersey City University
The role of the Professor-In-Residence in our PDS is conceptualized
from many perspectives. During this session we will:
1. describe the Professor-In-Residence matrix of activities;
2. share principals’ and teachers’ perspectives on how the Professor-In-Residence’s
work affects the school, teachers, and children;
and
3. share the Professor-In-Residence’s perspective on how work at
the school affects her work at the university.
Session participants will be provided a matrix showing the roles of
the Professor-in-Residence in terms of micro and macro levels of engagement
with all PDS constituents, including children, parents, teachers,
interns, administrators, university colleagues and students, and the community.
One Foot In Each World: Bridging The Gap
Between Theory And Practice As A PDS
Special Education Liaison
Bev Peters, Pete Kelly, and Suzann Copeland, Truman State University
Truman State University and Kirksville R-111 Schools collaboratively
planned and implemented a five-year PDS partnership for the academic and
clinical preparation of special education teachers before the program
received a major financial boost from an OSERS Grant from the U.S.
Department of Education. One of the many benefits of that grant included
the creation of a liaison position. In an effort to search for new avenues to
support and enhance school-university collaboration, TSU sought to fill
that position with a special education practitioner and hired a retired public
school teacher/former special education director who truly had one foot
in the university and one foot in the public school.
This presentation will focus on the role of a university liaison in an
established Special Education PDS. TSU and Kirksville R-111 value and
acknowledge the unique talents, strengths, questions, and concerns that
individuals within the PDS bring to the process. The PDS Liaison plays an
important role in bridging the gap between theory and practice in the
preparation of future special education teachers. Successful collaboration
techniques that furthered that goal will be shared by a panel that consists
of the liaison, the university professor, and the school district’s mentor
teacher.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
PDS Coordinator Role In Stimulating
Synergistic Relationships
Helja Antola Crowe and Robert Wolffe, Bradley University
In the heart of the PDS work toil the university liaisons, the PDS
Coordinators. Who chooses to become site coordinators? Why do they
choose to do so? How do they define their role? How does their position
affect the life of the partnerships?
Factors that appear to be important in analyzing coordinator roles are
many: the individual’s personality, skills, talents, communication approaches,
reflective practices, willingness to model dispositions that
support relationship-building, and behaviors that encourage and empower
others to participate.
The combination of personal attributes across these areas contributes
to the level of collaboration that occurs with faculty, staff, administration,
students, and pre-service professionals at the PDS sites. Willingness
to explore possibilities, flexibility, and the broadness of the
coordinator’s professional interests contribute to the dynamics which
develop within the partnership.
We will address dynamics from pre-scheduled planning meetings to
the incidental interactions in hallway dialogue that all contribute to the
development of coordinator attributes. We will share examples of how
preconceptions turn into accurate realities and reflect the changes in
public school environments, resources, and priorities for professional
development.
Synergy well describes the unexpected learning which occurs in
multiple interactions in the PDS relationships. How theory about teaching
and learning is connected to the life of partnership practices and the
experiences of coordinators is woven into the presentation. Experiences
which have occurred in the PDS project will be shared, as well as windows
for further opportunities for PDS collaboration that are only possible when
the coordinators become integrated into the life of the school.
PDS Liaisons: Building The Bridge Our Way
Craig Downey and Cristina Scholl, Lincoln Elementary School
Lyn Krenz, Donegan Elementary School
Stacey Leon, Governor Wolf Elementary School
Alison Rutter, East Stroudsburg University
Three school-based liaisons within one PDS cohort have worked
together informally since the beginning of this partnership, four-plus years
ago. Their first PDS National Conference opened up to them the world of
possibility afforded by such partnerships. For once, teachers would be
given the opportunity to directly affect the leadership and culture of their
school sites - and the future teachers that might return to work with them.
Over time these three have shared with each other ideas for transforming
the PDS, recruiting mentor teachers, celebrating PDS work, instigating
professional development, and collaborating in their design of pre-service
liaison meetings. Their learning from personal reflections, presentations
of their work, and discussions with their faculty partners have introduced
a new level of collaboration to the greater PDS community. As a team (of
four now), they have been the focal point of work within their individual
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school sites, coaxing teachers, encouraging pre-service students, and
building the trust essential to this kind of work. Their grass roots efforts,
working with their faculty partners and administration, are what have
particularly shaped these three PDS sites and the accomplishments of this
cohort. While each has a relationship with his/her faculty partners, the
links among these liaisons and their interest in the PDS is what has driven
their success and helped to sustain the high level of work in this cohort
as teacher leaders. In this presentation they will tell their story and give
ideas for using this role to direct the growth of a PDS.
PDS Maintenance: Assumptions, Attributes,
And Ambivalence
Nancy Norris-Bauer, William Paterson University
Martha Mobley, Kean University
The four organizational frames developed by Bolman and Deal (1984)
were used as lenses through which the achievements of 21 PDSs were
analyzed. These frames (structural, political, human relations, and symbolic)
were categories that influenced success during the life cycle of a
Professional Development School.
The contributions to be made by this presentation are the opportunity
to gain insight into university-school partnerships and the creative
energy necessary to sustain them. Their maturation, which changes and
shifts as principals and deans resign and Board of Education election
results affect budgets and growth, changes in the achievement of teachers,
pupils, and interns.
1. Implications for policy. Fund (political frame), leadership (structural
frame), clinical instructor (human resources), outstanding
professional interns (symbolic) are issues and concerns that
have arisen and which universities must address.
2. Using qualitative or quantitative evidence to inform policy.
Gathering data for each of the four frameworks provides anecdotal,
in addition to standards-based, evidence/documentation
which informs both policy and practice. End of the year assessment
instruments provide information and insights into past
efforts/programs/successes while establishing baseline markers
against which to judge future progress. Anecdotal data humanize
the work of the PDS, describing individual perspectives.
By participating in this session, attendees will be able to:
• Identify the four frames proposed by Boland and Deal;
• Reflect on their own PDSs in relationship to the organizational
frames presented;
• Reduce PDS maintenance by defining and shaping issues and
problems; and
• Promote cross-institutional collaboration and interdependence
to improve P-12 student learning.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
PDS School + Liaisons + Teacher Candidates =
Powerful Learning For Children
Marylin Leinenbach and Deborah Flurkey, Indiana State University
Christi Fenton and Kathy Spelman, DeVaney Elementary School
Look what happened for a PDS elementary school when a university
liaison, a graduate student, and pre-service teachers joined together with
the school principal and a third grade teacher to create an after-school
mathematics outreach program for children. The SMART Program (Student
Mathematics AfteRschool Thinking Program) was created through
the powerful collaborative efforts of a creative combination of caring
educators and teacher candidates.
Indiana State University’s teacher education program is committed
to the teaching of all learners - PDS children and pre-service teachers
included. For the pre-service teachers, the program’s experiential learning
allowed them to make a meaningful contribution to the community. Perhaps
the most significant outcome for these future teachers was the feeling of
empowerment that developed while they gained critical knowledge of
teaching diverse learners in an authentic setting. For PDS children at
DeVaney Elementary, it provided a free, weekly enrichment program
infused with high quality mathematics activities delivered by positive role
models. The math activities offered were a rich variety of math experiences
that integrated art, music, and literature with hands-on learning.
The SMART Program is an extraordinary example of how colleagues
from higher learning and public schools are furthering one of the overarching
PDS initiative’s goals: improving school climate. Indiana State University
and one Vigo County school are working together to shape the mathematical
minds of the future. This presentation will, through video clips and
reflections from teacher candidates and children, outline the key components
and issues involved with the challenges of this collaboration.
Planting The Seed: Growing And Sustaining A
PDS
Margo Jackson, University of South Carolina
Jan Fickling, Debbie Ballentine, and Jenna Melton, Lake Carolina
Elementary School
This session will be a roundtable discussion for all the stakeholders:
principals, university liaisons, clinical adjuncts, coaching teachers, and
interns in order to better ascertain the roles and responsibilities that are
essential to the development and continuation of a PDS. We want to share
our beginning as a new PDS and what our road map is for our journey to
success. Also, we want to hear from other established Professional
Development Schools the triumphs and challenges that they have encountered.
This will allow for the exchanging of ideas, knowledge, and experiences.
Our hope is to build a collaborative network that will continue
beyond the conference to help foster a stronger relationship between
stakeholders at universities and partnering schools.
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Planting The Seeds: Cultivating PDS
Relationships To Enhance Pre-service Field
Placements
Wanda L. Calvert, H. Bill Millar, and Seal N. Wilson, Clemson University
Rob Rhodes, School District of Oconee County
At the heart of pre-service preparation is the field experience. It is
here where candidates put theory into practice under the guidance and
mentoring of cooperating teachers. Because many factors contribute to
successful field placements, the field experiences coordinator, the PDS
coordinator, the university supervisor, and the cooperating teacher all
play an important role in ensuring their effectiveness. Using survey data,
we will identify factors that contribute to successful field placements and
describe the role each party plays in the relationship.
Planting The Seeds For A Successful Future:
Utilizing A Professor-In-Residence To Sustain A
Long-Term Bountiful Professional
Development School Relationship
Stephanie Koprowski-McGowan, Marie Donnantuono, Dorothy Feola,
Anthony LeFemina, Sharon Leathers, and Joyce Kazoun, William Paterson
University
For eight years, William Paterson University of New Jersey has
successfully utilized a Professor-In-Residence (PIR) at each sponsored
Professional Development School. Although initially developed for grantsponsored
schools only, this successful model has now expanded to
district-sponsored positions. William Paterson University of New Jersey
now has the opportunity to prepare inquiring educators in Professional
Development Schools that embrace the vision of great teaching that
produces successful students. The true success of this model is planting
the seed of a dynamic, diverse, and enthusiastic educator to be the
Professor-In-Residence. The PIR is responsible for building a peermentoring
relationship with the professional staff, supervising and supporting
university teacher candidates, and assisting the building administration
in meeting the goals and objectives set forth by the district. This
difficult but necessary position cultivates some very difficult terrain but
consistently produces a crop of successful teacher candidates. Spanning
across urban and suburban districts, this successful PDS model will be
shared by those who are currently in the field in various stages of
development. Perspectives to support the success of this model will be
shared by novice, intermediate, and long-term university faculty and staff.
Additionally, methods of documenting these successes to demonstrate
measurable outcomes and give credibility to the “fruit of our labor” will be
shared utilizing the standards set forth by NCATE and reflective evaluation
tools created specifically for our PDS network.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Professional Development Schools And Site
Based Courses
Donna Metlicka, University of St. Francis
This presentation will highlight the planning, execution, and benefits
of conducting a site-based university course in a Professional
Development School building. It will address the specific role of a university
professor and her role in bringing this type of experience to fruition.
It will highlight the steps needed to prepare to hold a course at a PDS
school, what the course looked like and how it was different from the
university-housed course, and the benefits gained by the professor,
teacher candidates, classroom teachers, and students.
Re-Defining Partnership Roles For Early Field
Experiences: A Model For The Development Of
School-Based Clinical Faculty
Kevin Bolinger, Robin Burden, Diana Quatroche, Sharron Watkins, and Beth
Whitaker, Indiana State University
Indiana State University for the past three years has been examining
teacher education practices with support from a federal grant, Project PRE
(partnering to re-form education). One of the most promising initiatives to
arise from this grant has been the development of an intensified early field
experience which relies heavily upon our partner school teachers. University
students who elect this path complete four of their content pedagogy
courses through a combination of one day per week at the university and
three days in an elementary school placement. Each of the clinical faculty
partners in the public schools shares in the responsibility for instruction
and supervision of the university student.
This presentation will demonstrate how Indiana State University
worked with local partner school faculty and administrators to develop and
define the roles and responsibilities of the clinical faculty. The presentation
will illuminate the features which distinguish clinical faculty from
traditional host teachers along with the differing expectations between
early field experiences and student teaching. Additionally, the presentation
will outline the training process used to develop the clinical faculty
member along with the lessons learned from the first year of implementation.
The format will include four fifteen minute presentations and a fifteen
minute question and discussion period. The four presentation topics will
be: (1) defining clinical faculty, (2) early field expectations, (3) clinical
faculty training, and (4) lessons learned so far.
Recognizing Teacher Candidates’ Voices As
Critical To Growing Our Own
Leslie Day, Amy Bianchi, Brooke Salzman, and Sarah Kwiatkowski, Buffalo
State College
Undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates at Buffalo State
College believe they are offered an extraordinary experience through its
Professional Development School Consortium. In collaboration with dedi-
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CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
20
cated college faculty, principals, and mentoring teachers, the teacher
candidates are given the opportunity to be directly involved in their
teaching preparation and training. Teacher candidates are entering schools
and are involved with student learning from their two-hundred level
courses, through student teaching, and into their graduate programs. This
session will focus on the significant role of teacher candidates in furthering
the PDS initiative as well as the importance of early and ongoing involvement
within PDS throughout the teacher education program. A typical day
in the life of PDS through the eyes of teacher candidates at different
milestones in their program will be presented. In addition, evidence of the
growing understanding of the remarkable opportunity of working and
collaborating in real schools will be discussed. Also, insights will be shared
regarding the leadership and scholarship opportunities provided teacher
candidates who serve on the Buffalo State College PDS Advisory Council
and the importance of growing our own future educational leaders, PDS
partners, and NAPDS members.
Reinventing Roles: How Partnerships Foster
Professional Growth
Barbara Bourne, University of Maryland Baltimore County
A primary focus of the PDS movement is the re-invention of the roles,
routines, and structures of schools and universities (Darling-Hammond,
2000; Ginsberg & Rhodes, 2003; Teitel, 2003). In order to successfully meet
these goals, there needs to be “simultaneous renewal” of teacher preparation
and professional development programs (Darling-Hammond, 1995).
This requires that university and school faculties and administrators break
through traditional patterns of job definitions and hierarchies to re-build
professional identities.
This session presents research that identifies how individuals in two
PDS communities have changed their own professional roles. The presenters
surveyed over 75 and interviewed more than 15 stakeholders in PDSs
associated with two state universities, one in Maryland and one in West
Virginia. Respondents included principals, teachers, site coordinators,
school district administrators, university faculty, and university-based
PDS directors.
Key findings will indicate how respondents:
• described their roles within the context of their PDS experiences;
• viewed their impact on PDS functions as they relate to NCATE
and state PDS standards (e.g., does their work impact teacher
preparation, professional development, P-12 achievement); and
• viewed the influence of organizational factors (e.g., institutional
values, rewards, conflicting policies, and commitments) on their
ability to carry out their roles.
Session attendees will compare their own definitions of PDSs,
explore their roles and the importance these play in PDS success, and note
ways in which they can better serve their own professional growth and the
success of the PDS of which they are a part.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Role-Alike Session For University PDS
Liaisons
Jill C. Miels, Lynette Varner, and Linda Taylor, Ball State University
The practices and procedures associated within the Professional
Development Schools Network at Ball State University have been institutionalized
and recognized for a process of true collaboration with its
individual partners, as well as serving as a role model for other institutions.
The presenters are representative of the caliber of faculty required to make
the notion of PDS work in the pressure of today’s educational atmosphere.
Ball State University has a long history of working successfully with
schools throughout the state of Indiana to prepare future teachers. After
ten years of working in the Professional Development Schools arena, there
is much to be learned from both the larger Network as well as individual
stories that guide our practice. Proposed for this session is an examination
of the responsibilities of the University PDS Liaisons in a large network and
a discussion of the various skills required to be an “effective” liaison. One
presenter will bring the perspective of her placement in a Pre-K setting.
Another will address the challenges and joys that come with serving as
liaison to two economically-diverse elementary schools in the same
district. The third presenter has experience in two separate elementary PDS
sites and has been involved in the administrative end of assigning liaisons
and maintaining PDS relationships.
Site Coordination Of Pre-service Teachers:
Three Different PDS Models
Pam Pitrolo, Watson Elementary School
Carol Muniz, Morgantown High School
It is sometimes difficult for university instructors to get release time
to conduct observations of pre-service students in Professional Development
Schools. West Virginia University and its 27 Professional Development
Schools have several models that are used to conduct thorough, ongoing
observations of our pre-service teachers.
Each Professional Development School chooses a classroom teacher
to serve as the Site Coordinator for collaboration with the university. The
Coordinator’s duties include making the practica placements, establishing
the budget, informing the host teachers of the students’ assignments and
responsibilities, observing the pre-service teachers, and reporting to the
university.
Professional Development Schools are awarded monies based on
the number of pre-service teachers placed at the school. One model uses
its allocation to buy a half--time graduate assistant to release the Site
Coordinator. Another model buys substitutes. The third model allows its
Site Coordinator an extra planning period per week and incorporates host
teachers of interns to make observations.
Packets of valuable information will be given to the session attendees.
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Student Teacher Success Through A
Collaborative University/School District
Partnership
Robert E. Kladifko and Barbara Charness, California State University,
Northridge
One of the biggest challenges for any school-university partnership
is the need to strengthen the connection between university professors
and P-12 school principals and staff. The Los Angeles Unified Schools/
California State University, Northridge, partnership has worked to successfully
implement a student teacher collaborative that meets the needs
of the instructional program at three P-12 schools at the elementary, middle,
and high school levels, as well as enhancing and expanding the experiences
for a cohort of student teachers.
The Teachers for a New Era (TNE) student teachers program has
experienced its fifth year of successful implementation. The principals and
staff from the clinical site schools have been intimately involved in
sustaining the partnership effort.
This presentation will discuss the results of personal interviews with
the staff from the three schools and how they contributed to sustaining
the program at their schools.
“Survivors: Chicago” The P-12 School’s Role
In Preparing Future Teachers
Heather Barnett, Sara Duffy, Marisa Keim, and Jessica Klink, Alcott
Elementary School
Sharon Damore and Kathie Kapustka, DePaul University
When it comes to the education of future teachers, PDS national
experts are adamant that P-12 educators be equal and active partners with
the university (Holmes Group, 1997; Levine, 1992). In this session, the
presenters share structures in their school that enable P-12 teacher leaders
to demonstrate active collaboration in ensuring quality educational experiences
for pre-service teachers.
The presenters, teacher leaders, are assuming progressive roles as
partners in training and mentoring field experience students and student
teachers. As the teachers participate in an unprecedented opportunity for
a voice in teacher education design, they engage in inquiry about best
practices in pre-service teaching preparation. The decisions are datadriven,
based on teacher and student feedback. Increased communication
has occurred this year between teachers and university faculty regarding
the expectations of pre-service and cooperating teachers. The school has
also yielded new faculty for the university: the principal and two teacher
leaders have taught student teacher seminars and induction courses. In
professional development, the NCATE PDS standards are utilized to guide
all teachers to understand and implement this unique school-university
partnership. The teacher leaders are committed to becoming exemplars in
the education and mentoring of pre-service teachers.
The session will be practical in nature, with the presenters describing
the use of action plans, collaborative inquiry, network resources, and
professional development to keep the school focused and productive. The

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
audience will leave with knowledge of structures for developing and
sustaining the goal of true collaborative partnerships in order to ensure
high quality teacher education.
Sustaining Our Professional Growth In The
Mathematics Classrooms At RESA
Karen Brankin, Madelyn Johnson, and Jane Pickett, Rockford Environmental
Science Academy Middle School
Helen Khoury and Ellen Hines, Northern Illinois University
Project REAL, a US-DOE grant, initiated at RESA, a large urban
middle school in the Midwest, a successful PDS in a span of four years.
The mathematics teachers at RESA are the leading agents of change in this
emerging PDS. They participated in long-term research-based professional
development work in mathematics education, they implemented
change in their classroom practices, they assumed new teacher-leadership
roles, they supported and coached each other as needed, they developed
into a glued professional nucleus, and they invited university teachereducators
to their classrooms to learn with them how middle school
students think mathematically, and of effective mathematics teaching
practices in terms of students’ improved dispositions and achievement
levels.
In Lester (2007), various designs of successful frameworks for
professional development in mathematics education were described,
including that of a PDS. A PDS was reported as not easy to implement; it
takes time, it requires persistent expertise and commitment at many levels,
but if successful it is highly effective (NRC, 2001; Sowder, 2007). In this
presentation five educators will share their real-life effective practices in
this growing PDS. These practices will focus on teaching/learning vignettes
in the day of two middle school mathematics teachers at RESA
(grades 6 and 8), one mathematics teacher-leader and curriculum specialist
at RESA, and two university mathematics educators in their methods
courses at the university level. These real-life accounts will provide a
snapshot of how one PDS is sustaining its growth at many levels and the
different roles of individuals.
The Accountable PDS School Counselor: An
Agent For Change
Randy Astramovich and Wendy Hoskins, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
School counselors at Professional Development Schools can offer
strong leadership in helping PDS partners develop and maintain a successful
working alliance. This presentation will review the function of the
school counselor in promoting a successful PDS collaboration with a
university. The role of the school counselor as an accountable “change
agent” will be discussed, including ways school counselors can collaborate
with PDS partners to plan, implement, and evaluate the outcomes of
school counseling programs and services. A model for evaluating PDS
school counseling programs will be presented, along with examples of
successful program outcomes. In addition, the role of the PDS school
counselor as a supervisor of interns will be explored. Finally, the benefits
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of a strong PDS school counseling program will be highlighted, including
advantages to PDS students, their families, and all PDS stakeholders.
The Challenges Of Maintaining Quality Staff
At An At-Risk School
Susan Steaffens, Dean Petersen Professional Development School
Dean Petersen Professional Development School is located in the
heart of Las Vegas, a mile from the Las Vegas Strip. The majority of students
live in apartments and several live with multiple families. The transiency
rate is at 57%. The ethnicity of the students attending Dean Petersen PDS
consists of Hispanic (65%), Black/African-American (20%), and White
(11%). Attracting and maintaining qualified teachers is a major challenge.
Most teachers live in the suburbs where they could teach in middle to high
socioeconomic areas close to their homes.
In order to maintain a Professional Development School, it is
essential to have experienced teachers with curriculum expertise to support
the needs of the community as well as the partnership with the
university. This year we are looking at several different ways to attract
these curriculum experts. One avenue is to work with the university to
promote the advantages of being at a Professional Development School
- being close to the university, accessing reduced costs of tuition in certain
programs, and benefiting from the expertise of the university staff are just
a few ideas. Participants will be involved in a discussion on how to reach
the goal of attracting and maintaining high quality teachers.
The IHE Liaison Viewed As An Active Member
Of The PDS – AKA: The “Doer”
Barbara Schwartz-Bechet, Bowie State University
The PDS partnership is a conglomeration of elements that create a
unique institution. Within that institution, the Institution of Higher Education
(IHE) liaison should be considered a member of the public school
in which he/she is engaged in professional development initiatives. This
unique situation can best be defined by the way the IHE liaison works
toward achieving mutually defined goals for the staff, children, families,
and pre-service teachers.
This presentation will demonstrate ways in which the IHE liaison, an
associate professor of special education, has become the “doer,” the
individual engaging in action verbs spoken about at meetings, at a special
education PDS. Some of those action verbs include: observing and
providing feedback to staff, instructing staff members, participating in
parent meetings, participating in Special Olympics events, organizing
book clubs, and action research. The focus of the presentation will be on
the sharing of strategies used by the IHE liaison to create the development
of trust and relationship-building that lead to action, including a testament
to the personal growth attained by the IHE liaison. The timeline of how the
IHE liaison began and established the active participation process will be
presented. The achievements that have been attained by the school
community will be shared in both quantitative and qualitative terms. The
use of LiveText, a web-based program that enables discussion, viewing of

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
educational materials, survey usage, and feedback as a tool to engage
parents, and initiated in September 2007, will be discussed and demonstrated
in the presentation.
The Importance Of The PDS Liaison
Greg Boso and Cynthia S. Kelley, West Virginia University at Parkersburg
In 2005, the West Virginia University at Parkersburg Partnership
Project created the position of PDS liaison to assist the Project Director in
the administration of the various components of the project. The PDS
liaison is responsible for assisting the Project Director by ensuring lines
of communication, guiding research, securing grant funding, recruiting
interested schools, distributing materials, and serving on various committees.
The liaison is also responsible for communicating and coordinating
professional development activities for PDS schools within the Partnerships
Project.
The first liaison for the Partnerships Project has experience as a
principal of a Professional Development School. This session will describe
the position, development of the position, challenges with the position,
and the advantages of being a past PDS principal in the position. Participants
will learn the important “individual role” of the PDS liaison.
The Many Faces Of PDS
Lauren Stanczyk, Hollifield Station Elementary School
Mary Peterson, Dee Walsh, and Kathy Jacobs, Waverly Elementary School
Kristen Olsen, St. John’s Lane Elementary School
Donna Culan, Howard County Public Schools
Ann Eustis, Ellen Ballock, and Jamie Sheffer, Towson University
Effective PDS work requires the collaboration of individuals across
many different roles. In fact, the Maryland PDS Implementation Manual
outlines specific roles essential to a true PDS partnership. The purpose of
this presentation is to showcase several of the roles central to our
collaborative efforts: county resource personnel, principals, PDS coordinators,
university supervisors, site liaisons, steering committee members,
mentors, and interns. The presentation will address the ways in which roles
suggested by the state of Maryland have been specifically developed
within our partnership. We will attend to the definition, qualifications, and
job description for each role, a history of how each role developed, and the
supports for each role within the larger system. We will also share how the
interactions of individuals in these various roles have benefited the whole
community.
The Patriot Initiative: Achieving Consensus Of
Dispositions For Teacher Education
Candidates
Nancy Land and Lynne Mills, Auburn University Montgomery
The Pike Road community continues to grow as an incorporated
town. It continues to move toward the development of its own school
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system. Within the plan is the desire to form a Professional Development
School with five universities located within a 60 mile radius of its city limits.
The Patriot Initiative is a plan that will be used to establish Alabama
Schools of Excellence in Teaching, which is a part of the public school
system, in Pike Road, Alabama. The first school is in its planning stage.
During the sessions of planning, the stakeholders often discuss the
dispositions which would apply to teacher education candidates. A study
was created to analyze the findings of a survey of dispositions created
through the Auburn Montgomery School of Education. The study will
include data gathered about chosen dispositions from university professors,
the community, and teacher candidates. The findings of the study will
be used to determine the areas of strongest agreement. The information will
be used to bond the stakeholders of a new PDS program.
The Power Of More Than One: A
Collaborative Model
Lottie Almonte, Rachelle McClathie, Carolina Nunez, Sholanty Taylor, and
Raven Cumberbatch, Performing Arts and Technology High School
Haroon Kharem, Wayne Reed, Lynda Sarnoff, Maria Scharron-del Rio, and
Alma Rubal-Lopez, Brooklyn College
Performing Arts and Technology High School is committed to
creating and sustaining an inquiry-based, vital learning environment for
all its students. Located in the East New York community, where more than
40% of households have a yearly income of less than $15,000, and 27%
have a yearly income of less than $10,000, the school has had to develop
educational partnerships and innovative programs that promote achievement
and academic success. One of the strongest partnerships is the
school’s relationship with Brooklyn College.
Our seventy-five minute session, focusing on Strand #1, Individual
Roles, will highlight key aspects of the collaboration. Our PDS partnership
includes the work of two full-time professors, who teach an African-
American history elective course and a child psychology course at the
high school, a full-time professor who is active in the community and who
has organized a Teen Summit for the high school students, a full-time
college faculty member who provides professional development to the
high school teachers around the issues of student support services, and
the principal of the high school who is an adjunct lecturer in the School of
Education.
Our workshop will feature the voices of the students in the high
school, who will describe the way their lives in the school intersect with
the work of the Brooklyn College faculty. Audience members will hear, firsthand,
about the students’ experiences as tutors in local elementary
schools, their reflections on the courses they have taken with the college
professors, and the ways they have integrated their school’s collaboration
with a college into their academic, emotional, and social development.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The Shared-Supervision Model
Jody Eberly, Arti Joshi, and Harlene Galen, The College of New Jersey
This is our first year in a pilot initiative to strengthen the influence
of the PDS model between our 4-year teaching college and one of the
schools where we place our student teachers. The impetus for this project
was an outcome of the request from the local school district superintendent,
who invited the college dean, faculty, and district level directors to
discuss the development of a true PDS partnership. The resultant model
that emerged from the meeting was to provide opportunities for exchange
of learning/teaching between faculty in the college and the public school
faculty. The project involved multiple facets, one of which described here
is the Shared-Supervision model. There was one project coordinator and
two college supervisors who worked with nine elementary school faculty
(K-2). Our particular approach was to invite the school faculty to serve as
co-supervisors who provide mentoring and support to our student teachers
in their learning of becoming successful professionals. In the initial
weeks of the semester, the college faculty provided training to the school
faculty in terms of defining the role of mentoring; explaining the assignments
that the student teachers needed to complete within the seminar that
is taken concurrently with their teaching; and utilizing the rubrics used to
evaluate and mentor the student teachers. Subsequent meetings entailed
discussion of their role as mentors. Specifically with regard to their role as
shared supervisors, individual meetings were held with the school teachers
and the college faculty to discuss and evaluate the student teacher’s
lesson observed commonly by both the faculty. Findings and insights
from this project will be shared.
The Superglue Of The PDS: The Role Of
Effective Field Supervisors In PDS Work
Angela Gregory, Diane Yendol-Hoppey, and Anne Ogg, University of Florida
One of the most well documented changes that have emerged from
PDS work in the past two decades is changes in structure, resources, and
roles in public schools and universities. However, less attention has been
specifically focused on the potentially powerful role that field-based
supervisors can play when positioned in key aspects of school-based PDS
work. The field-based learning component is the time when bridges are
built between theory and practice and foundational dispositions can be
fostered. Field supervisors are in a prime boundary-spanning role to foster
professionalism, support links between theory and practice, and serve as
a resource for professional learning within the PDS. When these capacities
are structurally linked, the field supervisor can be a resource for supporting
school renewal and change. This presentation will use Clark’s (1999) four
purposes for the PDS - school renewal, inquiry, professional development
for practitioners, and teacher education - to illustrate the powerful role that
field supervisors can achieve when well positioned in PDS structures. The
presentation will draw upon data from field notes, interviews, and observations
to provide multiple vignettes and narrative accounts for how field
supervisors can be utilized as resources to simultaneously support multiple
PDS goals. In addition, examples will also illustrate the role of the field
supervisor in growing and sustaining PDS work. This presentation is
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intended for both school-based and university-based faculty. Important
considerations for PDS policy will also be discussed.
The Synergetic Effects Of Professional
Development Schools: The Benefits For
Graduate Students
Florian C. Haerle, Wendy J. Hoskins, Lisa D. Bendixen, and Randy L.
Astramovich, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
This presentation was developed to highlight the ongoing collaboration
between the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Petersen Elementary
School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Specifically, this presentation will
highlight the unique perspective of including graduate students as an
important component of the successful collaboration between universities
and PDSs. Presenters will address the structure that has fostered a
stronger ongoing partnership between the university setting and the PDS
elementary school by creating a unique experience for graduate students
as described in three parts:
1. formation of and sustainability of the stakeholders’ committee,
membership development including graduate students, the functionality
of the committee, and positive growth;
2. utilization of a program evaluation model offering a beneficial
framework for professional development to three sub-systems:
PDS faculty, university faculty, and graduate students; and
3. focus on the synergetic effect of the overlapping interrelationship
of faculty, PDS, and graduate students. More specifically,
we will discuss and provide three specific examples of how
graduate students have benefited from their participation in the
PDS partnership within research, teaching, and service.
This presentation is consistent with Strand #1 and will be addressed
through highlighting the experience and significant role played by graduate
students and how their involvement helps create the “glue that holds
together successful PDS collaborations.”
The View Of The Professor: A Self Study
During An Elementary Education Methods
Course
Dianne S. McCarthy, Buffalo State College
Self study is the study of your own role in the story of your class and
your teaching. It is the study of what tasks you require of students, why
you do them, and what outcome they achieve. It is the study of your
relationship with your students, your cooperating teachers in a Professional
Development School, and even the elementary children in the
school situation where the pre-service teachers, your students, are participating.
It is looking at actions from the outside. Are they achieving the
outcomes desired? Are they supporting and mentoring students on the
path to becoming teachers, or are they impeding students from preparation
for the real world of teaching?

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
This presentation shares my self study as the professor of Elementary
Education Methods for Mathematics and Science. This undergraduate
course works with a Professional Development School. We, as a class,
work with one public urban elementary school. My students assist their
cooperating teachers and prepare and implement lessons. While I provide
mentoring to my own students, I also try to assist the school with special
projects and staff development. The PDS is the cornerstone of the course.
The class would really lack substance without the practical application
side of observing what was discussed in the college classroom and
implementing teaching strategies with real children. I will share my self
study during the teaching of this course.
Three Years Later . . . The Journey Of One
Professional Development School Model
Nancy Diggs and Jo Rosati, Killian Elementary School
Stephen Thompson, Zina Hudson, and Jeanne McKinney, University of South
Carolina
Three years of effort in developing a Professional Development
School model has yielded new roles for faculty members at one elementary
school in an evolving relationship with College of Education faculty. With
a focus on enhancing teaching and learning in science at the school level,
an inquiry-based approach has been central to the partnership. The
collaboration has been implemented in different ways each year as efforts
are made to address the needs of the elementary school and the university.
Improvements are made which have provided the impetus for further
change as the partnership evolves and better suits the needs of the K-5
school and the College of Education.
Various teacher leadership roles have come about from this collaboration,
in addition to the professional development opportunities planned
on-site. The roles of the University Liaison and the Clinical Adjunct, who
work with pre-service students in clinical experiences at the school, along
with the roles of the university faculty member and school level administration
support will be shared. The dynamic nature of the partnership will
be discussed and specific examples of issues and strengths will be
provided.
Trading Places For Science Education:
Switching Roles Between A Middle School
Teacher And A University Education Professor
Charles J. Eick, Auburn University
Mark T. Jones, Drake Middle School
Karen Spencer-Anderson, Auburn City Schools
A science teacher educator and a science teacher share their
experiences in each other’s roles during the spring of 2007. Both individuals
had worked extensively with each other in developing a candidatesupported
model of learning to teach hands-on science utilizing STC and
FOSS curriculum in the partnership middle school. The educator became
an eighth grade physical science teacher while on spring sabbatical in
order to test out a new conceptual change, inquiry-based curriculum called
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Interactions in Physical Science. Also, the educator wanted to hone his
skills and update his experience through a “practice what you teach”
experience. This “back to the classroom” experience will be shared from the
perspective of re-entering the classroom after ten years, having been a
middle grades and physical science teacher in the early 90s. The science
teacher filled in for the educator and began teaching the educator’s oncampus
courses in science methods and technology. The teacher had
taught some summer graduate science education courses for the university
in the past, as well as regularly hosted university methods students
and interns. His experience as “teacher become professor” will be recounted
from the perspective of authenticity of position and experience
informed by research and study on best practice and inquiry. The benefits
of swapping roles to both the university program and school system
partner on the development of teacher candidates and support of classroom
students’ learning will be discussed.
University Liaison Lenses: Elementary And
Secondary
Jean Ann Foley and Emilie Berruezo Rodger, Northern Arizona University
There are unique challenges for university faculty who coordinate,
supervise, and act as liaisons for school/university partnerships. Even
listing the multiple roles that the “hybrid educator” assumes could fill
pages. Despite the complex roles and multiple responsibilities involved in
furthering the PDS initiative, we are convinced that it is crucial to prepare
future teachers within the context of a school with real teachers, students,
administrators, and parents. Prior to student teaching, these pre-service
teachers need a covered bridge that links theory to practice. The partnership
encourages strong relationships with mentor teachers without the
responsibility of an entire class. The partnership invites engagement from
diverse perspectives. It provokes questions about teacher identity and
teaching as a profession and culture for interns as well as mentor teachers.
The partnership also removes the safety of the academic walls and exposes
the student to the harsh realities and creative possibilities of teaching.
In this presentation, we will share our experiences with our partnership
schools from the perspective of a secondary program and an elementary
program. Although, we share a common passion for, and commitment
to Professional Development Schools, our diverse experiences expose
unique tensions related to:
1. Relationships with mentor teachers,
2. Trust development in the partnership classrooms, and
3. Negotiations with university support.
After sharing our experiences, we will open the session for participants
to share ideas of how to further promote PDS initiatives and handle
some of the tensions that we have described.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
We’re All In This Together! A Collaborative
Model Of Professional Development For
Student Teaching Supervisors
Irma VanScoy, Beth Powers-Costello, Angela Baum, Ulanda James, and Erin
Miller, University of South Carolina
Consistent with PDS goals, this session will describe a seminar
designed to support the professional development of student teaching
supervisors (including both PDS and non-PDS personnel such as school
liaisons, adjunct supervisors, tenure-track and clinical faculty, and an
associate dean). The goals for this project were to: 1) build community, 2)
communicate relevant details, and 3) provide a forum for problem solving.
An additional goal for this group was to study and reflect on relevant topics
such as: 1) issues surrounding diversity, 2) classroom management, and
3) both formal and informal observations. Currently, data are being
collected through surveys and focus groups to ascertain the most useful
elements of this experience and recommendations for next steps. The
objectives of this presentation will be to share the details of a professional
development model for student teaching supervisors, share insights
gained through this process, and engage participants in a collaborative
discussion on the possibilities for such endeavors. This presentation
specifically addresses “Strand #1: Individual Roles” as outlined in the call
for conference proposals because it focuses on the significant position of
student teaching supervisors and their vital role in working with coaching
teachers, student interns, and school administrators.
What Do They Do All Day? A Look At The
Daily “Life” Of Partnership Liaisons
Mary Morrow, Bradford School
Fran Greb, Montclair State University
Counselor, mentor, educator, marketer, event planner, and ombudsman
are only a few of the roles performed by two individuals serving as
partnership liaisons. One of the liaisons is a professor at Montclair State
University (MSU); the other is a partnership coordinator at Bradford
School, the University Magnet. A strong partnership has been established
whose motto is, “Everyone teaches and everyone learns.” Together they
share responsibility for teacher preparation, professional development,
and student learning. They have become boundary spanners who function
as one community. What exactly do they do? A quick glimpse of a typical
day will illuminate each role.
On a “typical day,” the university liaison can be seen modeling a
morning meeting, planning for a student teacher observation, mediating a
co-teaching issue, sharing ideas with teachers in an inclusion program,
planning an in-service program, or teaching an on-site university course.
At the same time, the school partnership facilitator is researching avenues
for university/school collaboration, corresponding and visiting with university
departments to support school curriculum, and accompanying
elementary students to campus for authentic learning experiences. These
individuals collaborate with MSU for placement of student teachers and
provide support for student teachers and faculty, all while teaching at their
respective institutions. Both schools recognize the vital role these posi-
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tions play in the success of this partnership. Their work, in part, happens
because of the allocation of funding for both positions. These individuals
are helping to merge two learning communities for the betterment of both.
What It Means To Be A TOSA: The Master
Practitioner And Wearer Of Many Hats!
Lori Bird, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Gary Chamberlain, Waseca Public Schools
Tom Quiram, LeSueur-Henderson Public Schools
Sandy Hatlestad, Kristin Dauk, Tracy Sexton, and Bridget Weigt, Mankato
Area Public Schools
Minnesota State University, Mankato and PDS partners from six area
school districts support many collaborative projects that meet the unique
needs of individual buildings, provide professional development opportunities
for in-service and pre-service teachers, quality field experiences
for pre-service teachers, mentorship opportunities for pre-service and
beginning teachers, and educational exchanges to share resources and
best practices. An integral member of the PDS team, the TOSA (Teacher
on Special Assignment) is a P-12 faculty member released from classroom
duties for one to three years to play a significant role in teacher education
by assuming half-time university and half-time district responsibilities.
The TOSA is a master at wearing many hats, sometimes several at a time!
Whether it’s functioning as mentor, supervisor, collaborator, coach,
facilitator, communicator, problem solver, or friend, being active in the
whole gamut of PDS activities is what the TOSA position is all about. Come
to hear this team of PDS partners describe the many hats they wear and how
the TOSA position plays an instrumental role in maintaining the positive
relationships that sustain their PDS partnerships.
Working With A Cohort Program In A Year-
Round School: The Rewards And The
Concerns
Richard Burnham, Donna Escobar, Karen Homen, and Hilary Jones,
Petersen Professional Development School
Working with a year-round schedule poses unique issues for
everyone involved. When you add a Professional Development School
component into the mix and a cohort of pre-service teachers, things get a
little more complex. Petersen Professional Development School is located
in Las Vegas, Nevada. Working in collaboration with the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas and Paradise Professional Development School,
Petersen hosts a cohort of ten pre-service teachers who are completing
their course work, both of their practicums, and student teaching at our
school. This relationship has had many positive effects for all parties
involved.
How do you make sure that your interns have mentors for each of
their practicums and student teaching? What do you do during track
breaks? How do you build and develop relationships between the mentors,
interns, and the other teachers in the school with the movement caused by
track breaks? During this session, these and many other issues that we

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
have encountered as a year-round Professional Development School will
be discussed. We will also share some of the strategies and solutions that
we have found for tackling the problems that arise from being year-round.
The benefits of working as a team with the university and another
Professional Development School will also be shared.
Yours, Mine, And Now Ours – How “Teaming”
For Supervision And PDS Coordination
Redefined Our Focus
Ann Eustis and Ellen Ballock, Towson University
In order to further grow and hopefully sustain our tri-site elementary
PDS, the large state university with which we are affiliated piloted sending
two-person teams of university liaisons to coordinate, instruct, supervise,
and further the professional development/school improvement goals for
all PDS stakeholders.
This particular suburban partnership, now in its eighth year, has had
remarkable stability vis-à-vis administrators, school district PDS facilitators,
and university coordinators/liaisons. What was significantly different
this academic year was the need for orientation/induction of three new
school-based site coordinators and a new full-time elementary education
faculty member (who was already well-versed in the PDS world). In
addition, the College of Education and the Elementary Department was
willing to look very creatively at some critical staffing and workload issues.
This presentation will focus on the successes, challenges, and
lessons learned (so far) as we evolved from a much more directive
organizational model which had the one university person at the helm
(allegedly) to a model of shared facilitation and joint responsibility for
governance, instruction, supervision, and overall coordination/problemsolving.
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2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
STRAND #2 – COMMON
UNDERSTANDINGS
A “PDS” Relationship Is “Pretty Darn Special”
Cynthia S. Kelley, West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Joseph R. Oliverio, Worthington Elementary School
I remember the day I was asked if my school was interested in
becoming a Professional Development School with West Virginia University
at Parkersburg. I wondered, “What will this journey be like?” After
seven years I will share the trials, successes, challenges, and accomplishments
of the PDS collaboration.
Two years ago, as an assistant principal, I had an opportunity to
transfer schools. One of the main factors in my decision was whether the
new school was part of a PDS network. I found that Worthington Elementary
School and West Virginia University at Parkersburg had an existing
PDS relationship of five years. I became the principal of that school. The
PDS program at Worthington focuses on mathematics. In the past year we
have begun to formally document student achievement gains in math as
a result of PDS work. Worthington Elementary is a middle class school with
280 students. It is part of the Partnerships Project, the PDS network
associated with West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
Questions that this session will address about PDS relationships are:
• What is in it for the school and university?
• How will students at both institutions benefit?
• How will the staff be affected?
• What role will funding play in the partnership?
• What professional growth can come from a partnership?
• What advantages exist for teacher candidates and teachers?
We don’t have all the answers, we continue to learn and improve, but
we can share with you why we believe this partnership is “pretty darn
special.”
A Principal’s Inquiry Into Building School
Community
Donnan Stoicovy, Park Forest Elementary School
Bernard Badiali, Pennsylvania State University
“Community is the tie that binds teachers and students together to
shared values and ideals.” (Sergiovanni, 1994 p. 72).
As one of ten elementary schools in the State College Area School
District/The Pennsylvania State University Professional Development
School Partnership, Park Forest Elementary (PFE) School enjoys many of
the benefits of the collaborative. One of the practices encouraged within
our collaboration is engaging teachers in action research/teacher inquiry.
We believe that teacher inquiry is essential in building a school community
and that giving students a sense of community is an essential element for
their success in school. We also believe that if we want teachers to engage
in inquiry, we must model that process by engaging in inquiry ourselves.
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This session will give a description of our inquiry into building our
school community. Our major question was, “How does having a weekly
All-School Gathering help to build our school community?” Sub-questions
included, “How does it improve student behavior?” “How does
recognizing student accomplishments encourage more student accomplishments?”
“Does a specific seating arrangement facilitate a closer,
community feeling?” “Will students begin to take ownership of the
gatherings? If so, how?” and “Are students eager to perform in front of
their peers?” Data sources included teacher surveys, student surveys,
student interviews, principal notes and reflections, parent letters, and All-
School Gathering artifacts.
This session will report our findings and will engage the audience
in a discussion about the value of creating a community within a partnership.
A Value-Based School-University Partnership
Ovid Wong, MeShelda A. Jackson, and James Pelech, Benedictine University
Denise Spells, St. Ethelreda Catholic Elementary School
This presentation describes a unique partnership between an elementary
Catholic school and a Catholic university. The purpose of this
partnership is to provide a research-based framework that will accomplish
the following objectives: (a) improve student achievement at the elementary
school, (b) enhance the efficacy of the faculty at the elementary school
and the university, (c) provide pre-service teachers an opportunity to put
theory into action, and (d) use research as a tool for ongoing assessment
within the professional learning community. This partnership is based on
a shared philosophy of values and theory-based pedagogy centered
around four common values (scholarship, leadership, life-long inquiry,
and social responsibility) that both the university and elementary school
hold true in their belief systems. The first phase of the partnership begins
with an assessment of teacher content knowledge and pedagogy that
flows from these values. The next phase will be to align the identified needs
to research proven practices. Pre-service teachers will be involved in the
research projects through their clinical experiences. During the course of
this partnership, pre-service teachers and classroom teachers will learn
best practices in teaching that ultimately lead to better academic achievement
and enhancement of instruction among the students in the classroom.
The values shared by the elementary school and the university will
provide the foundation for this unique partnership.
Bringing Us Together: Professional
Development And Simultaneous Renewal
Kami M. Patrizio, Towson University
The PDS is a complex, collaborative organism that consists of
multiple groups of stakeholders from schools and universities. It is no
secret that these diverse PDS participants struggle with negotiating the
“inquiry-based culture of the university and the action oriented culture of
schools.” (Goodlad, J., Mantle-Bromley, C. & Goodlad, S.J., 2004, p. 113)
Engaging in simultaneous renewal requires incorporating activities that
create reflective learning spaces which help to make meaning of these

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
organizational differences in a productive way that improves student
achievement. Best professional development practices (National Staff
Development Council, 2007) that are student-centered and classroombased
can be used to this purpose across a myriad of configurations of PDS
stakeholders. This presentation, based on a two-and-a-half year case
study of an NCATE accredited, regional PDS and the grounded action that
resulted, illustrates how intern cohorts, mentor-intern dyads, PDS steering
committees, and university program faculty can improve PDS capacity for
simultaneous renewal by using the best professional development practice
of looking together at student work (Easton, 2004). Specifically, it
provides information about the process and engages participants in the
following:
1. an opportunity to identify and address the benefits and challenges
of initiating start-up professional development activities
in the PDS environment;
2. experience with the appreciative inquiry approach (Cooperrider
& Whitney, 1999) to organizational development;
3. data-based exploration of how the best professional development
practice of looking together at student work (Easton, 2004)
can improve student achievement, teacher learning, and simultaneous
renewal; and
4. hands-on activities with tools that might be used to initiate
professional development activities in their own PDS.
Building Capacity For Implementing
Innovation: A Professional Development
District’s Grant-Writing Initiative
Gini Doolittle, Cori Meredith, Martin Sharp, Martha Graham Viator, and
Patrick M. Westcott, Rowan University
A Professional Development District (PDD), one of only a few in New
Jersey, the Monroe Township Public School District is undergoing rapid
transition from agricultural community to suburban/urban community.
The Rowan University PDS liaisons partner with the district’s four elementary
schools, middle school, and high school serving approximately 6,000
students. In late spring 2007, the liaisons began a grant writing process to
address the need for enhanced teacher development, support, and retention,
with the ultimate goal of increasing student achievement. With many
experienced educators retiring, Monroe Township Schools hired large
numbers of new teachers. As novice educators often lack mastery of
research-based best practice, providing on-site graduate courses taught
by the PDS liaisons, made possible through grant funding, helped build
capacity for implementing innovation in classrooms. Two courses will
serve as the vehicle for an examination of research-based best practice.
Instructional strategies can be immediately implemented in the classroom
and analyzed over time to determine the effect on student academic
achievement. We firmly believe building common understanding of best
instructional practice makes our PDD partnership “true” in the best sense
of the word. Our presentation will include (1) the rationale for writing the
grant, (2) bringing stakeholders onboard (school district and university
administrators), (3) researching funding sources, 4) collecting data on
teacher demographics, 5) surveying teacher interest, and 6) analyzing data
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of academic achievement gaps K-12. The session will conclude with a
question and answer period.
Collaborative Structures: A Vehicle For
Developing Common Understandings Across
The PDS Community
Jim Nolan, Bernard Badiali, and Susan Lunsford, Penn State University
Kelly Parks, Radio Park Elementary School
Shari Dillon, Grays Woods Elementary School
Our elementary PDS partnership consists of one university working
with ten elementary schools and two middle schools within a single school
district. What is somewhat unique about our PDS is that, unlike most PDS
partnerships, we do not consider each building to be a separate PDS. We
consider ourselves to be one community of mind geographically dispersed
across the ten buildings rather than a community of place. Creating and
maintaining a single community across ten buildings, however, is no easy
task. It requires the creation of opportunities for interaction and collaboration
across the buildings as well as events that recognize and celebrate
our collective PDS identity.
This presentation will describe and explain a wide variety of collaborative
structures that we have developed over time to sustain our PDS
community. Each of the structures allows for interaction across a variety
of role groups as well as collaboration across elementary buildings and the
university. Four types of collaborative structures will be described: 1)
those structures that primarily sustain our current work (e.g. mentor
meetings, intern meetings, and principal meetings); 2) those structures that
provide vision for future work (e.g. course planning teams, steering
committee, and mentor retreats); 3) those structures that celebrate and
ritualize our work (e.g., PDS opening ceremony and culminating pinning
ceremony); and 4) those structures that support mutual renewal (e.g.,
annual teacher inquiry conference and critical friends groups).
Common Understandings Based On The
Assessment Of Candidates’ Electronic
Portfolios
Douglas W. Rogers, Baylor University
In 1999, Baylor University launched an ambitious re-design of its
teacher preparation program, moving all candidates into one of ten
Professional Development Schools. Since its inception, our PDS initiative
focused on capturing both candidate performance and impact on student
learning through candidate-prepared electronic portfolios (eFolios). Assessment
of student learning and candidate performance continues to
drive a great deal of our PDS work. This session will chronicle the six-year
evolution of our candidate eFolio and the common understandings that
have grown from that work. The presentation will consist of four primary
elements: 1) an overview of the candidate eFolios; 2) the eFolio assessment
process and data derived from the process; 3) the work associated with
gaining consistency across entities and personnel (public school teach-

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
ers, candidates, intern supervisors, program faculty, etc.); and 4) the
common understandings that have developed and are developing as a
result of this activity. Quantitative longitudinal data and periodic qualitative
data will illustrate a number of issues addressed by members of our PDS
partnership. Each issue will be elaborated in a way that demonstrates how
the work of assessing student and candidate performance lead to greater
depth of understanding among the various constituencies represented in
a PDS partnership.
Commonalities In Conceptual, Physical, And
Emotional Understandings: Using Former
Students As Mentor Teachers In Urban School
Settings
Carol Welsh and Doyin Coker-Kolo, Millersville University
Orchestrating field placements can be one of the more challenging
areas of teacher education, even within PDS programs. While many
universities and teacher education programs have strong relationships
with schools and school districts, a wide array of variables complicates the
relationship between teacher educators, mentor teachers, and pre-service
teachers. This presentation describes how using former students as
mentor teachers helps address three central complications in these relationships,
particularly as they occur in urban PDS programs.
First, using former students to mentor beginning teachers within a
PDS model helps insure common understandings of the requirements and
expectations for field experiences.
Second, because the mentor teachers spent a year at the school
before accepting a regular position, they are a more stable presence in the
PDS, which helps attenuate the instability of high teacher turnover in urban
schools.
Third, as the mentor teachers are former students, they demonstrate
a strong commitment to the process of teacher education in general and
the particular program they are a part of in particular, insuring their belief
in the benefits of participation.
Descriptions and data for this presentation come from the Post-
Baccalaureate Teacher Intern Program at Millersville University (the Postbac).
The Post-bac is an intensive, year-long program with extensive field
experiences in the urban middle schools of the School District of Lancaster,
Pennsylvania. While these middle schools were not originally intended to
become Professional Development Schools, the PDS structure has emerged
as a natural result of the consistent presence of the Post-bac over the last
eight years.
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Continuing The Partnership After Key Players
Move On To Other Roles
Bessie L. Gage, Johnson C. Smith University
Philip Steffes and Kathryn Bentley, Merry Oaks International Academy of
Learning
Seven hundred sixty thousand dollars in grant funds were awarded
to Johnson C. Smith University to lead collaborative efforts to create
replicable models of urban, school-based learning labs. The learning labs
were intended to provide early practical experiences for teacher candidates
enrolled at local universities, to support student learning and to promote
parent participation in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ (CMS) family
literacy programs. By design, the learning labs integrate concepts from
Professional Development School partnerships and from family literacy
programs. They were to provide rich, pre-service experiences and practice
for teacher candidates in school classrooms and in family literacy programs.
Teacher candidates would learn and develop skills by working
directly with experienced teachers, with children, with parents, and with
parents and their children. Five CMS schools that operated family literacy
programs were targeted for partnerships with higher education institutions
and for the creation of learning labs.
Dwindling numbers of operating and/or eligible Even Start and other
family literacy programs at CMS schools limited opportunities to match
and pair higher education institutions with elementary schools. Over a
two-year period, the number of CMS family literacy sites dropped from five
in 2004-05 to one in 2006-07.
By the fall of 2006, a very strong partnership had developed between
Merry Oaks and Johnson C. Smith University. The team met during the
summer and planned an exciting calendar of activities for the 2006-2007
school year. It was announced that the principal was the local principal of
the year and the next day we found out he was being transferred to a lowperforming
school. The presenters will share the steps they took to
redesign their Memorandum of Understanding to sustain the loss of
members, the expiration of funding, and to maintain the partnership in the
future.
Creating A PDS Pipeline For School
Leadership
Timothy B. Berkey and Nora Nelson Hutto, University of Houston-Victoria
Amber Barbarow, Austin Elementary School
Lisa Gonzales, Meyer Elementary School
School leadership pre-service programs are under scrutiny in light
of national studies indicating the need for change in how school principals
are prepared for a new landscape centered on accountability and improved
results. Innovative models are focusing on school-university partnerships
to transform the professional development of future leaders through
a collaborative approach embedded in the needs of schools and school
districts. Through a collaborative PDS partnership, a university and a large
suburban school district designed a new delivery model to recruit, select,
and train highly effective teachers for the school principalship. Parallel to
the development of new leaders, existing leadership were engaged in

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
professional development to build capacity throughout the district for
internship experiences that married the growth of a principal’s instructional
leadership skills with those of the assigned intern. University
personnel worked closely with district leadership to identify local needs
and customize professional development aligned with current research on
effective school leadership. Pre-service interns engaged in face-to-face
instruction from university staff and district practitioners, as well as online
assignments, discussion groups, and reflective practices. Internship
experiences included the introduction of new transformational leadership
models to assist both the intern and supervising principal in the implementation
of professional learning communities, change management, and
improved instructional leadership.
This presentation will share the results of a powerful model for
preparing future leadership and renewing existing leadership through a
highly collaborative approach to professional development.
Creating, Expanding And Sustaining A Unique
School/University Partnership: Essential
Policies, Procedures, And Players
Pam Campbell, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Wanda Oden and Ruth Devlin, Paradise Professional Development School
Eva White, Clark County School District
In 2005, the Clark County School District (CCSD) and the University
of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) committed to shared responsibility for
continuous teacher education improvement and reform to promote increased
P-12 student learning. The Superintendent of CCSD and the
Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education signed a Memorandum
of Understanding that created two Professional Development Schools.
Three principal goals guide the partnership: 1) joint participation in teacher
education, 2) sustained continuous professional development for university
and partnership school staff, and 3) joint participation in field-based
research. A Joint Governance Board establishes bylaws, policies, and
operating procedures. In each PDS, a Coordinating Council sets the
agenda and develops a strategic plan for the coming year.
Since 2005, faculty, administrators, and staff from Paradise PDS and,
primarily, the UNLV College of Education have collaborated to implement
the Memorandum of Understanding. They have created new and unique
opportunities for teaching and learning, professional development, partnership,
research, and service. Most recently, the partnership has expanded
to include additional UNLV colleges, schools, and offices, partnerships
with businesses in the community, and another university.
This session is focused on sharing the experience of renewing,
expanding, and sustaining this special partnership. Presenters will describe
the:
• Policies: creating and implementing the Memorandum of Understanding;
• Procedures: bringing two diverse cultures together; and
• Players: engaging school- and university-wide commitment to
the mission and goals of the partnership.
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In addition, they will share the essential characteristics, qualities,
and strategies employed to nurture this special, very healthy, partnership.
Creating Learner-Centered Professional
Development Schools
Drew Polly, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The idea of learner-centered instruction gained prominence with the
publication of the American Psychological Association’s Learner-Centered
Principles and has been linked to gains in student learning. While
these principles have been adapted for K-12 learning and championed as
a framework for educational reform, little has been done linking these
Principles to Professional Development Schools.
Many suggestions have been advanced related to designing effective
professional development programs. These recommendations include:
• focusing on issues related to student learning;
• allowing teachers to take ownership of their learning;
• addressing specific content and pedagogies;
• providing opportunities for teachers to reflect and learn from their
own practice;
• allowing teachers to collaborate with each other and with project
staff; and
• providing ongoing and comprehensive activities.
In essence, these documents call for professional development to
support learner-centered approaches to teacher learning that align with the
Principles.
This presentation will provide a framework for designing learnercentered
Professional Development Schools that reflect the Principles and
contemporary research about teacher learning. Implications for both
designing and evaluating the impact of Professional Development Schools
will be addressed.
Cultivating PDS Partnerships: Collaborative
Documentation Strategies
Barbara A. Clark, Towson University
The implementation of a PDS partnership with Baltimore County
Public Schools specifically supports the goals outlined in their document,
Blueprint for Progress. The partnership addresses the performance goal
which states: “All students will be taught by highly qualified teachers.”
To guarantee that this goal is met, Baltimore County has a systemic process
for the delivery of clinical preparation and continuous professional development
of faculties. As the Institution of Higher Education, Towson
University follows the requirements documented in the Professional
Development Schools Implementation Protocol. A planning worksheet is
then completed in collaboration with the appropriate Baltimore County
support staff. This document guarantees that all members of the partnership
know the expectations and responsibilities. This presentation will

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
focus on not only this planning document as the key to a successful PDS
partnership, but also on Memorandums of Understanding utilized in
conjunction with Towson University’s other school system partnerships.
Dialogic Consciousnesses And Ability: The
Focal Point In The Development Of The
Teachers’ Development Schools
Zhang Zengtian, Capital Normal University
Nowadays, it has become a “structural flaw’ to ignore the development
of teachers’ dialogic consciousness and ability but to put more
emphasis on improving their extensively scientific and cultural knowledge
and profoundly specialized and educational ones. Various facts show that
the “structural flaw” has caused a lot of problems and it is high time to
remedy them. As a result, it has been the keystone of Teachers’ Development
Schools to develop teachers’ dialogic consciousness and ability,
which means the consciousness and ability of contacting with others
democratically and equally; understanding and forgiving others mutually;
and respecting, loving, and listening honestly to each other. Therefore, the
specialized Teachers’ Development School has both a duty and a responsibility
to remind and guide teachers to do the following things in their
professional development:
1. Eliminating the self-centered intercourse views;
2. Building confidence and eliminating authority; and
3. Learning how to respect, love, appreciate, and hear others.
Embedded Professional Development: How A
PDS Impacts The Coaching Teachers’
Professional Development
Shelly Solomon Huggins, Towson University
This presentation will define, describe, and celebrate a natural
phenomenon of “Embedded Professional Development” as it exists in the
PDS. After birthing several new PDS sites, it became clear to me that many
of the P-12 partners saw my interns as an additional stress on their systems.
The biggest benefits to their PDS involvement were the opportunities for
collaborative teaching and their interest in getting to know the best new
teacher candidates our metropolitan university would be graduating. Few
of the administrators I worked with saw a true professional development
advantage to having our teacher candidates in their building. They were
prepared to show the “newbies” everything they had to know and move
on.
After a lengthy discussion with one of my PDS administrators about
the frustrations of getting authentic, successful professional development
to the coaching teachers in the building, I explained how I reach the
coaching teachers through my professional development of the teacher
candidates. I explained how what I require my teacher candidates to bring
to the classroom often crosses over into the coaching teacher’s own
pedagogical application.
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From that point on, we began keeping track of the specific initiatives
that the coaching teachers’ administrator was hoping to convey to her
faculty. The data is remarkable. Stop by and discuss the details and data
results. Also get some ideas for approaching your P-12 administrators
about how your teacher candidates can effect the entire PDS professional
development through your seminar instruction and field experiences.
Empowering The School Community: Data-
Driven Decision Making Model For
Practitioners - University Faculty, School
Principals, Teachers, And Parents
Susan Phifer, New Jersey City University
Betty Taylor, University of San Francisco
Sancha Gray, Hubbard Middle School
Today’s focus on high stakes accountability requires school leaders
at all levels to use data, or factual information, to make informed decisions
about policies, practices, and procedures to improve student achievement.
Consequently, in making decisions that impact upon schooling, it is
difficult when all stakeholders’ contributions are not taken into consideration.
It is important that all stakeholders have a common understanding
of how data informs teaching and learning. This session will demonstrate
how to work with decision making groups, principal advisory councils, and
school leadership teams in a cooperative effort to improve instruction and
student success. This session will utilize a data-driven decision making
model as a tool to gain “common understanding” of how effective decision
making can inform teaching and learning; most importantly, the model
brings together all stakeholders (parents, teachers, staff, school leaders,
and university faculty). Specifically, university faculty and school administrators
will share their experiences and past practices to engage two
urban setting middle schools that have recently moved to small learning
communities. Further, the Memo of Understanding developed by the
model under discussion, its implementation, and strategies for engagement
of all stakeholders will be discussed. In alignment with the standards
for Professional Development Schools, this session is designed to reenergize
the commitment of partnership institutions to schools and children,
to help develop and demonstrate timely and effective communication,
and to collaborate and engage the broader community to develop and
establish effective strategies for student achievement and school success.
Establishing An Elementary Science,
Technology, Engineering, And Math (STEM)
PDS
D. Timothy Gerber, Eric Brunsell, and Jennifer Kosiak, University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse
Jac Lyga, Irving Pertzsch Elementary School
PK-12 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education
reform has received a great deal of attention at the national, state, and
local levels. Many professional science and science teaching organiza-

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
tions support this reform. However, few Professional Development Schools
in the United States focus on the STEM disciplines specifically. The
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is expanding its Professional Development
School partnership with the School District of Onalaska to create
a STEM PDS. Early work with the School District of Onalaska elementary
teachers linking science and literacy is exemplified in the botanical work
by the first author (http://www.project2061.org/publications/2061Connections/2006/2006-0lb.htm)
and presented at prior PDS meetings. Beginning
in Spring 2008, the STEM PDS at Irving Pertzsch Elementary School
will include classroom teachers, pre-service teachers in their final prestudent
teaching field experience and methods block, and university
faculty from teacher education, mathematics, and biology. This unique
course-blocking arrangement will allow an integrated elementary science
and math methods course to be taught on-site at the PDS. Pre-service
teachers will be immersed in the culture of the school and STEM content
areas. In-service teachers will have the opportunity to participate in beforeschool
STEM professional development imbedded in the methods courses.
This presentation will describe the formation of this STEM PDS and an
articulation of the research focus. The model described is replicable to
other teacher education programs.
Fish! Partnership
Sherrie Pardieck and Patricia Nugent, Bradley University
The Kemper Professional Development Schools is part of Bradley
University in Peoria, Illinois. The partnership between the university and
the public schools has flourished as we continue to share information and
learn from each other. As Valeska Hinton Early Childhood Education
Center adapted a business philosophy to improve school culture, the
College of Education and Health Sciences implemented the philosophy’s
concepts into their school environment. Currently, Manual High School
is in the process of adapting the Fish Philosophy for their school. Using
the Fish Philosophy in the schools has enhanced the relationship between
the public schools and the university through a shared learning experience
and principles for guidance.
The Fish Philosophy is a business philosophy that was adapted from
the book. Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results
by Lundin, Paul, and Christensen (2000). The philosophy utilizes four
principles consisting of Play, Choose Your Attitude, Be Present, and Make
Their Day. The areas emphasize enjoying your work, valuing people you
work with, and honing communication skills to improve relationships in the
work environment. These principles have been used to enhance and guide
our school/university relationship.
This presentation will identify how Valeska Hinton Early Childhood
Center, Manual High School, and the Kemper Professional Development
Schools at Bradley University adapted and implemented the four areas of
the Fish Philosophy into their schools and the university partnership.
Using the philosophy has become a valued way of working together to
improve school culture and to enhance and guide the school/university
partnership.
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Freedom To Learn, Serve And Lead
Rehana Shafi and Yvonne Riggs, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Nicole Veltre-Luton and Alisha Sparks, Digital Harbor High School
This session will present two models of experiential education for
teachers within the PDS partnership between the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County (UMBC) and Digital Harbor High School (DHHS). Both
the student teaching internship and the Baltimore Freedom Schools (BFS)
servant leader internship rely on the common understanding that learning
is developmental and accomplished through authentic experiences within
a community. With PDS standards and our MOU as a framework, we will
present these models, discussing their fundamentals and commonalities,
highlighting best practices, and brainstorming how others can incorporate
relevant elements of either model into their PDS relationships. Our session
will be informative, interactive, and engaging.
The extensive internship, in combination with a seminar and completed
with a mentor teacher over two consecutive semesters in a PDS, is
a requirement for Maryland teacher certification. The BFS servant leader
internship is an intensive summer-long experience that includes training
in pedagogy, classroom management, and cultural and historical heritage.
Incorporated into these collegial, profession-focused internships are
opportunities to practice three fundamental values of our teacher preparation
program - to learn, to serve, and to lead. We will examine how this
is accomplished using voices of UMBC students and staff and DHHS
teachers. We believe the developmental continuum of learning PDS
partnership embodies is the link to the concept of common understandings.
From Skepticism To Enthusiasm: Strategies
For Developing Common Understandings
Patricia Musselman, Farmersville Elementary School
Judith A. Duffield, Lehigh University
This proposal addresses Strand #2 and describes how common
understandings about the meaning of PDS have developed during the first
two years of a school-university partnership.
Our Professional Development School partnership began in April
2006 when two members of the College of Education faculty presented a
proposal to form a Professional Development School partnership to the
faculty at Farmersville Elementary. Skepticism tempered feelings of excitement
over the possibilities that a partnership might hold. The day before
teachers were scheduled to officially return to work, we held a Summer
Institute to begin to establish common goals and understandings and a
shared vision for the partnership. The overwhelming sentiment that was
expressed that day and into the first few months of the partnership was a
lack of understanding of what the partnership meant to individual classroom
teachers. By the second Summer Institute in August 2007, this
sentiment was gone.
This presentation describes the steps we took to create a common
understanding of the meaning of PDS with both the school and university
faculties. It will include descriptions of (a) formal and informal opportunities
for working together, (b) strategies for teachers to discover how their

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
colleagues were being involved, (c) strategies for faculty members to
involve themselves and their students, and (d) strategies for encouraging
teachers to become actively involved in the partnership. This presentation
will include data collected from a monthly survey designed to track the
teachers’ sentiments toward the partnership and observe how our strategies
affected those sentiments.
Guided Growth Or Growing Wild? The Role
of Action Plans In PDS Institutional Reform
Katherine M. Kapustka and Sharon J. Damore, DePaul University
Heather Barnett, Alcott Elementary School
In 1990, in the seminar report Tomorrow’s Schools: Principles for the
Design of Professional Development Schools, the Holmes Group explained
the importance of re-defining the idea of accountability by emphasizing
“new forms of professional responsibility” (p. 74). VA consideration
of recent trends in education, however, shows an increased emphasis on
standard measures of accountability, including high stakes tests for both
P-12 and higher education students. The Professional Development
School network described here, comprised of a large, urban, private
university and seven public and Catholic schools in the surrounding
community, defines accountability differently.
The initial plan for this network emphasized understanding the
unique challenges and needs of each institutional partner. Instead of
requiring that all partners subscribe to a specific method or plan for
educational reform, partner institutions (both P-12 and the university) were
asked to define their own pathways for reform and to codify these in action
plans. Usually the action plans are based on school improvement plans
completed for the school district or archdiocese and guide the work of the
institutional partner during the academic year. Professional development
activities, budgets, and evaluations are based on these action plans, thus
placing the responsibility for reform and professional growth on members
of the institution who are most knowledgeable about its distinct concerns
and needs.
The session will include both university and school-based educators
sharing how the processes of creating, implementing, and evaluating
an action plan have contributed to the school reform efforts that are integral
to Professional Development School partnerships.
Have “Faith” In PDS
Paul Andrew Fer, St. John Regional Catholic School
Laura Corbin Frazier and Barbara Ann Onofrey, Mount St. Mary’s University
This presentation will focus on the unique Professional Development
School partnership between St. John Regional Catholic School and
Mount St. Mary’s University, one of two Catholic PDSs in the state of
Maryland. Together we are a “true” PDS in every sense of the word
because we share a common mission of Catholic identity and values-based
education. Our memorandum of understanding, signed by both the Superintendent
of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the President of Mount St.
Mary’s University, binds us for both pre-service and in-service teacher
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development; however, we are bound by much more than that. For example,
approximately twenty teachers at SJRCS have earned or are working on
their master’s degrees from MSMU. Additionally, two MSMU faculty
members taught at SJRCS prior to coming to MSMU, one SJRCS faculty
member is an adjunct professor at MSMU, and one MSMU faculty member
is a SJRCS School Board member. There is a half tuition reduction for SJRCS
teachers taking graduate coursework at MSMU. As a result of the
partnership, the number of requests from teacher candidates to be placed
at SJRCS has risen dramatically due to the desire for a balanced public
school and private school experience with coincides with state requirements
for certification.
A significant number of MSMU teacher candidates themselves
attended Catholic schools and bring with them their own faith-based
educational philosophies. They are accustomed to engaging in dialogue
about their beliefs and complementing traditional curriculum with the
integration of faith into teacher training.
Identity Crisis: From Model PDS To New Kid
On The Block – Starting Over With New
Players
Donna Keenan, University of North Florida
Kathleen Witsell and Michele Floyd-Hatcher, West Jacksonville Elementary
School
The presenters will explain the identity crisis that one urban Professional
Development School (UPDS) faces as it makes the transition from
a fully-functioning UPDS with clearly defined roles for all participants back
to a less clearly defined UPDS with many initial stakeholders leaving to
pursue other career options. This UPDS is part of a larger urban Professional
Development School enterprise involving three urban elementary
schools, one middle school, and one university. It is a highly successful
endeavor, three years ago winning the Association of Teacher Educators’
Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award.
The UPDS on which we are reporting became a model school over
a ten-year period with college methods classes taught on-site, a resident
clinical faculty member released from classroom teaching responsibilities
spending full-time supervising interns , a professor-in-residence released
from university duties one day a week working with teachers on best
practices, and numerous other components associated with model PDSs.
When the dynamic principal, along with over half the teachers in the
school, including two long-time PDS leaders, left, there was initial shock
and a sense of irrevocable loss. We have become a school starting over
with a new principal who has inherited a UPDS model and a staff who know
very little about us. There are, however, structures in place which are
ensuring our survival and eventual comeback to glory. We welcome the
opportunity to share these structures along with our current struggles with
our audience as we demonstrate the true power of PDSs.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Illinois State University PDS Partners Building
A Continuum Toward National Board Certified
Teachers
Lynn Gaddis, Illinois State University
Adrianne Ostermeier, Lincoln Magnet School
Mary Lange, Pekin Community School District 108
Sally Stone, Wheeling School District 21
Illinois State University and its Professional Development School
partners are committed to improving the quality of teachers from preservice
throughout their careers. One measure of teacher quality is in the
achievement of National Board Certification. It makes sense for the PDS
learning community to grow and sustain pipelines of National Board
Certified Teachers (NBCTs) to have an impact on future teachers.
This session will present strategies and results from a collaborative
partnership to create a continuum of services for teachers in the school
districts to move toward National Board Certification. Specific details will
be shared about the collaboration, induction, building awareness, recruitment,
implementation of preparation classes, and support for National
Board candidates and TAKE ONE Entry participants.
The story of how to begin and sustain the work will show how this
work grew uniquely in each of five districts. The Illinois State University
College of Education facilitates bi-monthly IMPACT meetings with the ten
PDS partner districts to collaboratively share information and strategies
and offer services to the partners. In Fall 2006, a National Board Certified
Teacher began to meet with leaders and NBCTs to mentor the NBCTs to
create plans for internal systems of support for a continuum of services to
teachers. Illinois districts in Bloomington-Normal, Elgin, Pekin, Springfield,
and Wheeling worked with the NBCTs to collaboratively create
recruitment resources and strategies, classes aligned to the NBPTS
Architecture of Teaching, preparation/jumpstart sessions, and candidate
cohorts. Results of these strategies show increased numbers of candidates
in each district.
Inquiring Minds Want To Know: What Has
Experience And Time Taught Us About
Meaningful Collaborative Planning In A PDS
Partnership?
Cole Reilly, The Pennsylvania State University
Ellen Ballock, Towson University
Melinda Cocolin and Carrie Kauffman, College Heights Elementary School
Given that our PDS partnership takes pride in making every effort to
recognize multiple forms of expertise and provide authentic, rich opportunities
for learning together, our methods course instructors make a
commitment to continually work with district employees via course planning
and development teams. One goal of these teams is to help K-6 student
teaching interns make meaningful connections between theory and practice
throughout the year-long internship. In this presentation, we focus
upon one particularly illustrative example - an integrated field trip at a local
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50
state park where interns facilitate inquiry-based lessons with students
district wide - of how this process can be complicated yet rewarding.
In order for this experience to be of value to the interns and fifthgraders
alike, it demands thoughtful collaboration among several different
players and groups. From methods course instructors to curriculum
support teachers and specialists, to interns, classroom teachers, and even
state park educational personnel, this project necessitates the commitment
of many invested parties lo make it happen each year. Our team continually
reflects upon the process, making revisions annually geared toward
improving the overall experience. It has become an amazing well of
professional development, renewal, and pride for the parties involved,
strengthening relationships as we learn from/with one another.
This presentation will illustrate how the ongoing collaboration of
team members overcomes hurdles and rallies for a common goal. We feel
the ever-evolving process of our work serves as a model (and metaphor)
for broader PDS work in partnerships of all kinds.
International PDS Platform: A Panel
Discussion
Jane Neapolitan, Towson University
Ruud Gorter, Inholland University
Elliott Lessen, Northeastern Illinois University
Teresa Field, St. Mary’s College
Dik Maandag, University of Groningen
Jaap Modderman and Rolf Robbe, Reform University of Zwolle
The Professional Development School concept has now reached far
beyond the United States, yet there are few opportunities whereby
international colleagues may come together specifically to discuss common
understandings of the concept of school-university-community
partnerships for the purpose of establishing an international platform of
support for PDS. Moreover, there are few venues whereby international
colleagues may come together to discuss critical issues pertaining to
partnerships that supersede national context and help illuminate the PDS
movement in general. Such issues include national policy priorities for
schools and teachers, a renewed emphasis on content preparation for
teachers, an international emphasis on early childhood education, challenges
of educating non-native speakers, and shortages in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Funding
opportunities both in the United States and Europe for collaborations
between schools and institutions of higher education can set the stage for
creating professional communities focused on lifelong learning in the
professional workplace. PDS, then, is now well-suited to be the nexus for
connecting these many issues and opportunities within the framework of
improving teaching and learning for all across the globe.
In this panel discussion, representatives from the United States, the
Netherlands, and Japan will provide a brief overview of the PDS movement
by addressing the following:
1. a summary of how PDS is defined in one’s country and the extent
to which it is implemented;
2. the major aims, goals, or themes of PDS;
3. social values embedded in the PDS movement; and

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
4. challenges or concerns for sustaining PDS in the future.
A question and answer period with the audience will follow the panel
discussion.
Keeping The Relationship Alive And Well:
Revitalized Partnership After 15 Years
Rebecca Libler and Brad Balch, Indiana State University
Holly Pies, Vigo County School Corporation
First established in 1992, the Indiana State University PDS Partnership
is a collaboration between the university and twenty schools in five
school districts, beginning as a replacement for a traditional laboratory
school approach to field experiences for teacher candidates. Using a
Teacher Quality Enhancement grant to revitalize and expand the partnership
has resulted in new understandings for teacher preparation and
professional development impacting k-12 students and creating rich
learning environments for all. Project PRE: Partnering to Reform Education
served as the catalyst to enhance education and training for all.
Expanding the partnership purposefully brought together the three
fundamental parts of teacher education: pedagogy (COE), content (College
of Arts and Sciences and other colleges that sponsor teacher
education programs), and clinical knowledge and experience (k-12 schools).
We will describe and share evaluation of:
• campus-wide professional development in experiential learning
strategies to teach “old dog” faculty to model “new tricks” for
teacher candidates preparing to teach in transformed schools;
• intensive and expanded clinical experiences that “add to” rather
than detract from instruction for k-12 students;
• professional development for leaders of transformed schools
where teacher candidates are placed;
• school-based professional development plans aligned with school
improvement goals; and
• summer Teacher Academies to deepen teacher content knowledge
and ability to use technology as an instructional tool.
Linking Hands, Heads, And Hearts: Five Steps
To Reinventing A Professional Development
School
Jennifer LaBombard, Washington County Public Schools
Jamey Tobery-Nystrom, Frostburg State University
Tiffany Tresler and Katie Baker, Bester Elementary School
Kathy Kaper and Sheri Orndorff, E. Russell Hicks Middle School
Eugene Gregory, Amanda Moreland, and Ray Singletary, South Hagerstown
High School
This presentation will provide new PDS partnerships scaffolding for
building common understanding.
Linking Hands...
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We believe PDS is the sustainable way to build teacher leadership
in schools.
1) Identification of schools for PDS partnership. The schools identified
to participate were all schools with diverse, economically challenged
student populations and young new teaching staff. Each school will share
demographics.
Linking Heads...
2) A list of concerns stemming from the previous PDS relationship
was generated. When looking at these concerns, NCATE (2006) PDS
Standard Five: Organization, Roles, and Responsibilities were identified as
the first priority to be addressed in this new PDS relationship.
3) The second priority was building common understanding through
common language. There was no knowledge of the original memorandum
of understanding. A WCPS Fact Sheet explaining the importance of PDS
was created.
4) Definitions of the roles of PDS University Liaison, School-based
Site Coordinator, Mentor Teacher, as well as other participants helped to
create a well-defined organization.
Linking Hearts…
5) A major step towards reinventing the PDS was to bring everyone
from all three schools, teacher candidates, the university, the Maryland
State Department of Education, and other stakeholders together in a
celebration.
Mentoring And Leadership: It Begins With
PDS Teacher Education Candidates
Tracie Bell, Brandi Goldin, and John vonEschenbach, University of West
Georgia
Ronda Howard, Whitesburg Elementary School
Deaidra Wilson, Sharp Creek Elementary School
A special relationship was established among the university PDS
coordinator, the PDS school site principal and PDS coordinator, and PDS
teacher education candidates. This special relationship focused on the
manifestation of the university’s conceptual framework descriptor of
“leaders” and the public school system’s mandate for “mentoring” new
teachers. The concept of new teacher (mentee) was applied to firstsemester
PDS teacher education candidates and the concept of mentor was
applied to the third semester PDS teacher education candidates. At each
of the four PDS sites, there are six mentor/mentee relationships. The PDS
school site principal and coordinator facilitate periodic meetings that focus
on the leadership role within the mentor and the supportive benefits for the
mentee. This session will provide the audience with a conceptual overview
of this innovative arrangement, the procedural guidelines for enhancing
this professional relationship, and authentic reflections from the PDS
teacher education candidates.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
More Than A Road Map: A “GPS” System For
Job-Embedded Mentor Training
Stacie Siers, Ron Siers, and Paul Gasior, Salisbury University
Clara Outten, Snow Hill Elementary School
Alison Giska, Snow Hill Middle School
Angela McCracken, Berlin Intermediate School
Salisbury University’s conversion of its internship experience from
a traditional “student teacher takes over” model to a co-teaching arrangement
was met with enthusiastic acceptance in some buildings and considerable
resistance in others. Even where the climate was welcoming,
mentors needed training on how to co-teach with their interns while
simultaneously coaching and evaluating their performance. In many
cases, the mindsets, habits, and practices of veteran mentors required
modification in order to provide positive settings for intern growth.
As a result of the widespread acceptance of its co-teaching internship
model, all of Salisbury University’s seven school district partners -
representing 31 different schools - have included a stipulation in their
Memoranda of Understanding that intern/mentor co-teaching will be the
standard model for all field placements. Central to the endorsement of this
approach is the belief among school leaders that mentoring interns in a coteaching
environment is an ideal form of job-embedded professional
development.
In this session, the presenters will share specific training materials
and strategies, including excerpts of a professionally produced DVD
showing SU interns and mentors engaged in collaborative teaching.
Mentors and interns will re-create planning conversations and model brief
examples of creative approaches to co-teaching.
Not Your Grandmother’s Lab School: An
Innovative PDS On An Urban University
Campus
Alison Harmon, Mary Lou Dipillo, Regina Rees, Frank Ingram, and Nakisha
Ingram, Youngstown State University
Marcia Haire-Ellis, Youngstown Early College High School
The goal of the partnership between Youngstown State University
and the Youngstown City School District is to provide collaborative
leadership for the Youngstown Early College (YEC) High School, a
Professional Development School housed on the campus of Youngstown
State University. The vision for YEC is based on research that supports
secondary-postsecondary learning options as a strategy that communities
can offer to provide access to college for all students, especially first
generation and underrepresented minority college students.
In 2004, the partners created a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) aligned with the NCATE Standards for Professional Development
Schools. Modifications were made to the MOU in 2007 based on an
assessment of the YEC partnership and performance outcomes. The
delivery model was redesigned to: 1) strengthen relationships between
YSU faculty and YEC staff, 2) provide consistent college classes and
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experiences for YEC students, and 3) revise the nomenclature for conversion
of high school Carnegie units to college credits.
This presentation will inform the audience of:
• the unique governance, accountability, and pedagogical models
defined in the Memorandum of Understanding;
• the collaborative manner by which a university and a school
district in an urban center work to achieve mutual goals of equity
and diversity; and
• the process of establishing a learning community of university
and school district faculty and students, nominated as a State of
Ohio School of Promise, that will graduate high school seniors
earning both a high school diploma and up to 60 hours of college
credits in May 2008.
On The Theory And Practice Of The
Constructions Of Teacher Development
Schools In Capital Normal University
Ning Hong, Capital Normal University
Teachers Development Schools are a functional construction in the
present systems of the secondary and primary schools, a cooperative
construction between the universities and the secondary and primary
schools, a development of teachers’ realizing themselves in the practice
of the cooperative research, and an unceasing innovation. The main
objects of Teachers Development Schools in Capital Normal University are
building new schools, cultivating new teachers, and building new teacher
education. The basic paths to constructing Teachers Development Schools
contain: dialogue with the original experience - entering the middle and
primary schools in respect to the service and the participation manner;
begin with understanding students and guiding teachers to pay attention
to students’ educational demands; encourage teachers to research their
action and participate in training; and establish research class and specialized
teachers’ development data in order to form a professional work way
of gathering teachers’ educational teaching and researchable study in the
secondary and primary schools. There are four sober consciousnesses
about developing specialized teachers in the construction of Teachers
Development Schools, namely: having the sober consciousnesses to the
education significance; having the sober consciousness to the characteristics
and special educational significance of the subject; having the sober
consciousness to what position the content takes in the entire subject
system and how it reflects its educational significance completely; and
having the sober consciousness to how to help students enable all the
above significances through teachers’ every teaching activity. After six
years, the construction of Teachers Development Schools has obtained
the following gains: building a cooperative relationship between the
universities and the middle and primary schools; inspiring teachers’
research consciousness and subjective consciousness; exploring a way
of specialized teachers’ development in a practice and significant orientation;
and forming a system of gathering teachers’ pre-service and inservice
educations.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Orientation To Celebration
Daniel Garcia, Daniel Paukovits, Pamela Kramer Ertel, and Linda Rogers,
East Stroudsburg University
Vicki Heitczman, Smithfield Elementary School
Pre-service teachers participating in the ESU Apprentice II semester
in a PDS site engage in a variety of experiences that develop common
understandings for pre-service teachers, site liaisons, mentor teachers,
and university faculty. The semester begins with a two-week orientation
and ends with two final celebratory events.
During the orientation, Apprentice II students/pre-service teachers
and university faculty begin to shape their cohort learning community
through a series of activities and learning experiences that offers them an
overview of the ELED Professional Development School model at ESU, the
unique collaborative cohort model of teaching, a dispositional tone for
work in class and in the field placements, and problem-solving/teambuilding
experiences in an outdoor setting.
Pre-service teachers widen their understandings as they become
members of the PDS site learning community. They engage in teaching and
learning while in an elementary classroom two full days each week.
Participating in site-specific workshops led by the site liaison or other
building faculty, they integrate teaching, learning, and professionalism.
On-going conversations and collaboration between and among university
faculty, pre-service teachers, mentor teachers, and the site liaison continually
develop common understandings.
The semester ends with two celebratory events. The whole community
at each PDS site participates in a Celebration of Learning in which preservice
teachers, student teachers, and others display evidence of the
semester’s learning. On campus the pre-service teachers and university
faculty meet in small groups within their cohort to examine and evaluate the
semester.
This presentation will describe how these events are planned and
implemented to help develop common understandings among all the
participants.
Partners In Time: Linking Schools, Families,
And Teacher Education To Improve
Professional Development
Karen Callender and Margaret Denny, Louisiana State University
Toni Peters, Families Helping Families
David Strauss and Joni Nabors, West Baton Rouge Parish School District
Michelle Kauffman, Port Allen Elementary School
This partnership recognizes many levels of involvement including
families and the collaboration with two other university-school partnerships
for special education and two other grants in collecting common
data. While all three PDS partnerships have identical Memorandums of
Understanding, which include common goals, each has proposed unique
designs for their partnership that reflect their own strengths.
State-funded grants (Positive Behavior Support and LA School
Improvement Grant) also support the work of these special education
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PDSs. Through coordinated efforts of these projects, a common data set,
data collection site, and a rich source of statewide information for comparison
is being created. Additionally, training and materials are being provided
for PDSs implementing PBS programs and LA SIG grants.
In this session, participants will hear from university personnel, the
Parent/Family Liaison, the district level administrators, and three dynamic
principals who make up the team in these three LSU PDS sites. Goals for
LSU PDSs are to increase the number of well educated special education
teachers; to encourage strong family-school collaboration through ongoing
engagement and systems of collaboration between parents and school
personnel; to provide progressively inclusive practices and services; to
evaluate professional development models that promote valid instructional
practices; to address over/under representation of services with
students of disabilities; to improve the quality, quantity, retention, and
professional growth of personnel; and to use objective and quantifiable
data to guide decision making. Details about the activities, collaboration,
and data will be described in this session.
PDS In The Middle Grades: Shared Vision For
Teaching And Learning
Gail Hilliard-Nelson, James Lerman, and Laural Dyson, Kean University
Dorothy Feola, Stephanie Koprowski-McGowan, and Marie Donnantuono,
William Paterson University
Gail Epifanio, Rowan University
The New Jersey Consortium for Middle Schools (NJCMS) is a
partnership of four universities (Kean, Rider, Rowan, and William Paterson)
and eight local school districts (Ewing, Millville, Passaic, Paulsboro,
Perth Amboy, Piscataway, Wayne, and Woodbury). The cornerstone of
our project is implementation of PDSs in the middle grades. As a framework
for our shared vision, we have joined the NJ Department of Education in
initiating a statewide program called “Schools to Watch.” STW provides
criteria for assessing the effectiveness of education in the middle grades
and has given us a common language to identify and develop effective
middle schools.
In collaboration with our partner districts and keeping the STW
framework in mind, we have initiated PDSs with unique features for the
preparation of teachers for the middle grades which include: contentspecific
middle grade certification, meeting the developmental and academic
needs of middle school students, and meeting New Jersey’s certification
requirements (elementary certification with middle school endorsement).
Each university has unique strategies to develop and sustain strong
linkages between the university and its local school partnering districts.
These relationships feature university-school PDS committees, on-site
clinical faculty, and on-going professional growth opportunities for new
teachers and emerging teacher leaders.
Now in our fourth year we will share:
• outcomes from four universities and seven school districts;
• tools developed to recruit students to the PDS experience;
• learnings and understandings about effective PDS implementation
and governance; and

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
• statewide initiatives (middle level institutes, conferences, technology,
professional development, and “laptops in the classroom”).
PDS In The Netherlands: A Commitment
Between Teacher Training Schools, School
Boards, And Schools
Rosa Hessing, KPC Groep
Willy van Dijk, Stichting voor KPOA
Winfried Roelofs, Hogeschool Domstad
Ria Logtenberg, PA Hanze Hogeschool
Professional Development Schools is a hot topic in the Netherlands.
The government has subsidized 35 large projects to discover the advantages
and the quality aspects for school boards and teaching training
schools to work together on PDS. PDS brings the education of teacherstudents,
school innovation, and in many cases also research together.
The collaboration between school boards, schools, and teacher training
schools is not easy. They all have their own culture, their own work, and
their own educational commitment The in-service of students is okay as
long as they are of an advantage for the school, that the support doesn’t
take too much time, and as long as the university keeps in pace with the
schools. Several appointments have to be made between the partners to
keep the in-service a positive experience for everyone. But when school
innovation and research connects to the in-service of students, the
problems will remain as long as there is not enough agreement. PDS
demands special appointments, agreements, confidence, and lots of
communication.
In the Netherlands we are experiencing in several projects throughout
the country how the commitment between universities, school boards,
and schools should be outlined. Which appointments should be made?
What can we expect from each other, and what are the success factors? In
this proposal I will tell you about the Dutch situation and share with you
our experiences until now with PDSs.
PDS Inquiry: Growing A Culture Of Research
Roger Brindley, Stephen Graves, and Elizabeth Larkin, University of South
Florida
Maria Freer, Tare Elementary School
The Department of Childhood Education at the University of South
Florida, Sarasota/Manatee has an outstanding partnership with three
Manatee County elementary schools that serve as PDS sites. University
and school faculties have listened to each other’s needs as the three sites
develop exemplary pre-service and in-service teachers. One important
aspect of this work has been the emerging emphasis on collaborative
inquiry. Presently, there are three collaborative projects underway. Classrooms
at Daughtrey have been engaged in a study of children’s ideas
about aging. USF interns, under faculty guidance conducted activities
with children in the classroom using picture storybooks with older adult
characters to initiate conversations about aging. At Ballard faculty are
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examining the effectiveness of single gender classrooms in fourth grade.
A team of four teachers has organized two all-boy classrooms, one all-girl
classroom, and one mixed group. Researchers are analyzing how the
delivery of the curriculum differs and ways in which the classroom cultures
(e.g., interactions, discipline, etc.) might be distinctly different. Finally, at
Rowlett, university and school educators are studying the experiences and
perceptions of five MAT interns as they approach the transition into the
teaching profession as “career switchers.”
This presentation will share findings of our PDS action research
projects and illustrate how the partners are effectively using inquiry to
improve our understanding of the teaching and learning process.
PDS Partnerships: Nurturing New Teachers In
Urban Settings
Karen Grannas, Towson University
How can a university respond to the needs of new teachers in an
urban school system? The Towson University Partnership with the
Baltimore City Public School System works to address these needs at PDS
schools as well as at the system level. This presentation will describe how
the university, through the Towson Learning Network, responds to these
needs through a collaborative process.
Who is involved and how does it happen? Topics of discussion will
include setting up programs utilizing grant funding, providing Praxis I
assistance for teachers, setting up courses for conditionally certified
teachers, special topic courses, teacher training programs, and implementation
of a participant MOU to ensure understanding of participation
within the PDS partnership programs.
PDS Structures For Site-Based Leadership,
Collaboration, And Inquiry
Jamie Myers and Hyun Myoung Lee, Pennsylvania State University
Jeff King and Marianne Bowers, State College Area High School
Melissa Parker, Mount Nittany Middle School
Our secondary English PDS collaboration began in 1996 in the State
College Area School District and the Penn State College of Education. We
have grown to a yearly cohort of 15 interns and mentors in a year-long,
entirely school-based, teacher education program. All of the structures
and events revolve around an inquiry model for classroom instruction,
professional development, and educational research. We have sought to
prepare not just better teachers, but to prepare different teachers who can
construct collaborative relationships to reflect on the why and how of
teaching and learning the English language arts. With the middle and high
school students as inquiry partners, we hope to construct and share
knowledge about language and literacy as they function to create our
identities, relationships, and values in school and society.
The success of our decade-long secondary school English PDS
arises from key structures that we wish to describe as our common
understandings in this presentation by mentors, interns, and university
partners.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
• First, our interns and mentors co-teach all day, all year, working
collaboratively in the classroom to support students. Co-teaching
has provided a unique basis for mentor and intern professional
development.
• Second, two mentors are released half-time to provide site-based
leadership and supervision of interns. They work with mentor and
intern pairs to identify inquiry ideas and collaborative opportunities.
They plan monthly seminars in response to professional
development needs and organize district teachers as presenters
and facilitators.
• Third, mentors and interns meet weekly in small inquiry groups
to share their ongoing teaching experiences. These non-directed
meetings provide regular time to reflect on school and literacy.
• Fourth, university consultants meet weekly with individual interns
to theorize about literacy curriculum and instruction in
today’s multimodal, global world.
• Fifth, interns do inquiry projects using iMovie, powerpoint, and
various multimedia technology tools and present one in-depth
project at a local spring inquiry conference to formalize their yearlong
thinking on one aspect of their professional development
experience.
PDS Three Ways: One University With One
Rural, One Suburban, And One Urban School
District
Lee Williams, Marilyn Yensick, and Linda Ziegler, Slippery Rock University
Presentation Objective: Demonstrate to conference participants
how each school district/university PDS retains the mission and goals of
the PDS network as developed in cross-site steering committee work, but
yet has evolved to meet the needs of faculty, teachers, and administrators
to reach the unique learning needs of students in districts that have
different student populations and community socio-economic levels.
Presentation Content and Activities: Through interviews shown on
DVD with school-based personnel and the conference presenters explaining
the organizing framework of the SRU PDS network contrasted with that
of the individual school districts, we will provide access to participants of
how, over time, each district has evolved unique approaches to meeting
the same overarching goal: that of demonstrating student learning success.
We will provide models of professional development among faculty,
teachers, and teacher candidates; teacher candidate activities in the
schools ranging from on-site classes to after school programs and family
involvement projects; and introduce a framework to help other PDS
networks determine how and when to determine what activities and
objectives are best suited to reaching the goal of every PDS: student
success.
Additionally, we will explain how summer planning retreats that
incorporated whole network planning with individual school and district
planning provided a recursive and synergistic energy that supported
district-to-district collaboration and planning even while maintaining a
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focus on the unique needs of each school’s learners and included teacher
candidates in various developmental levels in the teacher education
program.
Professional Development Schools The
Western Way: Western Connecticut State
University And Danbury Public Schools
Partnership Model
Marsha Daria, Western Connecticut State University
This session will uncover the essential elements of a successful PDS
program between Western Connecticut State University and the Danbury
(Connecticut) Public Schools. Participants will gain an understanding of
the overall model and how key characteristics such as collaboration,
modification, and evaluation are used in this accomplished program. Also
discussed will be the program entry requirements, teacher/student selection
process, the orientation method, the responsibilities of classroom
teachers/students, and the role of the university liaison. Finally, participants
will converse about scheduling and the specific arrangements that
are made by the university and schools involved.
Project ECHO - 360: A New Paradigm For
Early Literacy Learning
Julia Williams, RoseMary Mautino, and Stefan Biancaniello, Duquesne
University
Project ECHO (Early Childhood Outreach) - 360 demonstrates an
innovative model for literacy learning. This Professional Development
School project links university research and practice with teachers, students,
and parents. It is community-based and generates a 360° communication,
feedback, and learning environment engaging early childhood
learners, teachers, community organizations, and reading specialists. The
session will share the research and practice of this innovative project and
engage participants in applying the strategies and planning a module for
the project.
Schools are discovering that new ideas, knowledge creation, and
sharing are essential to solving learning problems. This project focuses on
extending current Professional Development School connections beyond
classrooms and into the communities that support schools. It is imperative
that efforts reach into the community, engaging parents and support
agencies in a comprehensive approach to early literacy learning. This
session will demonstrate university work with Professional Development
Schools in literacy instruction, resiliency and community involvement.
Participants will work in small groups to explore the model design and will
interact with “live” needs to help design an intervention module.
Participants will leave the session with:
1. strategies to engage all the stakeholders involved in early literacy
learning initiatives;
2. models of standards-based instruction for early literacy learners;

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
3. techniques for establishing and maintaining communication
networks connecting learning, community, and home;
4. new skills in the artful use of resources and time;
5. practical strategies for implementing imagery interventions in
reading comprehension;
6. techniques for engaging students, parents, and caregivers in
literate environments; and
7. strategies for engaging parents and community members in
providing literacy learning supports.
Putting The Pieces Together: Solving The
Internship Puzzle
Gena Brigman, Ashley Metz, and Kara Tolley, University of South Carolina
Denise Barth, Pamela Powell, and Sally Catoe, North Springs Elementary
School
There is no more complex series of experiences than those that
comprise an internship in a Professional Development School. With
detailed planning and a “Big Picture” approach, these pieces can be
organized and sequenced to form a cohesive whole that will prepare interns
in a more connected way. This presentation will showcase more than 20
strategies that will afford interns the opportunity to practice in a “safe”
environment, and they can learn how to deal with the daily rigors and
frustrations of teaching. The activities are intentionally created to enhance
both professional and personal development and to introduce interns into
the benefits of collaborative teaching, creative use of technology, and
strategic behavior management. In addition, resources are provided to
introduce the interns to the regional, state, and national issues in education.
The combination of these activities places our University of South
Carolina interns in a position for immediate hire into the district of their
choice. The knowledge gained from these encounters will better prepare
them for the “real world” of teaching in ways a limited internship cannot.
The program is one designed to give interns the “Big Picture” of education,
both from the school perspective and from a national perspective.
Quality Collaboration Within A Professional
Development School
Janeen Volsey and Susan Brown, California State Polytechnic University
Linda Freedman, Collegewood Elementary School
Symonds (2003) asserts that, “For members of a knowledge-based
profession, teachers have remarkably few opportunities for structured
peer interaction focused on practice.” We extend this concept to consider
the limited time for practicing K-12, university, and pre-service educators
to collaborate and engage in critical inquiry to challenge the structure and
culture of schooling and how these are informed and shaped by policies.
The faculty at the university and public school has developed opportunities
for inquiry to improve the teaching and learning of elementary
teachers, pre-service teachers, K-6 students, and university faculty through
Professional Development Schools.
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The PDS process begins with inquiry. A team of teachers, administrators,
and university faculty collaborate to develop a proposal based on
needs, expectations, and understandings of PDS partnership goals. Through
this process, the school and university consider how to contribute to the
relationship in the interest of all students. As pre-service teachers join the
PDS, mentor teachers continue to reflect on their practice as role models
to future educators, thereby developing their professionalism and efficacy.
Pre-service teachers are constantly engaged in inquiry, often through
collaboration with mentors. The knowledge, curiosity, and professional
development of educators at each level are advanced through on-going
collaboration and inquiry.
Participants in this concurrent session will be given the framework
that led to the positive collaboration that formed the PDS. The framework
involves how to begin school-university collaborations as voluntary
endeavors, how to build trust amongst parties involved, how to develop
consensus and shared goals, and the importance of ongoing, open
communication.
Quid Pro Quo: Professional Development
School On A Handshake
Rebecca J. Panagos, Lindenwood University
Melvin Bishop, Harris Elementary School
Strand # 2: Common Understandings: For the past four years, one
university professor has held Elementary Reading Methods classes at
local elementary schools. In exchange for the principal’s and teachers’
support, the university professor provides in-services and offers graduate
workshop credit. The program components, development, benefits, and
challenges encountered will be described, as well as program evaluation
information. The uniqueness of this micro-model is demonstrated through
several program elements:
1. an emphasis on in-depth collaboration and training in best
practices for the teaching of reading; on-going partnerships with
three different school districts;
2. K-12 and administrative faculty providing input on in-service
needs;
3. immediate theory-to-application practice; collaborative meetings
held weekly between pre- and in-service teachers;
4. in-service teachers earning graduate workshop hours toward
advanced reading certification;
5. lack of binding exclusive partnership between a university and a
school district;
6 the effectiveness of the partnership with each of the three school
districts is evaluated each semester and renewed for the next
semester accordingly;
7. no grant funding is involved with the partners contributing all
costs (e.g., building space and facilities, professor’s fees for
faculty in-services, in-service teachers time); and
8. university graduate workshop credit offered to the coaching
teachers.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Seeds For Success: Cultivating A Strong
Middle School Partnership
Gail Epifanio, Rowan University
Ellen Nickerson, Lakeside Middle School
A literature review conducted by Rowan University staff to identify
middle school PDS models revealed little information, and, in fact, found
that nearly all PDS models that appear in the literature are elementarybased.
Therefore, Rowan is developing a middle school PDS model based
on a partnership with Lakeside Middle School in Millville, NJ. Assisted by
a Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant focused on increasing
retention of highly qualified middle school teachers, incorporating technology-based
instruction, and improving clinical experiences for preservice
teachers, Rowan and Lakeside staff collaborated to develop a stepby-step
implementation plan.
In this presentation the university liaison and middle school site
coordinator will tell the story of how this partnership developed through
Year One, with an emphasis on buy-in of key stakeholders. The audience
will meet these stakeholders through video interviews as they continue the
story into Year Two, as the pre-service and in-service collaborations
flourish with a common goal of increased student achievement. Participants
will also learn about the clinical adjunct co-supervisory model and
the site-based classes, both graduate and undergraduate, which empower
middle school teachers to take leadership roles in the partnership.
The audience will leave with knowledge of the steps taken by the
stakeholders to cultivate a collaborative middle school partnership with an
emphasis on high quality teacher education.
Sustaining the Momentum: The Power Of
Common Understandings
Judith Cheek, Relay Elementary School
Millie Ferris, Arbutus Elementary School
Vickie Williams, University of Maryland Baltimore County
The presentation will chronicle common understandings among the
PDS partners that promote a sustaining relationship. PDS success is
attributable to the power of these understandings developed through
long-term commitment to a facilitating governance structure, student
achievement, performance-based learning, demonstration of best practices,
collaboration, resource sharing, and individual relationships. One
common understanding is the mutually respected governance system,
encompassing the “Memorandum of Understanding” and the district’s
“Strategic Planning Protocol.” It drives monthly meetings in planning and
implementing content-based learning. Another common understanding is
the use of accountability measures. The PDS has tracked upward trends
in student achievement through Maryland State Assessment and data
collection from an “Effectiveness Survey.” Performance-based learning is
supported through the teaching folio, observational feedback from clinical
faculty, and immersion in the daily life of the school. PDS students benefit
from university faculty who serve on school improvement teams, attend
school events, and judge science fairs. Linking PK-12 priorities to teacher
preparation programs, the third common understanding, the PDS identifies
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and systemically implements research-based instructional practices. Because
of the close proximity of PDS partners, sharing human and capital
resources is enhanced. For example, students from partner schools take
advantage of UMBC campus facilities and mentor teachers attend university-sponsored
workshops and use best practices to inform teacher
preparation curriculum. The collaborative processes include ongoing
revision of the mentor handbook, implementation of professional development,
and cooperative folio reviews. These common understandings,
enhanced by the individual relationships among PDS partners, promote
sustainability of the PDS and encourage growth within its structure.
Teacher Candidates As EMTs (Emergency
Math Technicians): Meeting Immediate Needs
Of Professional Development Schools
Vickie Hyre and Melissa Powers, Mineral Wells Elementary School
David Lancaster, David Cumberledge, David Raffa, and Cynthia S. Kelley,
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
In the search for a way to increase mathematics achievement levels,
the administrators at Mineral Wells Elementary School turned to the
Partnerships Project. The Partnerships Project is the Professional Development
School program associated with the education program at West
Virginia University at Parkersburg. Because of socio-economic factors,
Mineral Wells Elementary School does not qualify for supplemental
funding or instructional resources. In August 2007 the administrators at
Mineral Wells Elementary were informed that the school did not meet AYP
in one area of mathematics.
Based on analysis of test data and of needs assessments from the
previous year, the school and college collaborated to quickly develop a
pilot program to meet the mathematics needs of the students. This program
was developed by two teacher candidates in collaboration with the
classroom teacher and assistant principal to target students demonstrating
the most deficiencies in math achievement. Teacher candidates completed
data analysis, developed implementation strategies, tracked
progress, and reported findings related to students participating in the
Morning Math program.
This session will focus on two aspects of the Morning Math
program. First, presenters will offer a description of collaborative efforts
in a PDS network to meet immediate needs of a school. Second, teacher
candidates will discuss their professional growth when given responsibility
for collaborating with teachers to develop and implement a plan. This
session will exemplify the power of PDS to build “common understandings”
and prepare new professionals.
The Core Of Our Relationship: How Can We
Impact The Learning Of All PDS Participants?
Sherry DuPont, Christine Walsh, and Marilyn Yensick, Slippery Rock
University
At the core of our PDS relationship is one central question: “How can
we impact the learning of all PDS participants, including the elementary

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
learners, teacher candidates, in-service teachers, and university faculty?”
This question propels our decision-making process as we dialogue to
determine how we can first impact the learning of K-6 students. In this
ongoing dialogue, the teachers, administrators, liaisons, and university
faculty form a vibrant community of learners as we engage in various forms
of inquiry. Eliciting feedback from all participants is woven throughout our
collaboration.
Three on-site methods courses utilize the “teaching hospital model,”
as candidates make “rounds” to witness effective teaching practices.
School and university faculty plan for a true blending of theory and
practice by establishing a shared vision, discussing theoretical readings
for courses, brainstorming assignments, and planning district-wide events
like family literacy nights.
Sharing roles is also an element of our relationship. In our partnership
the building principal, student teachers, and specialists such as an
ELL teacher or literacy coach facilitate the methods classes and the college
faculty members enter K-6 classrooms to teach lessons. Utilizing the datadriven
decision making, our student teachers create action research
projects that are connected to school district testing data. The entire
school faculty is invited to hear the results and implications of these
inquiries as we all celebrate the learning of each PDS participant.
The Impact Of PDS On Enhancing Learning
For All
Rhonda Sutton and Stephanie Romano, East Stroudsburg University
Cristina Scholl, Lincoln Elementary School
In this age of high stakes testing and accountability, reading
instruction has taken on many forms, all claiming to be research-based and
meeting the needs of all learners. Practitioners in the field of reading
education are feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by the demands and the
multitude of instructional approaches. It is important for the practitioner
to have a clear vision of the comprehensive approach to literacy instruction.
In a collaborative effort to develop a common understanding of
comprehensive literacy instruction, university faculty and P-12 educators
join forces to create behavior descriptors for effective literacy instruction.
The descriptors were designed to enhance and actively engage all members
of the PDS learning community. These descriptors became the shared
vision and common understanding of literacy instruction at two Professional
Development Schools. With the development of this shared vision,
the mission is to ensure the success of all members of the learning
community.
In this session participants will be guided through the initial discussion
demonstrating the evolution of developing a common understanding.
In addition, participants will be provided tools for initiating the process of
developing a common understanding among the members of their learning
community.
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The Tale Of Two Partnerships: The Good, The
Bad, And The Future
Cathy J. Siebert, Ball State University
Carol Hill, Highland High School
Barbara Lumbis, Anderson High School
In the fall of 1999, Anderson and Highland High Schools in Anderson,
Indiana, entered into an official Professional Development School
partnership with Ball State University. Both schools signed a Memorandum
of Understanding with the university outlining the expectations of all
parties. Since the fall of 1999, the same PDS liaison from the university has
worked with both high schools. Although both schools began their PDS
work by focusing their attention on pre-service education issues, one high
school has moved beyond that to address other elements of a Professional
Development School (i.e., simultaneous renewal, scholarly inquiry, and
programs of research), whereas the other school’s PDS mission has
stagnated and floundered.
While much can be learned from successful partnerships, examining
the factors that result in partnerships that struggle, or in worst case
scenarios dissolve, can contribute to our growing understanding of not
only what it takes to initiate a Professional Development School partnership,
but perhaps more importantly, what it takes to sustain effective
partnerships. This Strand Two - Common Understandings - presentation
explores the variety of reasons why one school has flourished as a PDS and
the other school has struggled. Beginning with the formal Memorandum
of Understanding, we overview the two partnerships, highlighting specifically
pivotal moments in the partnerships which contribute to the present
status of each school. By sharing the lessons learned through our
experiences, we hope to enable others interested in starting Professional
Development School partnerships or those in the early years of a partnership
to grow strong, productive relationships.
The “Unwritten And Understood” Shall
Become . . . A Partnership Agreement
Gary L. Willhite and Kathy J. Thomas Willhite, Southern Illinois University
Carbondale
John K. Williams and Dawn Leahy, Carbondale Elementary School District
#95
Kris Uffelman, Thomas School
Sharon Mayes, Giant City School District 130
Cathy Williams, Giant City School
Brenda Jones, Murphysboro CSD #186
Carla Bunselmeyer and Nancy Green, Carruthers Elementary School
Deborah Gurley, Unity Point School
Established in 1999, our school-university PDS partnership has
grown and molded to the unique needs and desires of individual groups.
We are in a rural setting, and a one-size fits all does not work. Our
partnership is with four individual public school districts of varying size
and make-up. We have molded a strong partnership with each district,
having each one operate according to its individual needs. Our partnerships
began in stages as each district committed to the partnership at

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
different times. Now well-established and seeking to expand to other
districts, the “unwritten and understood” expectations of partnership and
collaboration have been centralized and confirmed in a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU). “The mission of the partnership is to enhance PK-
20 students’ learning through the continued professional development of
practicing teachers and the preparation of future teachers through strengthened
undergraduate and graduate programs. We believe that all members
of the partnership are learners and that all activities of the partnership
should be designed to improve the knowledge and skills of students and
faculty at the PK-20 and higher education levels.” This mission is accomplished
through high quality professional preparation, scholarly inquiry,
and simultaneous renewal, and equity, diversity and cultural perspectives.
Our MoU outlines the qualifications of a PDS and further delineates the
roles of various constituents in the PDS partnership. This session will be
a presentation of our Memorandum of Understanding, followed by a
discussion of the impact of the MoU on each of the constituent groups.
Through The Lens Of Common
Understandings: Informing And Sustaining A
University-School Partnership
Diane S. Calhoun and Karen S. Wetherill, University of North Carolina
Wilmington
Viewing a university-school partnership through the lens of common
understandings that inform and sustain the relationship is critical.
Guiding tenets of the UNCW Professional Development System provide
a framework for the university and eleven school district partners. This
presentation will provide participants with specific examples of processes
and arrangements that support tenets such as promoting reciprocity,
diversity, and equity in partnership initiatives; valuing partner talents and
strengths; sharing common goals, objectives, and commitment; involving
all in partnership design, implementation, and evaluation; connecting
partnership efforts across a continuum of educator development; and
focusing on instructional leadership for increased student learning.
Specific examples and explicit documents will be presented that
promote shared leadership and enduring commitment from early stages of
partnership development through long-term sustainability (17 years for
the UNCW PDS), allowing the partnership to negotiate change through
shared trust, beliefs, and purpose. Documents which will be shared
include, but are not limited to, the following:
• university/school district formal agreements;
• individual school applications and agreements for PDS engagement;
• roles and explicit responsibilities; and
• guidelines and procedures to accomplish collaborative decisions.
Referred to in the literature as “simultaneous renewal,” concurrent
reforms in teacher preparation and school transformation can best be
brought about when schools and universities work together in partnerships
that go beyond the standard symbolic associations and connect and
integrate institutions at the very core of their value systems, structures,
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and operational processes. Such partnerships require mutual respect
nurtured through the lens of common understandings.
Trials And Tribulations Of Establishing A PDS
In A High Needs School
Jennifer Brown, Lynne Mills, Rhonda Morton, and Michael Gilchrist, Auburn
University Montgomery
Auburn Montgomery is beginning the process of forming Professional
Development Schools in an urban school district in the middle of
Alabama’s Black Belt. Faculty members from elementary education, special
education, and secondary education discuss the trials and tribuiations
of establishing a strong partnership in high needs schools. The group will
discuss how the NCATE PDS Standards have aided their work and where
they feel they are in the process of development. Participants in the session
are encouraged to ask questions and to share knowledge they have about
forming similar partnerships.
You, Me, And The DOE: PDS Scholarships
And A Two-Year College/Universitiy
Partnership
Rhonda Wilkins, Georgia Perimeter College
Patsy B. Terry and Tracye Moore, Georgia State University
This presentation chronicles the development of the Professional
Development School Partnerships Deliver Success (PDS2) program, a
unique partnership between a multi-campus two-year college and a major
urban university. The goal of PDS2 is to train more teachers, using the
Professional School Development model, for “high needs” schools and/
or in “high needs” subject areas such as math, science, and special
education. PDS2 also provides substantial scholarship awards for college
students seeking a teaching career in Georgia. The scholarship is initially
awarded to two-year college students close to graduation and follows
them as they transfer to a teacher education program to complete their
degree. Funded by a Department of Education Teacher Quality Enhancement
Grant, PDS2 also provides support for the two-year college students
in coursework advisement, test preparation, transfer assistance, and
personal counseling. This assistance has been essential to helping potential
teachers make the sometimes precarious transition from the two-year
college to university attendance and teacher certification.
This presentation will also discuss the various procedures and
processes developed that enabled the PDS2 program to meet established
goals, recruit and select students, disburse funds, and process DOE
paperwork. In addition, we will address the informal agendas and cultural
disconnects between the two types of institutions that must be negotiated
for a successful program. Specific topics include:
• program and financial considerations of two-year vs. four-year
institutions;
• special service requirements considerations for two-year college
students;

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
• transition support for students;
• passing basic skills assessments;
• fund transfer between two institutions;
• reporting and paperwork requirements of the DOE; and
• a DOE “reality check” defaulting on service requirements.
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2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
STRAND #3 – GOVERNANCE AND
COMMUNICATION
A Governance Model In Tandem With
Collaboration, Communication, And
Cooperation In A K-5 PDS Partnership Is
Effective
Maurita Bivans, Rowan University
The PDS partnership in this suburban, Title I elementary PDS has
been in place for seven years. However, the PDS has experienced changes
in its demographics and the resulting challenges have become foci for the
school and university partnership.
This presenter will describe a model of governance structures at the
district, school, and faculty levels that positively impacts the programs of
this elementary Professional Development School. The effectiveness of
the programs is largely due to the structures that are in place generating
high levels of collaboration and cooperation and providing extensive
communication opportunities between the school and university. The
results have been expanded planning, success in task completion, and
reflective evaluation with follow-up/revised outcomes in regard to instructional
tools and programs. In addition to describing the details of the
governance model in tandem with the Three Cs, examples of in-services,
research projects, and increased student performance will be shared.
This K-5 PDS program has evolved into a progressing learning
community in which school leaders, experienced faculty, and emerging
teacher leaders have combined with university efforts to provide enhanced
instructional practices that lead to improved student learning.
Are We There Yet? Establishing Bridges Of
Communication Across The School System/
University Continuum Through A Three-Tiered
Governance Model
Susan Wansley, Marymount University
Carolyn Kazemi, Woodlawn Elementary School
Jean Massie, Aldrin Elementary School
Our PDS governance structure evolved to meet the strengths and
needs of a partnership that grew from a personal relationship between a
school’s principal and a university field coordinator to a ten-school model
with a formal agreement between a university and the thirteenth largest K-
12 school system in the United States.
Our current PDS structure is supported by three levels of governance:
• The school based level, which manages the day-to-day decisions
that relate to intern and program issues at local sites. Participants
are the public school system coordinators, administrators, and
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mentors, the university director and special education supervisor,
and parents (as needed).
• The area collaborative team level, which determines program
logistics, both formally and informally, to assess set program
objectivess, develops and strengthens communication between
all participating groups, and discusses school collaboration
efforts. Participants are public school system coordinators, administrators,
university director, special education supervisor
(as needed), and the Education Department Chair (as needed).
• The planning team level, which highlights the accomplishments
of the PDS program, develops program structures, reviews program
assessment data, and evaluates program objectives. Members
of this team work in tandem to set and achieve overarching
school-wide and PDS goals and to report on annual PDS progress
towards set goals. Participants include all members of the collaborative,
including a representative from the school system’s
Department of Human Resources.
Our presentation will focus on how this unique governing structure
drives, encourages, and embraces communication across the school
system and university continuum.
Beyond The Beginning: Developing Depth And
Establishing Maintainable Structures
Ivy Yee-Sakamoto, Leansa Bryan, Sally Alonzo Bell, Greg Kaiser, and Aaron
Weatherby, Azusa Pacific University
Julie McGough, Hodge Elementary School
Three years into the establishment of a PDS program, the focus has
shifted to emphasize depth of program content. We will explore the change
from establishing a new PDS program to setting policy and developing
structures for a maintainable, growing program. Emphasis will be on
student handbooks, year-long calendar and planning, and formalizing the
ongoing partnership with the school district via a Memorandum of
Understanding and further clarification of the roles and responsibilities of
the key players in the partnership, especially the program director, program
coordinator, and program liaison. Research projects are being introduced
to the program in an interdisciplinary partnership with the Social Work
Department and the School of Education. Program personnel will be
available to discuss the roles of each PDS staff member and how to create
clear communication between all parties. Documents will be available to
participants.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Bridging The Gap Between Standards And
Reality: How Higher Education PDS
Coordinators And Liaisons Use Governance
Structures To Foster Communication
Diane Davis and Paige Garner, College of Notre Dame of Maryland
Karen Schafer, Towson University
Maggie Madden and Cheri Wittmann, Maryland State Department of
Education
Since Maryland requires all full-time undergraduate and graduate
candidates to have a 100-day internship across two consecutive semesters
in a PDS, Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) have identified PDS
coordinators who are responsible for governance and communication with
local school system partners and with PDS liaisons (those who are
assigned to a PDS and supervise interns) who ensure that governance and
communication structures are in place. Maryland IHEs vary in size from
producing a handful of candidates to almost 500 candidates. Presenters
include a PDS coordinator from the largest preparer of teachers and a PDS
coordinator and a liaison from a small independent college. Presenters will
share lessons learned as they describe various committees and processes
they have put in place to ensure that preK-16 administrators, site coordinators,
mentors, and interns are moving toward full implementation of the
Maryland PDS Standards. Representatives from the Maryland State
Department of Education will share the Maryland PDS Standards, which
guide the work of PDSs across the state, and the process used to foster
cross-fertilization among IHEs. Presenters will share successes and challenges
in their efforts to inform and be responsive to multiple stakeholders.
Documentation that illustrates the work of both IHE models will be
provided.
Building Successful Learners: A Model For
Well-Designed Governance Structures And
Meaningful Communication
Janice M. Malchow and Louise E. Tallent, Bibich Elementary School
Bibich Elementary School, Lake Central School Corporation, is an
active Professional Development School in partnership with Purdue
University Calumet in northwest Indiana. This session will focus on
creating a purposeful school community through standards-based staff
development. A purposeful community has collective efficacy and the
capability to accomplish goals, as determined by the entire school community,
by using a well-defined and agreed-upon governance model/processes.
A purposeful and collaborative school community is an important
framework for a successful PDS partnership so teacher candidates may
experience authentic and high quality learning opportunities. Bibich
School demonstrates purposeful community and was awarded the Indiana
State Gold Star for Exemplary Professional Development. This award is
sponsored by the Indiana chapter of the National Staff Development
Council. This recognition is earned by Bibich staff members who are
professional risk takers participating in sustained results and standardsbased
quality professional development, in addition to multiple years of
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documenting their job-embedded, content-rich, school focus on standards-based
curriculum/instruction.
Bibich School’s governance and communication design is supportive
of a purposeful and collaborative school community. The model being
used in this session is based on the National Council for the Accreditation
of Teacher Education Standards (NCATE), Interstate New Teacher Assessment
and Support Consortium (INTASC), and National Staff Development
Council (NSDC) Standards for Professional Development. A
comparison chart of the standards from these organizations, including an
alignment of the standards from NCATE, INTASC, and NSDC, is included
in the presentation. Successes and challenges will be shared.
Communication Efficiency Through Blogging
Laura Caputo, Armstrong Atlantic State University
As enrollment numbers rise and the geographical locations of
students broaden, colleges need a common mode of communication
between faculty, students, partners, and community stakeholders. Many
options have materialized with the emersion of new technology. In an
answer to student and faculty requests for a more consistent, reliable
means of communication, the COE at AASU developed the COEBlog.
The main function of the COEBlog is that of an electronic newsletter.
All members of the PEU are encouraged to subscribe to the feed via RSS
or e-mail. This enables the COE to disseminate information to all subscribed
via one post. The COEBlog also functions as an archive for students to
access previous announcements, procedures, and forms online.
The COEBlog houses many types of correspondence. Announcements,
deadlines, and PDF forms are passed along via the blog. The blog
also uses a blogroll that lists websites of partnering school districts and
other organizations that may be of interest to students and/or faculty. The
departments within the COE are encouraged to submit all announcements,
upcoming workshops, employment/volunteer opportunities, and any
other pertinent information for posting on the blog. The e-mails received
by subscribers incorporate html, which means once subscribed, the
recipients merely click within the e-mail to access the information they
need.
The COEBlog was launched in February 2007 and to date has 393
subscribers. Tools such as Google Analytics and FeedBurner facilitate the
collection of data to support the efficiency and use of the blog with respect
to our conceptual framework.
Emerging Governance Structures In A Small
Professional Development Partnership
Judith A. Duffield, Lehigh University
Patricia Musselman, Farmersville Elementary School
This presentation mainly addresses Strand #3 but also touches on
issues related to Strand #2. It describes an approach to PDS governance
in a small partnership that is planning for growth. Our partnership is in its
second year, with plans to slowly grow to include all the programs in the
College of Education and two or more additional schools. The structure

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
consists of a policy committee that oversees the entire partnership and a
site council that is concerned with the activities at a single school. As the
partnership expands, more site councils will be formed. The policy committee
consists of a representative from each site council and district involved
in the partnership and from every program in the College of Education.
There are also representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences and
other entities that are considered part of the partnership. The policy
committee controls the budget, determines strategies for expanding the
partnership, and develops policies related to who is considered a partner
or affiliate member of the partnership. The members of the policy committee
serve as conduits to share the information across the partnership and
communication between policy committee and the teachers, faculty, and
other members of the partnership.
This presentation describes our model of shared governance, including
the policies we have developed for membership, involving larger
numbers of teachers, faculty, and K-12 and university students, and
supporting partnership activities.
Emerging Roles And Structures In Partnership
Work: A Network Of Support
Sarah Steel, Jaci Webb-Dempsey, Natalie Webb, and Reagan Curtis, West
Virginia University
This presentation will focus on the emergence and impact of the roles
developed in the context of a 17-year school/university partnership - site
chairs, liaisons, principals, and teacher education coordinators - and the
development of the governance structure that operates to legitimate these
roles and their authority. These emergent roles represent partnership work
that now happens “in the middle” in a new cultural and organizational
space between the university and the schools. As one example, as the
responsibility for clinical supervision shifted from the university to the
PDSs new forms of coordination and professional development related to
supervision were needed and the role of site coordinator emerged. These
PDS faculty work across PDS and university contexts to support clinical
experiences, inform efforts to connect coursework and clinical practice,
and promote professional development across the partnership. PDS site
coordinators now convene regularly in collaboration with university
faculty to make programmatic decisions and are one of the formal bodies
comprising the Benedum Collaborative governance structure. The emergence
of the roles of PDS site chairs and university liaisons has also
contributed to the growth of the governance structure. In addition
to providing an overview of the governance structure and a description
of each role and its development, presenters will also discuss the
impact of their partnership roles on their other responsibilities, on their
professional identities, and on support for renewal efforts. Finally, the
discussion will identify critical opportunities and challenges that have
strengthened each role and the overall governance framework.
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Enhancing Communication Through Multiple
Governance Structures
Jennifer Ford and Traci Vecchiarello, Peabody Elementary School
John Roderick, Maria Baldwin School
Marcia Bromfield, Harriet Deane, and Barbara Govendo, Lesley University
Lesley University has collaborated with public and independent
schools in site-based teacher preparation and PDS models for more than
thirty years. Over the years, a variety of governance structures and
informal practices have evolved to serve both communication and decision-making
functions. The formal structures include a university partnership
group, collaborative internship coordinator’s group, Cambridge-
Lesley Partnership Committee, school-based steering committees, and
school councils. A Cambridge-Lesley planning team works collaboratively
to implement a summer school, housed in a PDS, serving Cambridge
students and Lesley student teachers. These structures provide a voice
for all constituencies involved in the partnerships and create a forum for
communicating ideas.
Key leadership roles make the governance structures work smoothly
and facilitate fruitful communication. Formal roles have been institutionalized
and include the Lesley faculty liaison, school-based coordinators,
Director of Field Placement and Professional Partnerships, and the Lesley
Collaborative Coordinator. Assistant principals have assumed responsibility
for major leadership roles in the partnerships. In addition to facilitating
decision-making, individuals in these roles support communication
within the partnership structures through an annual partnership update
and school news bulletin. They also share information through presentations
to the Lesley and school communities and at state and national
conferences. Regular meetings with interns, teachers, faculty, and administrators
provide opportunities for communication, inform decisions and
policies, and provide feedback for improvement of partnership activities.
In this session we will share specific information about governance
structures in two different partnership models - who is involved, how they
function, and what role they play in decision-making and in enhancing
communication.
Enhancing PDS Through Intentional Design
Jill C. Miels, Peggy Lewis, and James Stroud, Ball State University
The unique characteristics of Professional Development Schools
require that teacher preparation programs intentionally develop guidelines
that will benefit all parties involved. The practices and procedures
associated with the Professional Development Schools Network at Ball
State University have been institutionalized and the Network recognized
for its process of building strong school-university partnerships. Using
the NCATE PDS Standards represents an approach to working on a variety
of issues in a collaborative manner.
Each year, approximately 700 pre-service candidates student teach
in one of the schools within a 75-mile radius of the institution. Twenty-one
of these sites, as well as a nationally recognized children’s museum and
a local cultural center, have entered into a Professional Development
School partnership with Ball State University. Among the twenty-one

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
school sites are three preschools, eleven elementary schools (including a
parochial school), two middle schools, and five high schools. The PDS
sites provide placements for student teachers (approximately 25% of the
total number) and for practicum students in both pedagogical and content
methods. Each site goes beyond merely providing non-traditional field
experiences for candidates by engaging in professional development,
conducting research, and working collaboratively throughout the Network.
By using a standardized framework for designing, developing,
maintaining, and assessing PDS partnerships, each PDS develops individual
structures to meet its unique needs while conforming to the NCATE
Standards for Professional Development Schools. Lessons learned over
these past ten years will be shared.
Four Schools In One: Maintaining A PDS
Partnership Through A Complete High School
Restructure
Miles Anthony Irving, Georgia State University
Saundra Windom and Sandra Harrell, D. M. Therrall School of Business and
Entrepreneurship
The small school reform model has been around for several decades,
maintaining a focus on transforming large schools into smaller learning
communities. Primarily through funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, this movement has gained new life with a focus on restructuring
large urban high schools into smaller learning communities. This
small school initiative has had both supporters (Meier, 2004) and critics
(Perry, 2003). The supporters have spoken to the need to create more
intimate learning environments which support individual and community
learning. However, critics have suggested that a focus primarily on school
size ignores important factors like instructional quality and socio-cultural
influences in the classroom.
This concurrent session will present findings related to a complete
high school transformation of a large urban high school in the south to a
small schools model. This presentation will focus on Strand 3 of the
conference themes by presenting the implementation process at the
district level and highlighting the experiences of students, parents, teachers,
and administrators during the transition. The presenters will speak
specifically to how a meaningful PDS relationship was maintained during
the complete school restructuring. Invariably when school transitions take
place there are challenges and successes. Our presentation will provide
lessons learned from the challenges, as well as evidence of successes. This
session will utilize a multimedia format that is both intellectually engaging
and stimulating.
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Governance And Communication: It Takes A
Mighty Good Meeting To Beat No Meeting At
All
Steven Baugh and Winston Egan, Brigham Young University
Barry Graff, Alpine School District
The Brigham Young University-Public School Partnership, comprised
of five school districts containing dozens of partner schools and
university departments within the school of education and eight colleges
of arts and sciences, has been in operation for over twenty-three years.
After this many years and the usual changes in both school and university
leadership, the partnership continues to thrive. We believe that one of the
chief reasons for this is our governance structure.
For optimal communication to occur within a school-university
partnership, highly functional governance structures, at multiple levels,
must be operating effectively. Meetings with various groups for varying
purposes must attend to the time demands and other unique needs and
roles of the participants and the institutions they represent. Our presentation
will present the specifics of our governance structure, providing
enough detail to be useful in other settings, but avoiding too much detail
which can lead to disinterest and/or frustration among participants. We
will describe several levels of structure, focusing on the “who, what, where,
why, and how” of each. We intend the session to be interactive, handson,
with time for participant comment and questions.
Governance And Communication: Sustaining A
Successful Professional Development School
Network And Expanding To Meet The Needs
Of The Community
Ana Maria Schuhmann, Dorothy Feola, Nancy Norris-Bauer, and Stephanie
Koprowski-McGowan, William Paterson University
Creating a successful Professional Development School network
requires strategic planning, identifying critical needs, and offering opportunities
that make a partnership worthy to all who are involved. After many
years of only supporting Professional Development Schools that were
grant-funded, William Paterson University of New Jersey has now created
a network of schools that are both grant and district funded. This unique
partnership allows districts to partner with William Paterson University’s
College of Education and be granted expanded services of a Professor-In-
Residence (PIR) which allows for peer mentoring of newly hired faculty as
well as model exemplary teaching practices to those beyond induction.
This very attractive proposition for districts has become popular over the
past two years which has allowed our Professional Development Network
to expand in number as well as vision. With the ever-increasing need of
fostering best practices in the classroom, building principals have embraced
PIRs as additional “in-house” mentors to work side-by-side with
teachers in the classroom to enhance their experience as professionals.
Although this model has become quite successful, maintaining the relationships
necessary for it to remain so is very challenging. In order to
demonstrate why our network has increasingly becoming more popular, we

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
will examine who the key role players are, how responsibilities to the
network are defined and communicated, and why school districts are
willing to fund a university member to work in their school buildings to
initiate change.
Not Everything That Happens In Vegas Stays
In Vegas: Building A Communication Structure!
Marcia Nell, Ellen M. Long, Nanette I. Marcum-Dietrich, Richard Kerper,
and Carol Welsh, Millerville University
In this session we will be detailing our journey towards creating a
working PDS model at our university. The focus of our journey was on the
establishment of a “communication structure” between all members of the
new PDS. Using what we learned from the PDS National Conference in 2007,
our first communication structure began within the university. Faculty
members from elementary and early childhood, special education, and
educational foundations in collaboration began researching potential PDS
models. The second communication structure was defining the initial
student cohort. Our resulting PDS model identified dually certified elementary
and special education teacher candidates. This unique population
allowed us to respond to changes in our state’s certification requirements.
The third communication structure was reaching out to the schools. We
researched various school districts in the vicinity and found a receptive
audience when an assistant superintendent came to the university asking,
“How can we get your graduates to take jobs in our district?” This school
district has a high poverty rate, low teacher pay, and an expressed need
in formulating a relationship with our university. So the journey continues
as we forge ahead towards building a lasting partnership. We hope to share
our “communication structures” with the conference attendees as they,
too, begin the journey toward establishing a PDS.
PDS – S.O.S.! (Professional Development
School – Site Offered Snippets)
Patrick Smith and Dora Tartar, Pleasant Valley Elementary School
Professional Development Schools are fortunate to have the opportunity
to host pre-service teachers. This workshop offers the PDS students
an inside view of how the specific building they are in works. A series of
weekly “snippets” are offered to better acclimate the students to the school
climate. Employees from various departments of the school will act as guest
speakers and help present a snippet. This workshop is very flexible and is
able to lend itself to any Professional Development School.
Each snippet offered is accompanied by a “fact sheet.” Each sheet
contains the information presented for that particular snippet. Important
contacts, procedures, and school policies will be covered. The end result
is a binder full of useful information that will come in handy for the student
when they return to student teach and better prepare them for their future.
Snippet suggestions may include, but are not limited to, the following
helpful topics:
• Building Policies and Procedures (transportation forms, field trip
documents, Docushare etc);
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• Technology Department (e-mail, white board usage, internet
policies, equipment trainings and usage);
• Special Areas – art, music, library, physical education;
• Classroom Maintenance and Management (lesson plans, state
standards, and behavior management suggestions);
• Confidentiality - Health and Guidance Departments;
• Building Programs - Reading and Math;
• Actions and Expectations - Do’s and Don’ts as a future educator;
• Midway Q and A - snippet reserved for questions and answers
from the PDS students; administration invited;
• Mandated Reporters - role and responsibilities for children in our
charge, procedures and policies;
• Safety Awareness - building crisis procedures and policies;
• Tutoring/Remediation Programs - extended offerings for students;
and
• “Pick Your Snippet” - What do PDS students want to know? A
great opportunity to personalize experience.
“Site Offered Snippets” will give the students a better picture of what
to expect before, during, and even after student teaching.
Redesigning The Governance Structure,
Improving Communication, And Rebuilding
Trust: A Winning Combination For Becoming A
Powerful PDS For Preparing Professionals
Joan Maier, Sam Houston State University
Wren Bump and Harriet P. Sturgeon, University of Houston at Clear Lake
For the past four years at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, PDS
partners have worked as a team to simultaneously improve trustful
communications while restructuring the governing structure of the PDS
partnership. Pairing of the two goals was critical in the successful development
of a powerful governance structure called the Teacher Education
Advisory Committee (TEAC). Presenters will engage participants as we
demonstrate step-by-step procedures and provide tested methods for
successfully addressing “trust” issues among all PDS constituents.
Effectively addressing “trust” issues resulted in improving communications
as the partners addressed collaboratively the necessary changes to
become a more effective PDS governing structure. In addition, data
analysis methods that provided a clear vision for how to restructure the
governing structure will be shared. Focusing on trust-building and communication
in the process of making necessary changes to the governance
structure was the key for TEAC in becoming a powerful and effective
governance structure that prepares professional new teachers.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
School Renewal Team Enhances
Communication Between The Partners
William Ady, Carolyn Kloss, Janice Johnson, Tommy Gibbons, Ted Abbgy,
and Nicole Dawson, Rockford Environmental Science Academy
Portia Downey, Northern Illinois University
The Professional Development School model was selected as the
school reform mechanism for a partnership developed between Northern
Illinois University, Rock Valley College, and Rockford School District
supported by Project REAL, a Teacher Quality Enhancement grant. This
project involves commitment from all partners creating a shared decisionmaking
and governance model to improve student performance in urban
schools and to better prepare pre-service teachers. This model consists of
a Project Management Team, Coordination and Planning Team, School
Renewal Teams (SRT) at each school site, Teacher Education Network,
Communication and Resources Network, and a Project Evaluation Team.
Focus will be on the SRT at a Rockford middle school PDS and the critical
role the SRT plays in the school reform process. The SRT will share its past,
discuss its present, and elaborate on its future plans.
This proposal addresses Strand #3 by detailing the governance
structure of the PDS partnership, highlighting the communication and
success of this shared decision-making model.
School System-Based PDS Coordinators Say,
“Let’s Talk, Let’s Learn, Let’s Share Best
Practices”
Judy Beiter, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Donna Culan, Howard County Public School System
Nancy Neilson, Baltimore City Public Schools
Maggie Madden and Cheri Wittmann, Maryland State Department of
Education
What can we learn from local school system PDS coordinators to
inform practices to promote more effective PDS models that are standardsbased?
This presentation addresses the mechanisms that local school
system (LSS) PDS coordinators have structured to promote standardsbased
PDSs to inform the practices within their school systems. Creating
dialogues through varied venues has helped inform stakeholders - local
school system PDS personnel and their lHE partners.
Three presenters who serve in school systems of varying size and
demographics will describe strategies and practices that are in place that
ensure that PDSs are implementing Maryland standards to guide the work
of the schools and their university partners. The varying events, communications
methods, and support structures used by each of the three
systems will be shared. Sample meeting structures and newsletters will be
described.
Two presenters will describe the Maryland PDS Network, a statewide
organization that has encouraged each local school system to
identify a PDS contact person/coordinator to facilitate communication.
Representatives of the Maryland State Department of Education will
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describe the processes used to bring together LSS contact personnel semiannually
to foster communication and best practices among all LSSs.
Conversations among all stakeholders identified in these governance
structures have helped to support the annual PDS state conference
that is attended by hundreds of practitioners from across the state.
Strengthening A Charter PDS Through
Strategic Planning Following NCATE PDS
Standards
Shannon Brandt, Wrights Mill Road Elementary School
Peggy Dagley, Charles J. Eick, and Lora Bailey, Auburn University
Karen Spencer-Anderson, Auburn City Schools
The Auburn City Schools - Auburn University Professional Development
School was a charter member of the Holmes Group consortium of
universities in the late 1980s. Since that time the strength of the partnership
has ebbed and flowed with changing administrations and times. Recently,
the partnership has been strengthened through the creation of a Partnership
Council guided by a strategic plan based on meeting the NCATE
Standards for PDSs. PDS committee members studied the strengths and
weaknesses of the current partnership based on the five NCATE Standards
and level of development on each standard. From this work a
strategic plan was developed with goals in the areas of improved communication,
increased collaboration, shared data, and increased stakeholder
involvement. The strategic plan is a working document that now guides the
work of the partnership. Currently, a new website has been developed on
the Auburn Schools server in order to link university faculty and school
teachers on common interests for collaboration.
Strengthening Special Education PDS
Governance Through Effective Communication
Ken Evans and Debi Gartland, Towson University
This session primarily addresses Strand #3 and will highlight communication
strategies useful in the governance of Special Education
Professional Development Schools and that have a positive effect on
achievement of students with disabilities and the success of the Professional
Development School. As institutions of higher education and local
school systems develop their governance structure, many opportunities
exist for communication, but as the major players and practices change
over time, communication has to continue to play a vital role for all parties
so that the governance structure is an effective one. Time and a structure
for that on-going communication to occur have to be built in and given
precedence.
Presenters from both local Professional Development Schools and
institutions of higher education will share a variety of tips they have found
useful for communicating as participants move from the development of
their governance structure to maintenance and revision of that governance
structure. Topics include IHE PDS ad hoc committees, school
system PDS coordinating councils, management and steering committees,
as well as electronic learning communities. Challenges faced by the

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
presenters will be shared, with potential solutions addressed. A variety of
governance structures will be shared, all based on the state and national
standards for Professional Development Schools.
In addition, there will be time allotted for questions and discussion
by the participants. As a result of attending this session, participants will
be able to describe potential challenges and solutions in the area of
governance and communication.
Successfully Unsuccessful: A Process For
Navigating Teacher Candidates Experiencing
Dispositional And Other Difficulties
Amy Guiney and Debbie Anderson, SUNY Potsdam
This session will outline the extensive process used at SUNY
Potsdam for all teacher candidates. The program includes course work, prestudent
teaching experience, and student teaching placements, and incorporates
both academic performance and dispositions assessments at
every stage. Infused into the stages are checks for flagging teacher
candidates experiencing difficulty and putting into place plans to assist
them as they move through each stage. In particular, the relationship with
the PDS is crucial when assessing a student teacher experiencing difficulty
in the field. The role of all stakeholders will be outlined - the coordinator
from the university field experiences office, the faculty supervisor, the
sponsor teacher, and the school administrator, with presenters providing
process examples from their experiences of dealing with teacher candidates
who have demonstrated poor performance. A model for helping students
turn an unsuccessful student teaching placement grade into a learning
experience will be discussed. Strategies for the establishment and maintenance
of effective relations between the college and the PDS will be
highlighted, especially during this process. Relevant data will be presented.
Come and take in one model that may provide ideas for application
with your PDSs.
The Power Of PDSs: Partnership, Outcomes,
Work, Evaluation, Revision
Carol A. Sharp and Jill A. Perry, Rowan University
This presentation addresses Strand 3 by discussing the formal
structure and work of the Rowan University PDS Council. With twelve
PDSs in our PDS Network, The Rowan University PDS Council has been
empowering the work of its PDSs since 2002. The Council comprises all
university PDS liaisons and site-based coordinators, administration from
each PDS, and representation from the College of Education’s Dean’s
Office and Student Services Center. Its purposes are to plan, implement,
and monitor the network’s effectiveness and serve as the communications
hub for the network.
In this presentation, we will discuss how, using the POWER model
(Partnership, Outcomes, Work, Evaluation, Revision), the Council has
facilitated and supported the work of our PDSs.
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Partnership: The Council provides a forum for both intra- and inter-
PDS collaboration.
Outcomes: Each year, each PDS is charged with developing a plan
leading to outcomes connected to the four functions Rowan uses to
organize its PDS work: Pre-service, In-service, Research, and Support of
Children’s Learning. These four functions each address NCATE’s PDS
critical attributes.
Work: Each year, our PDSs continue to do the work they plan.
Evaluation: Though each PDS evaluates its own progress toward its
outcomes, at Council meetings we examine all of the outcomes as a whole,
looking for gaps in our work.
Revision: Our evaluations of “the gaps” lead to both intra- and inter-
PDS discussions and revisions (e.g., a secondary school model; cohorted,
multi-semester, multi-PDS-based field experiences for teacher candidates;
and PDSs as “teaching hospitals”). And then the POWER cycle continues!
The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its
Parts
Lauren Stanczyk, Hollifield Station Elementary School
Mary Peterson, Dee Walsh, and Kathy Jacobs, Waverly Elementary School
Kristen Olsen, St. John’s Lane Elementary School
Donna Culan, Howard County Public Schools
Ann Eustis and Ellen Ballock, Towson University
Effective communication and collaboration are essential within any
partnership. Bringing three schools together into one collaborative PDS
partnership has its challenges, but it has also transformed our work in many
ways. Whereas each school used to operate independently, the three
schools now not only work together to prepare teachers, but also collaborate
to develop school improvement plans and plan professional development
opportunities and family nights. The county now even views the
three schools as a unit. Collaborative governance structures have played
a crucial role in this transformation. This presentation will address the
challenges and successes we have had in learning to work collaboratively
across three schools and a university. We will highlight the roles of summer
planning, the steering committee, and the management team in facilitating
communication and decision-making.
Using Future Teachers’ Standardized Test
Scores To Shape Teacher Education Program
Admission Requirements
Martin J. Ward, Carmen Boatright, and Christie Warren, Texas A&M
University-Corpus Christi
Cathy A. Pohan, National University
Pre-service teachers must pass state-mandated exams presumed to
measure pedagogical and content knowledge in order to become certified
teachers in the state of Texas. The Texas Education Agency (TEA), along
with the Texas State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC), oversees the
certification of educators. Educator preparation programs in Texas must

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
meet rigorous accountability standards set by TEA/SBEC in order to be
rated “accredited.” An 80% pass rate by the final cohort of program
completers on the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES)
Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) is expected.
Many university teacher education programs have chosen to use
the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA), required for freshman
or transfer university admission, as part of their admission requirements.
The THEA exams consist of three parts: reading, writing, and math.
Generally, the THEA scores required for admission into teacher education
are significantly higher than those required for university admission. The
higher scores required for admission into teacher education help insure a
higher passage rate on the certification exams by program completers.
This presentation examines the extent to which future teachers’
THEA reading scores serve as partial predicters of their success on the
TExES PPR. Furthermore, the specific scores required by this south Texas
university for admission into its teacher education program were evaluated
in light of the relationship between pre-service teachers’ THEA and PPR
scores. The research sample for this study consisted of 152 pre-service
teachers who attempted the PPR exam between January, 2004 and December,
2006. Scores for their first three attempts (if necessary) on the THEA
and PPR were compiled. Changes in university teacher education program
admission requirements have been enacted as a result of these findings.
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2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
STRAND #4 – CLASSROOM PRACTICES
21 st Century Learning Practices: Affecting
Education Today And Tomorrow
Barbara Maynard, Marshall University
L. Victoria Smith, Geneva Kent Elementary School
Deborah Workman, Kellogg Elementary School
Carlos Hernandez, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
21st Century Learning is critical for the success of students as the
world becomes more accessible to all. The Marshall University Professional
Development School Partnership (PDSP) recognizes the importance
of the 21st Century elements and is collaborating with its Professional
Development Schools and with the West Virginia Department of Education
to bring 21st Century Learning to P-12 students. West Virginia is one of two
21st Century Learning states in the United States. The best practices of the
21st Century affect in-service teachers today and affect the pre-service
teachers of tomorrow. Focusing particularly on global learning, diversity,
and technology, the PDSP brought together schools in West Virginia and
California to engage in learning that reflects a world in which the playing
field becomes more and more even for all people.
Various strategies have been used to share activities and learning
among schools. These activities include visits to schools at each site,
distance learning conferencing, distance learning sharing of diversity
programs, and exchange of best practices among schools. In all schools,
a focus has been on the pre-service teachers and the part they play in 21st Century Learning for future classrooms. The pre-service teachers are
benefiting from participating in the best teaching practices and will carry
those practices into future classrooms for the enhancement of P-12
learning.
3-2-1 Action! (Research)
Dee Walsh and Kathy Jacobs, Waverly Elementary School
Jamie Sheffer, Ann Eustis, and Ellen Ballock, Towson University
This presentation will address the role of collaboration between preservice
and in-service teachers in conducting action research within our
PDS. With resources and support from the university, practicing teachers
develop action research projects connected with the school improvement
plan (SIP) aimed at improving student achievement. Then they work
collaboratively with interns to implement interventions and collect and
analyze data. This presentation will highlight the logistics and planning for
action research, the roles of mentors and interns in the process, and the
evidence of student learning documented by these teams. In particular, we
will address the successes and challenges which arose as the university
shifted its focus from having the interns create very limited classroombased
interventions lasting only a few weeks to larger-scale efforts
directed by in-service teachers that were based on a few targeted SIP goals
that this tri-site partnership had in common.
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A Co-Teaching Model In Action
Linda McCalister, Appalachian State University
Marc Gamble and Jenny Risk, Ashe High School
Educators who take their work seriously have been part of the “Age
of Accountability” from the first day on the job or before. Accountability
to parents, colleagues at the next level, and to students has trumped many
other passing phases over the decades. The current phase of data driven,
standardized, and largely politically motivated “accountability” has impacted
virtually every aspect of secondary education. Two areas that have
been slow to accommodate the new realities of accountability have been
pre-service teacher education programs and exceptional children’s inclusion
classrooms. With challenges of test performance, school safety,
classroom discipline issues, and the trend toward inclusion of exceptional
students with an “inclusion teacher” in the classroom, the practice of coteaching
as the accepted model for the student teaching experience has
gained support.
Highly effective teachers in today’s classroom recognize collaboration
and communication as imperative to student academic success. Coteaching
can be defined as “two or more professionals delivering substantive
instruction to a diverse group of students in a single physical space.”
Co-teaching involves “two or more individuals working together for the
outcome of achieving what none could have done alone.” Participants’
willingness to work in a collaborative partnership is essential and cannot
be mandated if success is expected. Teachers must share ownership for the
success of all the students in a co-teaching setting. Co-teaching partners
must share decision-making, resources, responsibility, and accountability.
This session will give an account of one school’s move toward a model
of co-teaching and the questions and decisions that have been made along
the way.
A Collaborative Model That Works ... Moving
Professional Development Beyond The Parking
Lot . . . A University/High School Model For
Increasing Student Achievement And Improving
Teaching Practices.
James Kilbane, Pace University
John Mooney and Yvette Sy, Pace University High School
For years, teachers have lamented with frustration the failure to
sustain professional development beyond the periodic staff development
days. At Pace University High School, a unique collaboration between
teachers and professors has allowed us to develop a consistent, long range
approach to faculty-identified professional development needs. One such
example is our comprehensive effort to enhance strategies for differentiated
instruction for the significantly diverse needs of an urban public high
school.
Located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Pace University High
School is a partnership between Pace University, the New York City
Department of Education, and New Visions for Public Schools. A universal
free lunch school in one of New York’s poorest communities, it has

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
received more than 4000 applications for 100 available seats as it enters its
4th year of existence. In addition, it has garnered an extraordinary reputation
among non-screened, non-examination high schools by far exceeding
the expectations of normal benchmarks in academics, behavior, attendance,
and parent support. The thrust of our collective work has been to
fashion a school that by values, policies, and procedures can overcome the
normally devastating effects of unequal funding and class structures
aided by a substantive university partnership.
During the session, our teacher/professor team will discuss the
construction and execution of the collaboration model, the infusion of
teacher-identified strategies, and the assessment of student learning as a
result of those strategies. In this workshop, you will learn the who, what,
when, where, and how of our teacher/professor collaboration model of
professional development.
A Cord Of Three Can’t Be Broken -
Collaboration To Strengthen Secondary
Teacher Candidate Preparation
Ann Behrens and Marian Sorenson, Quincy University
Tom Conley, Quincy High School
Barbara Klein, Quincy Junior High School
Methods courses must model good instruction for the teacher
candidates enrolled in them. An action research project at Quincy University
created professional learning teams encompassing secondary and
post-secondary school faculties for the purpose of revising secondary
methods course syllabi. The Understanding by Design curriculum model
of McTighe and Wiggins and the work of Carol Ann Tomlinson on
differentiated instruction served as the basis of our project. By including
secondary school instructors who have been involved with our Professional
Development School initiative, as well as education and arts and
science faculties, the strength of the practitioners, content specialists, and
educational methods experts was combined to create syllabi that reflect the
expertise of all participants These syllabi also reflect the opportunities that
teacher candidates have to work in K-12 classrooms through the Professional
Development School model. As a result of our work, the secondary
methods courses share a common syllabus format, with uniform course
purpose statements, course objectives, and essential questions to guide
the learning of teacher candidates.
A Northern PDS Experience
Donna Forsyth, Brandon University
Mathew Gustafson, Cathy Watt, Susan Rankin, Hollee Perreault, and Shirley
Kilbride, Betty Gibson School
Brandon School Division (BSD) and Brandon University (BU),
located in Manitoba, Canada, have initiated a Professional Development
School at Betty Gibson School. The first step in the development of a PDS
has been the introduction of a Teacher Education Literacy course with an
Early Years focus. This session explores the factors present in Brandon
that have made the implementation of a PDS possible, including the
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existing partnerships between BU and BSD, the geographic advantages of
the setting, and, most importantly, the capacity of faculty at BSD and BU.
The Brandon School Division Strategic Plan emphasizes best practices
in student-centered learning. Brandon School Division uses the
Instructional Cycle as its pedagogical approach to teaching and learning.
In addition, BSD has engaged in a number of initiatives, including the
Middle Years Initiative that focused on enabling Grades 5-8 teachers to
participate in dialogue and focus on instructional and assessment practices.
The Balanced Literacy Initiative focused on providing Early Years
Teachers with best practices for Early Years Literacy. Brandon School
Division also completed four years of the Literacy Support Project supported
by the Province of Manitoba that focused on the development of
staff capacity and to increase the literacy level of students in three inner
city schools. The highly successful Literacy Support Project has allowed
for a more encompassing initiative in BSD focusing on literacy and the
building of staff capacity. BU faculty includes a Literacy Instructor in the
Faculty of Education who was a former Staff Development Consultant for
BSD. The Dean for the Faculty of Education is a former teacher, Superintendent,
and Minister of Education for the Province of Manitoba.
The implementation of the PDS course focuses on creating professional
growth opportunities for both faculty and student teachers through
collaboration and reflection. The session also explores the implementation
and evolution of the collaborative process between student teachers and
BU/BSD faculty during the first year of the initiative. In addition, the
realized benefits for faculty, student teachers, and students is discussed.
A Senior Year On-Site Program: Elementary
Education In An Era Of Accountability
Deborah Carr and Dan Lowry, University of Missouri Columbia
In response to a pilot program that placed senior elementary education
majors into schools for a full year, the MU Teacher Development
Program determined that the success of this experimental program was so
great that the model was implemented for over 100 elementary education
majors. We are now entering our third year of utilizing this model, involving
over 300 majors.
Although presented in part in presentations about the MU Partnership
for Educational Renewal, a request was made at last year’s conference
to devote an entire session to this model, describing how courses were
selected, how collaboration works between districts and the university,
how schools decide to be involved, the role of building principals and
university faculty, and the infrastructure needed to maintain and implement
such a curriculum.
This session will explain the model, how this model was conceptualized
and revised, the changes that have occurred from pilot years to full
implementation, and the impact this model has had not only on teacher
preparation, but on learning outcomes in schools and the impact of the
model in schools and for pre-service teachers.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Action Research As A Tool For Classroom
Improvement
Linda Taylor, Ball State University
Action research, while not always common in elementary or secondary
settings, is rare in early childhood settings. Now in the third year of this
practice, our PDS has incorporated in-house professional development on
a variety of topics. This year one of the topics is Action Research. The
university liaison is leading small groups of teachers through the process
of learning about Action Research and developing their own Action
Research projects. The first group of teachers has begun their projects with
a second group in the planning stage. Three additional groups will go
through the process later in the academic year, with results for all groups
to be shared at a culminating celebration/sharing event at the end of the
school year.
The PDS is an early childhood program serving approximately 240
children birth through kindergarten. Additionally, music, motor development,
and Spanish are incorporated for all children 15 months and older.
Because of the nature of the PDS, part-time and full-time teachers are
employed; however, all teachers are expected to develop an Action
Research project with the assistance of the university liaison. The presenter
will provide information on the training and follow-up work with
teachers to help them experience success with their Action Research
projects. Topics for projects and current status of projects will be shared
as well.
Action Research In A PDS: The ESU Way
Jeffrey Scheetz and Lisa Dobroski, East Stroudsburg University
Graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in either of the ESU
secondary PDS programs are required to take Seminar III, a course devoted
to teaching students how to conduct Action Research. Research projects
are conducted during the first half of the student teaching semester and
require the cooperation of their mentor teachers. Students are required to
consult with their mentor teachers in order to identify the research
question. The results of students’ Action Research projects are presented
to their mentors, professors, and colleagues at the mid-point of student
teaching. It is my intention to have with me samples of students’ final
products and discuss with the audience how the process was conducted
in our PDS.
Action Research Video Findings For Change
And Program Improvement
Linda A. Catelli and Clyde Payne, Dowling College
Valerie Jackson, Joan Carlino, Gina Petraglia, Marsha Babcock, and Susan
Levine, Belmont Elementary School
The purpose of this session is to present action research video
studies that were conducted by members of a Professional Development
School partnership. The action studies focused on videotaped teaching
performances of cohorts of teacher candidates during the years of 1998-
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2000 and 2005-2007. Findings from the earlier studies were used to initiate
changes in the pre-service teacher education program and in the supervision
of teacher candidates at the PDS. For purposes of this session,
members of the PDS will present (1) contextual and demographic information
about the PDS, the partnering college, and the teacher candidates who
participated in the study; (2) a conceptualization of the teacher’s role as
a new facilitator of learning with references to effective teaching practices;
and (3) selected findings from the studies and how the findings were used
to initiate change and program improvement. The session is intended to
promote dialogue among PDS practitioners, researchers, teacher educators,
and administrators. Since its inception, members of the PDS partnership
have produced over nineteen action research studies, fourteen
research paper-presentations at national and international conferences,
three symposiums at national and international conferences, three published
articles in refereed journals, and one published chapter in a book on
teacher education.
An Inquiry Into Literacy Data
Jim Shirley and Vandrea Lang, Irmo Elementary School
Nicole Bishop, University of South Carolina
What do we as a faculty believe and understand about how formative
assessment impacts our literacy instructional practices? As a PDS site with
the University of South Carolina, one of our requirements is to conduct a
research or demonstration project in collaboration with a university-based
faculty member and the school. Irmo Elementary and Dr. Diane Stephens
specifically set about examining how we use assessment with children to
gain a better understanding of the instructional practice of using data to
make instructional decisions for literacy instruction.
In this session, we will focus on how we have used data to help
teachers effectively group children for reading instruction, providing
focused instruction for those groups. In this workshop-like conversation,
participants will be provided with information about a group of second
grade readers and how that information was used to scaffold the teacher
into small flexible group instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.
The presenters will then explain how the classroom teacher and the literacy
coach decided to group the children and provide participants with examples
of instructional decisions for these groups. Documents shared will
include a system for quickly assessing meaning (semantic) and visual
(grapho-phonemic) cue use and a class record sheet which makes it easier
for teachers to identify needs (whole group, small group, and one-on-one).
Patterns taken from this sheet can then be used to identify the instructional
focus of the small groups.
“...And They Wrote Reflectively Ever After...”
Reflection As Development Through Journals
Susan Lunsford, Penn State University
Candy Stahl, Gray’s Woods Elementary School
This presentation focuses on the use of reflective journals as a tool
for improving practice and for fine-tuning observations made by interns.
As pre-service interns begin the journey from college student to profes-

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
sional educator, many issues and questions arise; concerns and discoveries
surface that require personal and professional reflection. A weekly
journal not only becomes a record of development over time but also a
resource for reflection to improve teaching practice.
When shared with a coaching teacher who adds thought-provoking
questions and comments, this journaling discourse pushes the intern’s
thinking and understanding into his own teaching practice. Questions
interspersed by the coaching teacher guide the intern to further wonderings
and reflections that, because they are documented, can be revisited
throughout the course of the internship.
In this session a coaching teacher, an intern, and a Professional
Development Associate from the Penn State-State College Area School
District School Partnership will share journal reflections and real-life
examples of how their teaching practice improved based on the journaling
process. Ideas for journal topics as well as developmentally appropriate
reflections will also be shared. Active participation is welcomed and
encouraged.
Arriving Home: Unpacking Mentor Teachers’
Decision-Making Processes Through Video
Analysis
Rebecca Burns, Penn State University
Kimber Hershberger, Judi Kur, and Jessica Donaldson, Radio Park
Elementary School
Facilitating productive whole class discussion is a difficult undertaking.
Even more challenging for many elementary teachers is the task of
engaging children in meaningful science talks that unpack student thinking,
address misconceptions, and promote making connections among
evidence and explanations. The decisions an experienced teacher makes
during these kinds of discussions are an embedded part of instruction.
Teachers make these decisions reflexively and often draw on tacit knowledge
to do so. The struggle occurs when pre-service teachers, who we call
interns in our partnership, attempt to duplicate the process and discover
the Atlantis waiting below the surface. New advances in digital video
analysis software have the potential to allow teachers and teacher educators
to create a vehicle that can transport novice teachers through that
journey of unpacking and understanding experienced teachers’ decisionmaking
so that they, too, can construct effective discussion practices.
This presentation focuses on the results of a collaborative teacher
inquiry project that utilized digital video analysis software to assist two
mentor teachers and their interns in creating a dialogue around the
mentors’ decision-making during science talks. Not only will it demonstrate
the results of the inquiry project on interns’ understandings and
practices, but it will also shed new light on alternative uses of digital video
analysis software in teacher preparation and the impact inquiry and
technology can have on teacher education.
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Authentic And Relevant Assessment
Assignments For Preservice Teachers
Cathy A. Pohan, National University
Glennis Cunningham and Carmen Boatright, Texas A & M University-Corpus
Christi
With the ever-widening achievement gap, it is imperative that
educators begin to identify “real-life, hands-on practices between coaching
teachers and teacher candidates that can enhance P-12 student
learning” (PDS Planning Team, 2008). Several authentic assessment practices
designed to further the teaching and learning process among P-12
students, teacher candidates, and coaching teachers will be shared. While
the assignments are couched within the teacher candidates’ coursework,
they were co-designed by P-12 educators and university faculty. Under the
supervision of their coaching teacher and university professor, teacher
candidates learn to use student data to plan for differentiated
instruction.Two examples are briefly described below:
1. Data-Driven Instructional Planning: This assignment requires
the coaching teacher and teacher candidate to identify and
analyze assessment data (e.g., quarterly benchmarks, pre-unit
assessments) together. P-12 students are then grouped by readiness
levels and a 3-day plan for instruction is designed. The plan
must demonstrate how instruction will be differentiated to meet
the range of readiness levels identified by the assessment data.
2. Designing Effective Informal Assessment Practices: With the aid
of a graphic organizer, coaching teachers and teacher candidates
are working to better understand the role of formative (i.e.
informal, on-going) assessment in the instructional planning
process.
Feedback from all participants indicates that the process has deepened
their knowledge and understanding of how to use assessment to plan
effective instruction. An unexpected outcome has been that several
teacher candidates were hired specifically because of their ability to
discuss the assessment-planning relationship and differentiated instruction.
Beginning The Intern On The Road To Best
Practices Through Systematic Observation
Wren Bump, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Joan Maier, Sam Houston State University
As with all new learning, the first step is to become aware of
something. Then after we become aware of something, we begin to notice
more occurrences and we begin to construct a framework of what will
happen next. As professionals, experienced teachers have a framework of
what to expect in the classroom, how to evaluate the actions, and then how
to respond appropriately. From observing these actions of professionals,
our interns can gain a sense of what is really happening in the classroom
and in the interactions among teachers and students. But these observations
need to be structured and systematic so that the interns can construct
their own professional framework that includes best practices in the
classroom. Systematic observation provides a specific purpose for the

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
observation and a method by which to collect data during the observation.
In addition to the observation, a report or a reflection should be included
in the process. The presenters will share the eight “lenses” through which
the interns can look as they observe a classroom: learning climate,
classroom management, lesson clarity, instructional variety, teacher’s
task orientation, students’ engagement in the learning process, students’
success in basic academic skills, and higher thought processes/performance
outcomes. Several handouts will be given with rating scales,
questions, checklists, and coding systems.
Behavior Management In The Classroom
Michael Shriner and Rebecca Libler, Indiana State University
Concurrent session attendees will glean information garnered as a
result of a research study generated from a professional development
workshop presented to 36 individuals in the summer of 2007 who were
interested in learning behavior management strategies prior to beginning
their academic year. An overview of the workshop design - including
objectives such as developing an understanding as to why students do
what they do, guidelines for working with various student behaviors, and
specific techniques for increasing appropriate and decreasing inappropriate
behavior - will be briefly discussed. Special focus of this particular
session will entail: (a) a quantitative summary of the various characteristics
of workshop participants, (b) several examples of qualitative reactions to
the workshop, and (c) findings related to workshop participants’ changes
in attitudes and perceptions as a result of their attendance (including
findings that suggested participants felt they were no longer likely to deal
with primary behavior issues related to their students following directions,
maintaining attention, and respecting their teacher, themselves, and their
classmates as a result of acquiring behavioral management techniques
covered in the workshop).
Beyond Reflective Practice: Using Video-
Analysis Technology To Examine Problems Of
The Practice
Rebecca Burns, Penn State University
Deana Washell, State College Area School District
Finding tools to help pre-service teachers reflect on instruction is a
critical component of the teacher education process. Videotaping has the
potential to engender reflection, but analysis can be cumbersome. We are
currently experimenting with the use of innovative video-analysis technology
(Studiocode) to examine instructional performances and interactions
between student teaching interns, mentor teachers, and students in
ways that allow the efficient use of time and that also respect the different
abilities and knowledge bases of the various PDS stakeholders. By
videotaping classroom exchanges and then using this technology to
isolate particular examples of target behaviors, student teachers, mentor
teachers, and student teacher supervisors can work individually and
collectively to understand and improve instruction. This presentation will
demonstrate the technology, show examples of its actual use, and present
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preliminary findings of the PDS researchers involved in the project,
including elementary student teachers, elementary classroom teachers,
and university professors and graduate students.
Building The Student Teaching Triad Plus
Lyn Krenz, Donegan Elementary School
Alison Rutter, East Stroudsburg University
Within our PDS model pre-service teachers spend increasingly more
time in the field as they progress through our program. In the semester
before student teaching (ATII), they spend two full days weekly in a PDS
classroom and then return to that same teacher and room as student
teachers (REST) for half of that student teaching placement. Unlike the
traditional model of a student teacher working primarily with only one cooperating
teacher, with evaluative visits periodically from a university
supervisor, this model expands the relationship and responsibility for
developing this pre-service teacher greatly. During these two semesters
the pre-service teacher is surrounded by a community of mentors - the
classroom mentor teacher, a faculty building mentor, the building liaison,
team teachers, specialists working with that team, the faculty methods
team, other pre-service teachers within that PDS site, a university supervisor,
and site administration. All of these individuals work with the preservice
teachers to ensure that they are receiving a rich teacher development
experience. In many cases, there is more than one pre-service teacher
in a given classroom as the experiences between ATII and REST often
overlap. This allows the REST to also serve as a mentor for the ATII.
Mentoring becomes a developmental activity for all.
This study builds on a pilot study conducted last year. Survey and
interview data are being collected on a broader range of mentoring
relationships to see if the initial patterns from the pilot hold true and if there
are new insights to further enhance these experiences.
Classroom Management And Community
Building In The Primary Classroom
Tyra Tripp, Paradise Professional Development School
The focus of this session is on establishing behavioral expectations
and building community from the first day of school. In this session
participants will learn ways to integrate social studies, literature, and the
arts while establishing classroom norms. Participants will learn to identify
cues from students that open up opportunities to maximize teachable
moments for community building. Participants will also learn ways to help
pre-service teachers identify and utilize these techniques.
Classroom Practices
Teresa B. Jayroe and Margaret Pope, Mississippi State University
Angela Mulkana, West Point School District
Teacher candidates enroll in the Elementary/Middle Level Methods
Block during their senior year at Mississippi State University. The Senior

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Methods block, which is comprised of four methods courses with a field
component, is a partnership between the university and a rural school
district. School personnel entered into this partnership believing that it
would enhance student learning and teaching because many students in
the school district are deemed at-risk of school failure. This collaborative
partnership provides opportunities for teacher candidates to work in
classrooms with K-6 students, classroom teachers, and administrators.
Classroom teachers and university faculty collaboratively mentor
teacher candidates as they plan and implement instruction in classrooms
and then reflect on the delivery and impact of the lesson. As teacher
candidates plan lessons, classroom teachers and university faculty work
with them to make sure that the lessons enhance K-6 student learning.
When teacher candidates implement lessons, university faculty and
classroom teachers use the Formative Teacher Candidate Assessment
Instrument (FTCAI) to assist each teacher candidate in understanding
how they effectively plan and utilize hands-on practices in elementary/
middle level classrooms. The FTCAI addresses the following areas:
planning and preparation, communication and interaction, teaching for
learning, managing the learning environment, and assessment of student
learning. After teacher candidates implement lessons, university faculty
and classroom teachers use the FTCAI to actively assist teacher candidates
as they reflect on their practice. The collaborative efforts of the
university faculty, classroom teachers, and teacher candidates ensure that
classroom practices provide K-6 students with quality instruction.
Classroom Practices: A Unique Co-Teaching
Partnership
Deborah Bailey, Johnson C. Smith University
Veronica Kodzai, Merry Oaks International Academy of Learning
With the population demographics rapidly changing, it is becoming
apparent that the culture identity of our schools, our workforce, as well as
our society is changing just as quickly. A cohesive, cooperative, and
effective way of productivity is needed to ensure success of every
individual who is involved in the education of our children. Having a
successful teacher/university partnership will help to ensure a positive
educational experience for university faculty, the classroom teacher, and
the teacher candidate.
Over the past three years Merry Oaks International Academy of
Learning and Johnson C. Smith University have developed a successful
partnership to help ensure a positive educational experience for our
diverse student population, as well as university faculty, classroom
teachers, and P-12 teacher candidates. The overall purpose of this session
is to share how real life, hands-on practices between coaching teachers and
teacher candidates can enhance P-12 student learning. This presentation
will share:
1. strategies to help teacher candidates in the elementary classroom;
2. co-teaching strategies;
3. elementary school writing night; and
4. an overview and progress of this co-teaching project.
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Co-Teaching And Mutual Planning During
Student Teaching: The Outcomes For Interns,
Students, And Mentors
Richard Burnham, Donna Escobar, Karen Homen, and Hilary Jones, Dean
Petersen Professional Development School
Utilizing multiple co-teaching approaches as well as mutual planning
during student teaching is an opportunity for both the intern teacher and
the mentor to collaborate and learn from each other while meeting the
learning needs of the students in the classroom. The co-teaching approach
allows the intern to learn from the mentor teacher’s continued modeling
and support. The mentor is able to continue to support the intern while still
releasing responsibility. The resulting relationship is a learning environment
in which the mentor and the intern learn from each other and the
students benefit from both teachers’ continued support and expertise.
During this session we will analyze the different approaches to coleaching
and mutual planning that we have implemented at Dean Petersen
Professional Development School. In collaboration with the University of
Las Vegas, Nevada Curriculum and Instruction Department we have
developed a professional development plan for our mentors that prepares
them to utilize the co-teaching approach with the pre-service teachers.
During our presentation we will share our professional development plan,
along with the challenges and the rewards of co-teaching from both the
mentor and the intern’s perspective. We will also review research regarding
the academic benefits of co-teaching.
Coach, Communicate, Collaborate: Supporting
ALL Students Through The Clinical
Supervisor/Teacher Candidate Team
Sara Dilday, Mandy Adcock, and Jennifer Buechele, Starside Elementary
School
Teaching and reaching all students is a challenge all schools face.
Starside Elementary PDS in DeSoto, Kansas is no exception. In an effort
to address the achievement gap, we have developed many practical ways
to use our PDS teacher candidates in the classroom. In this presentation,
we will focus on how we use coaching, communication, and collaboration
to improve student learning.
Clinical supervisors are responsible for the coaching of our PDS
teacher candidates. This coaching occurs through daily dialogue, weekly
observation, and feedback sessions. Clinical supervisors receive training
through a supervision course that was developed by the PDS partners. A
brief description of our coaching and clinical supervisor training will be
shared.
Communication is an essential part of the PDS experience at Starside
Elementary and therefore the need to develop a systematic process for
communication is essential. It is through this communication that both
clinical supervisors and teacher candidates develop a strong relationship
that results in maximum student learning.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Finally, the act of collaborating is our greatest focus as a PDS site.
Our teacher candidates are involved in weekly collaboration with their
cohort teams, grade level teams, Professional Learning Communities, as
well as with the special service teams. Teacher candidates are witnesses
to the many powerful teaching strategies that are a result of the collaboration
process. During this presentation we will share with you many of the
practical strategies that we use to ensure learning for ALL students.
Coaching High School Content Area Teachers:
Every Teacher A Reading Teacher
Mary Styslinger and Victoria Oglan, University of South Carolina
Presenters will share how the University of South Carolina and the
Arthur Vining Davis Foundation have joined forces to implement Project
RAISSE: Reading Assistance Initiative for Secondary School Educators.
The goal of this project is to enhance reading achievement and reading
instruction in high schools. The approach is to design and offer ongoing,
broad-based professional development for teachers that will help them
understand the reading process specific to content area reading, develop
the knowledge base needed to make informed and effective curricular and
instructional decisions about reading, and thereby positively affect student
reading proficiency and achievement.
Presenters will outline how seven teachers from two high schools in
South Carolina are participating in such professional development programs
as: literacy graduate study, collegial study groups, and teachers as
professional leaders. Hear how this initiative is impacting teachers of math,
science, social studies and English and how these teachers are transforming
their teaching and their students’ learning. Hear how these teachers
are creating thinking classrooms where students are strategic readers,
writers, listeners, speakers, and thinkers. Hear how these teachers are
providing opportunities for students to take ownership of their learning.
Hear how these teachers are using their students as their curricular
informants. Hear how these classroom communities are making a difference
in the lives of both teachers and students.
Collaborating To Improve University Students’
Classroom Management During Clinical
Experiences
Laurie A. Palmer, University of Delaware
One of the biggest concerns reported by classroom teachers and
university students during clinical experiences is classroom management.
Classroom teachers perceive university students as lacking an understanding
of classroom management and the strategies needed to be
effective managers. University students feel unsure of when to step in
while in the classroom when it belongs to someone else. Both teachers and
university students agree that classroom management is a constant
struggle during clinical experiences.
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This session will share the results of a study that focused on
identifying key obstacles in junior and senior university students’ successful
classroom management and methods to help them become effective
classroom managers during their clinical experiences. This study
examines the perceived causes of poor classroom management as identified
by teachers and university students that include problems with
implementing a classroom that is already in place and an understanding by
the university students of their role in classroom management while in
someone else’s classroom. Based on the findings of this study, simple
interventions were created and implemented by university students in their
field placements. Further study indicates these interventions have had a
level of success in improving university students’ classroom management
during their field experiences. These interventions and the results will be
shared with session participants.
Cross-Career Learning Communities At Work
Patrice Dawkins-Jackson, Dunwoody Springs Charter School
Julie Dangel, Georgia State University
Cross-career learning communities (CCLC) are a proven model of
support for teachers to help them grow in the knowledge and skills
identified by the Georgia Framework for Teaching. At Dunwoody Springs
Charter School, new and experienced teachers participate in a CCLC which
provides face-to-face and online support and dialogue to support teachers
in their growth. This work is based on Critical Friends Groups (CFG) and
guided by Patrice, a trained CFG coach. CFG is a well-researched approach
to learning communities and provides the structure to support teachers as
they improve instruction and student learning in a trusting, long-term
supportive environment. At Dunwoody Springs, teachers meet monthly
in small CCLC groups to set goals, analyze student work, and plan for
improved instruction. In this presentation, we will describe the CCLC
model and demonstrate a CFG protocol for supporting teachers’ growth.
Cultural Proficiency Impact: Whose World
View?
Doris Grove, Jane Harstad, and Cole Reilly, Pennsylvania State University
Teacher candidates must develop proficiencies for working with
students from diverse backgrounds, dispositions that respect and value
differences, and skills for working in diverse settings. Many pre-service
teachers have little to no experience outside of their own culture and
therefore bring their own biases and stereotypical points of view with them
as they begin their teacher education programs and eventually their
teaching career.
Culturally responsive teaching has been defined “as using the
cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance styles of diverse
students to make learning more appropriate and effective for them; it
teaches to and through the strengths of these students.” (Gay, 2000) Our
PDS partnership has developed, and continues to refine, student teaching
seminars that address cultural proficiency and the pedagogical issues that
surround this topic. Each pre-service teacher brings a unique level of
cultural proficiency to the classroom and we continue to be surprised and

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
informed by our students’ prior understandings. Whose world view is
correct?
This study is the result of the Professional Development Associate
research into our practices of teaching cultural proficiency to interns over
the course of four seminars we hold each spring. In this presentation,
teacher educators will discuss the findings and the implications for future
teacher educators to consider when addressing cultural diversity issues
in the teacher education programs.
Dancing With The Stars: A Learning And
Teaching Tandem Featuring Pre-Service
Education Candidates And Autistic High School
Students In A Unique PDS Model
Sharon Medow, Pace University
Teri Buch, P226M
Our workshop will highlight the fulfilling and blossoming PDS model
between Pace University and the New York City Department of Education.
Our campus-based inclusion program unites pre-service teacher education
candidates working in tandem with autistic high school students and
their general education, as well as special education, coaching teachers.
This unique collaboration affords students learning and teaching
opportunities both on the university campus and in the New York City
Public Schools. Our team teaching approach infuses real life, hands-on
techniques with a variety of authentic research-based instructional models.
This presentation will feature the eclectic strengths and talents of the
coaching teachers and teacher candidates via classroom collaborations.
Data-Informed Practice: Leadership Tools For
Diversifying Teaching And Learning
Stefan Biancaniello, Duquesne University
Stephanie Cucunato, New Brighton Elementary School
Educators are discovering they need to learn not just different ways
of doing things, but very different ways of thinking about their work. This
requires a redefinition of leadership. This session stimulates that thinking.
Implementing “best practice” strategies infused with current professional
learning research, this session highlights the collaborative leadership
work provided by Professional Development School opportunities. It
explores the artful use of school infrastructure and addresses critical
questions facing school-based leaders. We know the challenges we face
in classrooms today are significant. Schools will need to not only think
outside of the box; they will need to think new boxes! This skill-based
workshop provides opportunities to interact with the research and practical
tools that guide learning organizations in developing leaders. The
research of Richard Elmore, Lauren Resnick, Victoria Barnhardt, and
Douglas Reeves and the work of The National Institute for School
Leadership and the National Staff Development Council produce strategies
designed to organize effort, provide tools to assess and allocate
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resources, and guide professional learning opportunities for schoolbased
leaders.
Participants will leave the session with functional strategies for
empowering school-based leaders and tools to guide thinking and practice.
Participants will: a) learn strategies and techniques for re-defining
roles, rituals, and routines; b) interact with creative and innovative data
tools to assess needs and evaluate interventions; and c) explore a question
protocol that provides a new look at time and resources. Participants will
take with them tools they can use to assess current practice and an action
plan for the future.
Developing College Interns’ Knowledge Of
Literacy Instruction By Implementing A
Fluency Intervention To Assist Elementary
Students
Michelle White, Amy Raymond, Nancy Cornelison, and Kevin Cuppett, Green
Valley Elementary School
The session is an overview of how Green Valley Elementary School
educators trained Hood College interns to implement a fluency intervention
program for 1st – 5th graders. The session details the process from
inception to evaluation of post-data, as well as next steps for continued
implementation. Session presenters will provide information on the following:
• Process and tools the team used to gather pre-assessment and
post-assessment data from the areas of fluency listed below:
- Accuracy: as measured by percentage of words correct
- Automaticity: as measured by number of words correct
per minute
- Intonation: use of expression and infection
- Phrasing: reading text in meaningful chunks of words
• Criteria used for identifying students for the program
• Materials and process utilized for training the interns to use echo
reading and guided repeated readings to address needs fluency
in the four areas of fluency
• Materials that the interns used throughout program implementation,
including an example of an intern’s binder
• Summary of the interns’ reflections on their participation in the
program and their evaluation of the training provided by school
staff
• Students’ fluency progress as measured by the fluency assessment
• Suggestions for implementing a similar program or adapting it to
be implemented by parent volunteers and/or paraprofessionals
• Benefits for the school, the college interns, and the student
Presenters will be available for a question and answer session at the
end of the presentation time.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Differentiating Instruction Through Learning
Centers In A Kindergarten Classroom
Kristina Allis, Tuscarora Elementary School
Tuscarora Elementary has been partnered with Shepherd University
for several years. I have had the opportunity in that time to work with
Pedagogy 1 students for the past three years. Each semester I have two
university students in my classroom for a six-week period. My goal for this
presentation is to share the collaboration process between the classroom
teacher and the Pedagogy I students and to describe the practice of using
learning centers to differentiate instruction in a kindergarten classroom.
There will be a discussion on the partnership between myself and the
university students with a focus on when and how we collaborate and what
requirements must be fulfilled by the Pedagogy I students while in the field.
A description of the learning centers will be addressed in depth, such as
the formation of cooperative groups and activities. An emphasis will be
placed on organization, management, assessment, and the role of the
Pedagogy I students.
Differentiating The Instruction: With An
Emphasis On Co-Teaching Practices
Dollye James and Dustin B. Mancl, Paradise Professional Development
School
The presentation will include a brief overview of the co-teaching
options and the roles of the specialists involved in collaborative settings,
as well as the Best Practices Approach to using various differentiated
instructional strategies. A mini-interactive demonstration lesson will be
presented to the session attendees, followed by questions, comments, and
evaluation.
Paradise Professional Development School is located on the campus
of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Paradise PDS recognizes the
diversity of the student population in terms of race, ethnicity, ability, and
interests. It is a fully inclusive school. To that end, the use of differentiation
as an instructional strategy is one method that is widely used to increase
student understanding of grade level objectives. Our specialists participate
in co-teaching activities with the general education teachers.
Special education teachers and general education teachers co-plan
lessons for a variety of reasons: some students have an Individualized
Education Program (I.E.P.) and others are English Language Learners;
several students have cochlear implants, thereby needing audio assistive
technology. Instructional activities are specifically planned to meet the
needs of our diverse learners. Team collaboration occurs during carefully
constructed planning periods. The specialist and the classroom teacher
identify the grade level objectives and consider ways to differentiate the
groups by ability, interests, and learning styles. They try to vary the
groupings throughout the instructional day. This balance helps to maintain
the integrity of every student and to achieve optimal learning.
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Differentiation Of Instruction: This Is How We
Do It PDS Style
Larry Bice, Michele Vosberg, Nichole Hoeflich, Emily Schmidt, Jesse
McDowell, and Emily Meyer, Clarke College
Differentiation of curriculum is a buzzword in education circles; it is
a hot topic, and a needed reform. Meeting the varied needs of learners in
the classroom is a challenge and often easier said than done. We believe
that differentiation is more than a fad; it is a necessary practice to meet the
needs of students. Educators often know and understand the theory of
differentiation, and we want to offer our students the best curriculum with
the best educational practices. Translating theory into day-to-day practice
is the hard part. Teachers need concrete examples and specific educational
practices to learn, adapt, and implement. We focus on this process as an
integral part of our PDS model. In our unique middle school PDS model,
education students work in classrooms to design, implement, and improve
differentiation strategies. These strategies increase the knowledge and
expertise of the PDS students, as well as the class service teachers they
work with. In this fast-paced and entertaining presentation, we will present
various strategies that you can use directly or easily adapt for use in your
classrooms to meet the needs of all of your learners.
Dispelling The Myths: PDS Internships In
Urban Settings
Ocie Watson-Thompson, Patsy F. Washington, Stephanie Fusco, Helene
Mahaney, Leon Pryor, Jr., and Angela Wilhem, Towson University
This session will be facilitated by PDS IHE liaisons and interns in the
early childhood education program at Towson University. The presentation
will document the interns’ reflections on their professional growth
while working in urban PDS settings. The presentation will include a review
of the research related to teaching and learning in urban settings, followed
by the interns’ experience-based accounts of the myths and facts associated
with working in an urban school system. Most importantly, the
presentation will include a discussion of facts as the interns have come to
understand them, including an examination of the pre-conceived beliefs
that they may have brought, consciously or not, into the experiences. The
interns will share personal anecdotes and experiences that moved them to
examine their beliefs and how they have impacted their understanding of
children in urban settings. They will also relate profound experiences
within the PDS classrooms that have influenced or modified their perceptions
of teaching and learning. Additionally, the interns will contrast their
early educational experiences with those of the urban students. The
experiential reflections will be used to support current research-based
ideologies.
The IHE liaison will identify the roles and responsibilities of higher
education in preparing interns to work effectively in diverse settings.
Additionally, the faculty members will relate Lisa Delpit’s Ten Factors
Essential to Success in Urban Classrooms to the instructional approaches
utilized in the curriculum for the interns. The presenters will describe the
interns’ understandings of the need for quality education and social
justice. The interns will identify the correlation between socioeconomic

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
status and the opportunity for quality education. Finally, the value of the
Professional Development School experience to the understanding of this
paradigm will be addressed.
Do Professional Development Schools Reduce
Teacher Attrition? Evidence From A
Longitudinal Study Of One Thousand
Graduates
Nancy I. Latham, Illinois State University
This study examined the effects of teacher preparation experiences
on persistence in elementary education employment in public schools in
Illinois between 1996 and 2004. The topic was studied by mining previously
collected data on the preparation of teachers and their entry into teaching
upon graduation and persistence in teaching. The goal was to determine
the impact of preparation method on teacher attrition rates while controlling
for relevant individual student characteristics. The findings indicate
a significant link between teacher preparation and professional persistence.
They provide evidence to support the additional resources needed
to deliver the PDS experience. The findings from this study are particularly
important because previous research is limited and longitudinal data are
rare on the effects of Professional Development Schools on teacher
persistence.
The findings from this study were significant. PDS preparation
versus traditional preparation significantly and positively influenced
teachers’ persistence in the field, even after controlling for their individual
demographic and academic characteristics. PDS-prepared teachers were
significantly more likely to become employed in Illinois Public Schools
than their traditionally-prepared counterparts. Moreover, PDS-prepared
teachers had significantly fewer years out of the field.
To better understand teacher attrition and ultimately influence these
trends, attrition is often studied from the perspective of the types of
schools teachers leave, the individual characteristics of those who leave,
and reasons they leave. This research suggests that teacher preparation
programs should begin to consider, as an important programmatic outcome,
the persistence of their graduates in the field.
Electronic Communication - Ways To Improve
Instruction Using Technology
Brian McCants and Jeff Burden, Hand Middle School
Using an interactive presentation, we will show how to communicate
with parents, students, and colleagues more efficiently, directly, and
creatively using technology. Three modules will show how email, electronic
whiteboards, and class webpages can enhance instruction for all
stakeholders. Technology is at the forefront of our learning. This presentation
will show you fun and interactive ways to ensure teachers are
maximizing the potential of technology available to them in their school.
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Direct applications of the presentation can be taken into the classroom.
We will show real and practical uses of enhanced technology being
practiced in our own classroom settings. This is designed for any classroom
teacher that wants to make the best use of technological tools
available.
Embedding Action Research In PDS Teacher
Candidate Classroom Contexts
Geraldine C. Jenny and Kendall Garczewski, Slippery Rock University
Educators are called to be Action Researchers and examine data to
determine to what degree their classroom instructional practices positively
impact and further enhance student learning. This presentation details
from multiple perspectives how a university successfully implemented
student teacher action research projects in PDS partner P-12 public school
classrooms and overcame diverse obstacles in the process. It will include
what was learned from the experience by a university student teacher
supervisor, a coaching teacher, and a teacher candidate. Strategies will be
shared regarding how the coaching teacher and university supervisor
collaborate with the teacher candidate to successfully institute classroom
action research. It is a goal of the presenters to share their experiences so
that other PDS partnerships, university faculty, P-12 practitioners, and
teacher candidates may benefit their own students through improved
teaching and learning and confidently use action research (data-based
decision making) in their own PDS classroom contexts.
Enduring Connections: The Mentor/Mentee
Relationship In An Urban Middle School
Karen J. Riem, Central Connecticut State University
Jill Simko, Dr. James H. Naylor Elementary School
Mentoring, from the Greek word meaning enduring, is defined as a
sustained relationship between a youth and an adult (OERI Guide, 1993).
Partners in a diverse urban PK-8 PDS have collaborated for ten years to
build enduring relationships at all levels. In this concurrent session,
school/university facilitators, a principal, and a mentoring coordinator
describe a program that began as traditional education fieldwork and has
transformed into rich reciprocal learning cutting across the PK-16 continuum.
Typically, 40-50 teacher candidates (TCs) from a Learning Theories
course complete fieldwork each semester. Two needs emerged: (1) middle
school students need 1-1 connections with caring adults, especially those
pursuing a college education, and (2) TCs need practice relating in adult
roles with adolescents, particularly those from backgrounds different from
their own. The mentoring program forges connections between university
and middle school students and provides evidence of the positive impact
of PDS work on student learning and teacher preparation.
Mentors are TCs in early phases of teacher preparation. 7th/8th
graders (with teacher endorsement and parental permission) apply as
mentees. Teams meet weekly, completing a project of choice. In the PDS
context, teachers and professors provide coaching through reflective logs

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
and ongoing conversation in person and on-line. Guidelines are openended,
focusing on socialization and college awareness, including academic
supports, portfolio development, and cross-grade or service activities
extending beyond required timeframes. From community orientation
to celebration, participants build confidence and bolster communication,
organization, and academic and leadership skills.
This interactive presentation includes an overview of program
development, samples of materials and projects, and student survey data.
Enhancing Classroom Practice Through
Guided Observation And Discussion
Michelle Hovland, Black Hills State University
Sue McGrath, West Elementary School
This presentation focuses on the Teacher Learning Center developed
by Black Hills State University to serve as a bridge between theory
and practice. The TLC consists of three rooms: a middle professional
development room with two ten-foot one-way mirrors which allow for
observation into two connecting first and second grade classrooms. Two
BHSU graduates were hired to teach first and second grade in the TLC as
Teachers-in-Residence. A mentor from BHSU is housed at the TLC and
assists the new teachers with classroom set-up, classroom management,
assessment, and instruction. The mentor demonstrates lessons and uses
Cognitive CoachingSM to support the teachers in the implementation of
effective teaching practices.
During our session, we will discuss how a Teacher Learning Center
used in a Professional Development School model can provide pre-service
teachers with opportunities for guided observation of real-time teaching
and discussions regarding classroom management, assessment, instruction,
and the hundreds of teacher decisions made in a single day. In
addition, we will discuss the development of a center like the TLC,
including finding funding for the center, choosing the TLC teachers,
setting up effective classrooms, working with faculty, and forming an
advisory committee. Finally, we will discuss activities of the TLC, including
working with a nearby Native American school district, conducting study
sessions, hosting Sharon Taberski to teach “behind-the-glass,” mentoring
the Teachers-in-Residence using Cognitive Coaching, and using the
Gradual Release of Responsibility (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983) to enhance
classroom management and allow for effective reading and writing workshops.
Enhancing P-12 Student Learning:
Collaboration Between Coaching Teachers
And Teacher Candidates
Susan J. Kiger, Elizabeth M. Brown, and Della R. Thacker, Indiana State
University
Julie McLaughlin, Steven Higham, and Matthew Renn, Terre Haute North
Vigo High School
With the academic achievement of public school students as the
guiding directive, these Professional Development School partners
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collaboratively re-envisioned and re-designed the secondary level teacher
education program at Indiana State University. This presentation shares
not only the products of the re-design, but also illuminates the processes
employed.
Our desire to significantly improve the early field experiences of
teacher candidates, and concurrently to improve their ability to positively
influence the engagement and academic achievement of public school
students, led to a re-designed program that offers truly clinical experience.
Colleagues worked together to carve out dedicated mornings for teacher
candidates to engage in field work for ten weeks. Carefully co-designed
learning activities allow for guided practice and implementation of “best
practices” in teaching units of instruction. The centrality of student
achievement is the focus of coach-candidate interactions as well as the
reflective report candidates write on their units of instruction. Not only
working in classrooms, these candidates also work in the school-at-large
to encounter the school as a learning community wholly dedicated across
disciplines to supporting student achievement. Through these activities,
teacher candidates encounter school-wide theory-practice connections in
a setting that provides for reflection guided by coaching teachers and
campus instructors.
Our re-design has been enabled by the fact that we already have a
very productive partnership; one built on mutual trust, common goals, and
a deep respect for the expertise brought by each partner. These enable the
ongoing refinement of the model.
Essential Questions: What’s The Point?
Martha Graham Viator, Rowan University
For many teachers, using Essential Questions (Wiggins and McTighe,
2005) represents a shift in thinking about subject matter. Having been
taught to rely on textbooks, many practitioners teach social studies as lists
of terms that often lack context for most P-12 students. Essential Questions
can provide the constructivist framework to make social studies coherent,
relevant, and interesting. Few teachers question these benefits, but
getting them to think about “Big Ideas” and to use them to plan instruction
is challenging. While teacher candidates are taught about Essential
Questions in methods courses, it often takes months for them to demonstrate
competence in using them in unit plans.
This presentation will explore the impact using Essential Questions
in the social studies classroom has had on three groups of stakeholders:
1. In-service teachers
• What was most difficult about the process?
• Has your instruction improved?
• Do you detect increased interest among students?
• Have grades improved?
2. Students
• Is social studies class more interesting?
• Why is studying history important?
3. Pre-service teachers

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
• When cooperating teachers use them in the classroom,
is the concept of Essential Ideas clearer?
• Are candidates more likely to use them, especially in
clinical practice?
Join a principal and a liaison at a large middle school in an east coast
university’s PDS network as they share their experiences in this curriculum
revision process. The session will conclude with a question and answer
session.
Everything You Need To Know About My
Classroom: Developing The Intern Resource
Guide
Gay Jewell Love and Susan Nash Travetto, McDaniel College
Are you interested in learning about a tool to make mentoring an
intern easier and more fun? Are you interested in developing a tool that
interns can use as a reference throughout the internship experience? If so,
join us to learn about one way to prepare mentor teachers to effectively
organize resources for interns.
For the past ten years, mentor teachers working with McDaniel
College interns have been developing and using an intern resource guide
as a primary information and communication tool. This session will
highlight the components of a resource guide for the mentor teachers to
use with an intern. The participants will receive a sample of essential and
optional components of an effective resource guide, and they will develop
additional elements to supplement the guide based upon individual
classroom situations. Sample resource guides will be available for participants
to peruse.
Extra! Extra! Student Teachers Making
Current Events A Priority In The Classroom
Cole Reilly, Pennsylvania State University
Deana Washell, State College Area School District
Our PDS partnership takes professional development to heart; we
expect all parties to grow and learn from the experience surrounding our
year-long internship program. As such, the methods course instructors
make a commitment to continually work with district employees via course
planning and development teams to design meaningful coursework for the
student teaching interns, as well as reflecting upon our own work and
setting new goals. One planning team this year - a committee of experienced
classroom teachers, curriculum support specialists, university supervisors,
and the social studies methods course instructor- set their sights on
prioritizing time for student teachers to experiment with pulling in current
events in meaningful ways.
It is no surprise that experienced teachers run the gamut in terms of
the frequency and depth with which they pull in current events to their
classroom instruction. Perhaps student teachers are at an especially
pivotal point in their lives in terms of seeing themselves and their work as
teachers as inherently political; issues toward which they may have
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previously felt apathetic are newly relevant when their K-6 students begin
asking them to clarify something about the war in Iraq or upcoming
elections. In response to a sense that some of our former graduates did not
feel especially prepared (beyond instinct) to navigate the unsteady waters
of current events in their classrooms, our team designed an imbedded
experience for all K-6 interns to facilitate discussions around current
events in their practicum placements and reflect upon these experiences
(via video-blog) collectively.
Fiesta De Matematicas Esta Noche: An
Exciting Night Of Math In A PDS
Collaborative
Jeanne Tunks, Amy Anderson, and Alexa Olstowski, University of North Texas
In the spring of 2007 a mentor teacher from a PDS collaborative
school, with an 80% population of Latino children, contacted the university
coordinator with an idea for a math night. A collaborative was created
that involved three things: 1) university course changes in math methods
and social studies, 2) development of mathematically correct and culturally
relevant games, and 3) mentor teachers, administrators, and interns working
together to present the games in a fiesta atmosphere.
The interns worked with their university professors to explore
mathematics concepts related to number and operations and how these
could be presented in a game/carnival/fiesta atmosphere. In addition, the
students explored their personal cultural understanding, as well as their
understanding of the Latino culture, through film, art, literature, and
conversations with Latino interns. The interns’ time in the schools for the
four weeks prior to the math night and the opportunity to converse with
Latino teachers and other professors, who validated the cultural relevance
of their games, aided in the development of quality, meaningful games.
The result of the initiative was: 1) attendance by over 300 children
and parents, in comparison to five the previous year, 2) 100% consensus
from teachers, interns, and administrators that this was a strong and
enlightening experience, and 3) the request from three other PDSs for the
opportunity to engage in this kind of experience.
Fly On The Wall: The Use Of Distance
Learning Equipment To Observe Student
Teachers
Marcia Bolton, Rebekah Long, and Amy L. DeWitt, Glenville State College
The use of distance learning technology between Glenville State
College and our Professional Development School partners has added a
new component to our mission to educate the teachers of the 21st century.
The use of distance learning technology has increased our potential for
preparing teachers who are in tune with the most advanced types of
instruction in our Professional Development Partnership with Calhoun
County Schools. Our education program is focused on utilizing advanced
technology that allows students and teachers to be exposed to the global
learning network and the integrated use of assistive technology to

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
increase learning. This session will review the equipment Glenville State
and our partner school district uses to observe student interns without
classroom interruption and without the supervisor actually attending the
classroom. The session will discuss positive and negative issues of
distance supervision. Further, a current student intern who has been
supervised through distance supervision technology will discuss how
this type of supervision impacted her student teaching experience. Data
from a survey distributed to partner teachers and interns polling their
opinions about distance supervision will be reviewed and discussed.
Go Get ‘Em, Van Gogh: Practical Arts
Integration Strategies For PDS Interns and
Mentors
Keith J. Conners, Brooke Hollingsworth, and Lindsey Shreck, Salisbury
University
Alison Giska, Snow Hill Middle School
Angela McCracken, Berlin Intermediate School
The arts integration (AI) movement in Maryland has been accelerated
by an initiative known as the Maryland Artist/Teacher Institute
(MATI), a partnership of the Maryland State Department of Education and
the Maryland State Arts Council. MATI trains teachers and supports
efforts to integrate the arts into classroom instruction in all disciplines.
Two schools in Salisbury University’s PDS partnership have been
identified by district and MATI officials as “arts integration” schools.
Through faculty consultation, a specially tailored graduate course, and
arts-integration expectations for interns placed in these schools, the AI
program has advanced rapidly.
In this audience participation session, mentors and interns will
model mini-versions of math, science, language arts, and social studies
lessons central to the core school curriculum that have been enhanced and
strengthened by arts integration. In each case, the presenters will employ
some of the co-teaching strategies used by interns and mentors during
PDS internships at Salisbury University.
Grand Rounds: Building Capacity And
Expanding Perspective
Rodrick S. Lucero and Donna Cooner, Colorado State University
Tom Myers and Jennifer Roth, Fort Collins High School
Grand Rounds were implemented within our successful PDS classroom.
They became a vehicle by which our model of teacher preparation
moved to a higher level. The Grand Rounds provided students with
intimate knowledge of the “whole” school environment beyond their
classrooms. Historically, we have found that pre-service teachers are
focused on their content, classroom management, and delivery systems.
They seldom see the other systems that are complementary to, and equally
as important to, the development of an effective educational milieu.
Students were excited about the possibilities inherent in their visits and the
broader view they gained about schooling.
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We introduced a series of seven Grand Rounds, each with a separate
focus. We asked students to visit five of the seven as a way of providing
them with a broader sense of the school purpose and mission. The Grand
Rounds not only served to provide resources to the pre-service teachers,
but to provide them with more tools to add to their pedagogical “tool box.”
This session will focus on the implementation of the Grand Rounds
within the PDS framework. Each Grand Round will be described as to
implementation strategies as well as benefits for teacher preparation.
Student feedback of the Grand Rounds will also be shared.
Graphic Organizers: 7 Secrets To Unlock Their
Power
James Lerman, Kean University
PDS people are constantly on the lookout for strategies to empower
teachers and improve student achievement. In the New Jersey Consortium
for Middle Schools, our work in PDSs has led us to graphic organizers.
Specifically, we have identified ways to combine the power of GOs with
other identified high-yield instructional approaches for the benefit of
students.
In their indispensable book, What Works in Classroom Instruction,
Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock identify the nine most effective instructional
strategies for improving student achievement across all content
areas and grade levels. The authors single out GOs as a critical high-yield
factor. The strategies include:
1. Identifying similarities and differences
2. Summarizing and note taking
3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
4. Homework and practice
5. Nonlinguistic representations
6. Cooperative learning
7. Setting objectives and providing feedback
8. Generating and testing hypotheses
9. Cues, questions, and advance organizers
This fast-paced presentation will equip participants with practical
strategies to lift their implementation of GOs to a more masterful level.
Progressive movement toward independent student use for higher order
thinking is the goal.
Building upon the highly successful ground-breaking work of
Hyerle, Novak, Ausubel, and Col, you will be led through 7 key considerations
to immediately unlock the power of GOs for student achievement:
• Types of GOs
• Matching the right GO to the intended task
• Linking GOs to each of the Marzano strategies
• Best purposes for GO use
• Top benefits from GO use
• Effective sequencing of GO instruction for maximum results
• The special case of Venn Diagrams

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Growing And Sustaining A Collaborative PDS
Cohort Through Community-Building
Ellen Spencer and Deb Fordice, Clarke College
According to Vygotsky, learning is maximized when the task places
learners at their zone of proximal development. Aligning with Strand Four,
Classroom Practices, participants will experience and debrief specific
activities that build community while stretching participants beyond their
comfort zone. These activities apply to both PDS cohorts and elementary
classrooms. By experiencing and viewing recordings of these activities,
participants will discover the power of purposeful community-building
activities in strengthening risk-taking, group reflection, collaboration,
metacognition, and classroom management.
Participants will experience and discuss the power of “Crew,” a
beginning and ending to cohort sessions. “Crew” is a unifying activity in
which cohort members share in a specific, semi-structured format. Through
this sharing process, group members learn about each others’ personal
and professional joys and challenges. Over time, they begin to support one
another both in and outside of class sessions.
In addition to “Crew,” participants will also experience a variety of
initiatives that build trust, support, and collaboration. These specific
community-building strategies can be used in the classroom to maximize
both academic and character development. Following each initiative,
participants will debrief to deepen their understanding of its value to the
PDS cohort and the P-12 classrooms.
Through our collective seven years of experience working as practitioners
with PDS students, we have learned that these communitybuilding
activities provide the foundation for a meaningful, reflective, and
positive learning community. The presenters will provide attending P-12
practitioners and PDS students with a packet summarizing the activities
experienced during the session.
Harnessing The Power Of Teacher
Preparation: Assessing The Impact Of Our
Partnerships
Christina Flynn and Mary Lebron, William B. Cruise Memorial School #11
Marie Donnantuono and Julie Rosenthal, William Paterson University
Primary students who attend Professional Development Schools
benefit academically and emotionally from the ongoing partnerships.
Teacher candidates who learn in the context of PDSs grow not only in
pedagogical but also in procedural knowledge. Classroom teachers who
collaborate with university faculty in preparing future teachers experience
enhanced professional growth. University faculty teaching in the field
stay informed about the ever-changing needs of students and schools.
In this presentation we will share our preliminary findings of the
efficacy of our field-based literacy course and its impact on student
learning, teacher preparation, and development of professionals. In this
course, Literacy and Learning, our teacher candidates meet in classrooms
in our school partners. Here they work with first and second graders in
whole class and small group settings and conduct one-on-one tutoring.
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Teacher candidates learn how assessment informs instruction by planning
best practices literacy lessons to address the needs of learners with whom
they work. Classroom teachers, acting as course co-instructors, share
assessment data with teacher candidates to guide their planning.
Data presented will include examples of candidates’ assessmentdriven
instructional plans, samples of children’s work, and co-instructors’
observations of candidate-student interactions. Evidence of candidates’
progress in understanding course content will be demonstrated through
entries from their weekly reflections and course entry and exit polls. In
addition, classroom teachers and university faculty will describe how
teaching this course has impacted their professional development.
Help For Struggling Learners In A Professional
Development School
Michelle Mark, Dunwoody Springs Charter School
Julie Dangel and Clarissa Logsdon, Georgia State University
Dunwoody Springs is a Title 1 charter school and a Professional
Development School serving approximately 800 children Pre-K-5th grade.
Sixty-five percent of the children are designated as economically disadvantaged
and 30% are English Language Learners. Working with children
who struggle to learn is an everyday experience. The strategies that worked
for some children were not meeting the needs of others.
As part of the partnership with Georgia State University and a
graduate research assistantship, we recognized a need to support elementary
students who were struggling in school yet not served by special
resources. We identified from the literature a series of strategies and
resources recognized as helpful in supporting struggling learners, particularly
in the areas of reading and writing (Armstrong, 2000; Fountas &
Pinnell, 2001; Tomlinson & Kalbfleisch, 1998). We compiled these strategies
into a user-friendly manual for teachers. Michelle shared these
strategies with faculty in her school, as well as with her GSU student
teacher, at the beginning of the school year. In this presentation, we will
share a sample of the strategies and resources found most effective in
helping children succeed. The following are the categories of strategies
identified:
• Motivating struggling students
• Brain-based learning
• Multiple intelligence strategies
• Learning style surveys and strategies
• General teaching strategies
• Effective lessons for struggling students

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Increasing Educator Retention And Student
Achievement Through A Collaborative
University-School Induction Program
Jennie Rakestraw, Georgia Southern University
Collaboration and on-going professional learning are new professional
norms with the expected outcomes for improved teaching performance
and increased student achievement, especially among traditionally
underserved student populations. Various studies have examined the
effectiveness of induction programs and identified components that help
assure teacher retention and instructional effectiveness. A comprehensive,
systemic induction program results in higher teacher quality and
retention of new educators who gain competence and confidence more
quickly.
This presentation will describe a university-school collaborative
induction program designed to assist P-12 efforts to retain and support
new educators. School and system administrators, teachers, counselors,
and college faculty will learn research-based strategies to support effective
educator induction.
Three primary components:
1. Administrator Training. The program is designed to build the
knowledge, skills, and dispositions that they need to effectively
support new educators. A Comprehension Induction Program
Continuum is developed for needs assessment use.
2. Professional Development. Workshops and on-line modules are
offered to new educators and their mentors on critical topics to
their success, including “Words of Wisdom” - brief reference
papers on various helpful topics.
3. Mentoring. NBCTs and other expert P-12 and university educators
serve as “e-mentors” to supplement school-based mentors;
mentor training and resources are offered.
The induction support is provided to all new educators prepared by
the university and all new educators in the university’s partner schools.
The session will be informational but designed to be interactive and
promote discussion of replication and sustainability.
Innovative Teacher Preparation To Raise
Student Achievement: Focusing Attention On
Struggling Students
Kevin Bivins, Amy Nichols, and Catherine deCoen, Pittsburgh Fulton
Academy
Monte Tidwell, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
This presentation will focus on some of the ways that our PDS
partnership has incorporated assignments from the on-site courses taken
by the teacher candidates into activities that address real learning needs
present in the school. In particular, we will discuss an assignment in which
each teacher candidate is assigned three students to work with closely
over the school year. Each teacher candidate keeps a log of his/her work
with the students that serves as a teacher work sample artifact. The logs
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are regularly reviewed by the principal, the student teacher liaison, the
mentor teacher, and the university course instructors. Besides receiving
guidance from these practitioners, the teacher candidates also incorporate
teaching strategies learned in grade-level study groups. We will also
discuss other activities in which the teacher candidates have been engaged
which serve to enhance student learning.
Integrated Research Projects: Growing And
Sustaining Inquiry Across The Curriculum
Mary Beth Allen and Pat Pinciotti, East Stroudsburg University
Craig Downey, Lincoln Elementary School
There has been a surge of research and, consequently, practical
information reported in recent years related to using more informational
texts in the reading classroom. Current research supports the notion that
many students enjoy, and actually prefer to read, non-fiction texts (Mohr,
2003; Worthy, 2002). This information has spawned a plethora of books,
magazines, and websites available for students to explore topics of
interest.
With the availability of so many quality informational texts, and the
need to help P-12 students become proficient at reading non-fiction pieces,
we wanted to help our pre-service and in-service teachers create and
implement purposeful, focused research projects that allow the K-6 students
to inquire, investigate, and inform others about their findings. Using
this stance, we have created a process to support the teachers as they
create effective research projects to help their K-6 students read, write, and
create visual pieces to help them learn about and share information from
the content areas. These projects promote integration among the content
areas of social studies and science with reading, writing, listening, speaking,
and the visual arts.
This session will focus on the process used to guide the teachers to
plan and implement research projects with their students. Additionally, we
will share the types of research projects the teachers have created and the
impact these projects have on the K-6 students’ reading and writing
performance and attitudes.
Integrating Field-Based Methods Courses At
PDS Sites
Cassandra Matthews and Janita Richardson, Nesbit Elementary School
Laura Smith and Susan Swars, Georgia State University
The focus of this presentation is to describe how three teacher
preparation methods courses in mathematics, science, and elementary
language arts were successfully implemented on site at an elementary
Professional Development School in Georgia. The block of courses was
taught during one semester with the same cohort of elementary pre-service
teachers. The session will highlight: 1) the on-site context and schedule;
2) the collaboration between university faculty, PDS teachers, teacher
interns, and P-5 children; and 3) the advantages and constraints of
teaching and learning on site. Products and photographs from specific
classroom practices, such as the collaborative Science Fair Projects,

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Family Math Night, and Readers’ Theatre, will be shared. Research
findings will also be discussed regarding the impact of the site-based
courses on the efficacy of the pre-service teachers (specifically in the area
of mathematics). The session will conclude with a listing of “lessons
learned” for any participant considering their own field-based courses.
Interactive Notebooks For Pre-Service
Teachers
Glennis Edge Cunningham and Margaret Bolick, Texas A & M University-
Corpus Christi
With our ever-changing student population, it is imperative we
enhance our curriculum and teaching practices to include out-of-the-box,
hands-on strategies that bring learning to a place where students can make
it their own. One such strategy originating from History Alive! The United
States Curriculum is the interactive notebook. Its interactive nature allows
students the opportunity to make sense of and internalize offered content.
It adds spice and a sense of ownership through its student-friendly format.
Borrowed from a junior high clinical teacher at one of our professional
development field sites, interactive notebooks have become an
integral part of our pre-service teachers’ experience. They use the interactive
notebooks to house instructional input in the form of notes, handouts,
and artifacts. As we know, little is actually learned and retained unless
students have the opportunity to actively engage and thus internalize the
presented content. To that end, pre-service teachers grapple with the
content on opposing pages using color, various graphics such as illustrations,
diagrams, mindmaps, cartoons, and charts, and “Thinking like a
Teacher” reflections.
At the culmination of our program, the familiarity with the notebooks
sends new teachers into their careers equipped to implement a creative,
hands-on strategy. This tie blends the work of secondary students with
university students and finally provides a platform for the new teacher to
put into practice with his/her new students.
Investigating The Effect Of Teacher
Questioning On The Cognitive Level Of
Student Responses In A Problem-Based
Mathematics Classroom
Julie Smart, Chrystal Dean, and Wanda Calvert, Clemson University
This investigation addresses Strand 4, Classroom Practices, by
exploring the role of teacher questioning in supporting student understanding
in a problem-based mathematics classroom. The goal of this
study was to examine the questioning strategies of third, fourth, and fifth
grade teachers and related student responses at an elementary Professional
Development School. Observations were conducted in three third
grade, three fourth grade, and three fifth grade classrooms. Observations
were taped using a digital voice recorder and transcribed. The constant
comparison method, or the continua comparison of data, was used to
analyze observation data. Each observation was transcribed, coded, and
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compared to previous data before conducting the next observation. Open
coding was used to identify initial concepts, and similar concepts were
grouped to create categories for teacher questioning and related student
responses. Relationships between categories were identified using axial
coding and properties and dimensions were elaborated. Data from these
observations revealed themes in teacher questioning that supported
higher cognitive levels of student responses in these problem-based
mathematics classrooms. Results from this study were disseminated to
faculty at the PDS through a teacher workshop on the role of teacher
questioning in supporting student mathematical understanding.
Investing In Mentor/Coaching Teachers’
Professional Development Reaps Educational
Rewards For Teacher Candidates And P-12
Kids
Wren Bump and Harriet P. Sturgeon, University of Houston Clear Lake
Joan Maier, Sam Houston State University
The University of Houston-Clear Lake founding PDS team of fourteen
years ago decided to make one of its primary goals the professional
develop of the mentor/coaching teachers. It was and still is the belief of
the PDS team that as the mentor/coaching teachers improve in their ability
to mentor and coach their teacher candidates, the teacher candidates will
become more effective beginning teachers. The development of more
effective beginning teachers would result in improved P-12 student
learning. In other words, we believe that beginning teachers could actually
become master teachers more quickly if they were better prepared not only
throughout their program but especially in the final stages with strong
mentor/coaching teachers. Mentor/coaching teachers are becoming equally
valued teacher education faculty members as they represent a critical link
in the professional development of new teachers. Significant and practical
professional development curriculum, teaching, and assessment methods
for mentor/coaching teachers that has evolved over the past fourteen
years at UHCL will be shared. How our mentor/coaching teachers are
trained to collaborate with their teacher candidates in order to impact P-12
learning will be demonstrated through hands-on examples. Participants
will be engaged in a “real” life case that will help you bring home practical
methods to apply and adapt to your PDS context.
Learning From Each Other: Co-Teaching In A
Professional Development School
Kathryn Scantlebury, University of Delaware
Susan Gleason, Middletown High School
Professional Development Schools can impact pre-service science
teacher education by providing a stronger link between teacher preparation
and professional development programs. While typically viewed as
a learning opportunity for pre-service teachers, co-teaching with student
teachers provides rich learning opportunities for cooperating teachers.
This presentation discusses: the potential of co-teaching within the
structure of a Professional Development School and how co-teaching with

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
student teachers impacted cooperating teachers’ learning about their
practice; the development and evolvement of a Professional Development
School; and plans for on-going professional development opportunities
for student and cooperating teachers.
Cooperating teachers were frequently enthusiastic when they talked
about co-teaching and co-planning. These practices were important for
thinking about and enriching or transforming existing curricula. For
example, teachers introduced labor-intensive labs and noted how having
more eyes in the room made them comfortable to try challenging labs and
new pedagogical approaches. Within the Professional Development
School, critical discourse about practice emerged through the ongoing
work of the co-teaching. The cooperating teachers discussed how coteaching
provided a fresh perspective on their practice and helped develop
a renewed sense of their work. Co-teaching provided cooperating teachers
the forum to contribute to teacher education knowledge through their
understanding of praxis in local contexts. As fiscal support for professional
development declines, teachers can reflect upon their practice when
co-teaching.
Let’s Talk: The Power Of Dialogue Between
Mentor Teachers, Teacher Candidates, And
University Liaisons
Michelle D. Tharpe and Lynne Mills, Auburn University at Montgomery
It’s no secret that communication between the university and the
Professional Development School is “key” to making this partnership an
effective one. One of the biggest challenges is finding the time to just talk.
In this presentation, the university liaison will share how “Dialogue Days”
have been created and implemented into a field experience so that teacher
candidates can spend more time talking with classroom teachers. These
“Dialogue Days” are not only helping the teacher candidates to grow
tremendously, but are also proving to be a very powerful strategy for
developing stronger bonds between all of those involved in the PDS
partnership.
Literary Accomplishment, Text Understanding,
And Language Teaching: A Case Study On The
Teaching Of Hugo’s Normandy Ship Disaster
Tale
Cai Chun, Capital Normal University
Text understanding plays a basic and crucial role in language
teaching; what to teach decides how to teach. What the language teachers
should do firstly is not to choose methods, but to understand the text
exactly and profoundly. There are many factors that influence our understanding
of the text. The literary accomplishment is one basic factor for
language teachers to the text understanding. The teaching of Victor
Hugo’s micro-fiction Normandy Ship Disaster Tale instructed by a middle
school teacher performs this point vividly. Language teaching is an
interlaced and circulatory process of developing students’ ability of how
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to understand and how to express. Teachers should read the text many
times, and it helps him in entering a reading situation. What he should do
next is to activate students’ reading situation and make students immerse
themselves in the text. Language teachers should understand each text
truly and profoundly and strive to make every student understand each
text. It improves the ability of understanding of every student during this
course. The teacher must finish this aim, because every language teacher
should have a deep-seated consciousness of the ethic of responsibility;
take the responsibility of human’s ability of understanding in the future.
Looking Deeper Into The Pages Of Children’s
Literature As Instructional Resources: Student
Teachers Developing A Sense Of Responsibility
To See And Do Differently
Cole Reilly, Jane Harstad, and Doris Grove, Pennsylvania State University
While most of our student teaching interns who join our PDS
partnership enroll already suspicious of textbooks, unfortunately they fall
into the trap of making cart-blanche generalizations about entire resource
categories as being simply good or bad, right or wrong. Not yet a stance
informed by actual practice, they cling to the “correct answer” they
“learned” from their coursework prior to student teaching. After all, why
should they waste time considering or experimenting with such inherently
imperfect resources? As any practicing classroom teacher can attest, most
resources have shortcomings, but these can also provide a springboard
to provoke complementary lessons and opportune activities with great
potential. Student teaching, particularly in the context of a year-long
internship within an established PDS partnership, provides an excellent
opportunity for pre-service teachers to wed their preconceptions of theory
with practice - to develop a more informed and responsible relationship
with a variety of instructional resources.
For as skeptical as they may be of textbooks, many of our student
teaching interns enter their practicum comparatively oblivious to the
notion that many children’s books may be equally imperfect. Wide-eyed
and enthusiastic to read-aloud, they tend to pay little attention to the subtle
curricula readily available in these texts. In this presentation we will share
strategies and experiences with regard to helping our student teaching
interns recognize problematic matters of race, class, gender, etc., as well
as attempt to empower them to feel they can help balance the scales of
inequity or challenge prejudice with their own instructional practice.
Making The “Rounds:” A Reflective Model
Expanding Opportunities For Classroom
Observations For New Teachers
Jane F. Zenger and Paul Chaplin, University of South Carolina
In recent years there has been a concerted effort by governmental
agencies, colleges and universities, and local public schools to improve
the preparation for first-year teachers. Coupled with the No Child Left
Behind legislation to have “highly qualified teachers” in every classroom,

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
teacher preparation programs have worked to prepare first-year teachers
to be nurturing, culturally responsive, reflective practitioners who know
both content as well as a range of pedagogical practices. Often, pre-service
students have had only one coaching teacher and are limited to observing
in classrooms where they are placed during the student teaching semester.
This session reports on a research study exploring a medical
“Rounds” model to give student teacher interns expanded opportunities
to observe master teachers at work. Over 130 pre-service teachers participated
in the K-12 study over a three year period. The results indicated that
participation in the intern “Rounds” process had the potential to impact
attitudes, classroom management strategies, and teaching methods related
to best practices. The “Rounds” involved one to two hours of
additional classroom observations. These sessions were immediately
followed by intensive guided reflection with university faculty and the
master teachers who were observed. Master teachers in Professional
Development Schools were selected based on known successful pedagogical
practices and/or classroom management strategies. Many of the
master teachers participating in the study had National Board Certification
standing and/or had been recognized as Teachers of the Year in their
schools. The presenters will discuss the study and demonstrate how to
conduct a basic “Rounds” session.
Our Ride Through The Magical Kingdom Of
Teacher Inquiry
Eva Garin, Bowie State University
Jocelyn Price, Highbridge Elementary School
This presentation will follow the path of teacher inquiry in the PDS
Network of Bowie State University. Presenters will share the different
opportunities to participate in teacher inquiry beginning with action
research and inquiry groups during phase one of the year-long internship.
Action research is incorporated into elementary methods classes as yearlong
interns implement an author study in their mentor teachers’ classrooms.
During the same semester year-long interns participate in a PDS
reading clinic where they develop a case study profiling an individual child
in grades K- 5 and document their growth in reading fluency and motivation.
During both phases of the year-long internship, Bowie State University
students participate in an inquiry group at their PDS site. These inquiry
groups are a required aspect of the year-long internship and classroom
teachers at the PDS site participate on a voluntary basis. PDS stakeholders
present their teacher inquiry at a yearly PDS research conference held on
campus each spring. Year-long interns are provided with an additional
opportunity to share their research during a research-in-progress conference
held during class each semester.
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Partnering Science Inquiry And Inclusion In
PDS
Gina Scala, Alison Rutter, and Katherine DiSimoni, East Stroudsburg
University
One of the overall goals of PDS is to improve learning for all students.
We have accepted this charge in our elementary PDS, making it part of our
mission to address the needs of each student within our PDS classrooms.
To ensure that we meet this goal, we have incorporated a course into our
elementary PDS methods semester in which students learn how to modify
their teaching to accommodate each of their students’ learning needs
within a regular classroom setting. This course, “Inclusionary Practices,”
goes beyond the basic special education practices to ensure that each
subject taught is taught appropriately for all students within that classroom.
Our students learn to modify their lesson plans for all of their learners,
specifically for art, social studies, reading, and science, as these subjects
are taught as an integrated core. This approach to inclusionary practices
has found a natural home with our inquiry approach to teaching science.
When implementing the lessons in the classroom, often involving small
groups, the apprentice teachers have the benefit of multiple adults assisting
their teaching - a mentor teacher, possibly a student teacher, and
special education aides and teachers.
This session will demonstrate ways in which we have addressed
tailoring teaching for all students within inquiry-based science lessons. In
a workshop setting we will teach an inquiry science lesson asking participants
to note the ways in which this lesson has been adapted for multiple
types and abilities of learners. We will also discuss ways this has worked
effectively within our PDS classrooms.
PDS Coaching Teachers And College Faculty
Collaborate For Student Learning
Patricia Wheeler and Kathryn Bauserman, Indiana State University
Dallas Kelsey and Joy Mascari, Davis Park Elementary School
One of the most difficult tasks of the university professor with
students in field experiences is to assure local school districts that children
will demonstrate achievement gain as a result of work with college
students. Recent NCATE standards require that assessments demonstrate
impact on elementary student achievement. ElEd professors at ISU
work closely with PDS partners to provide pre/post assessments demonstrating
achievement as a result of children working with our college
students.
Two professors [social studies (SS) methods and language arts (LA)
methods] collaborated with three third grade teachers to write a Project PRE
grant for non-fiction trade books on SS topics based on Indiana Academic
Standards. A brief sequence of events follows:
1. Teachers chose SS topics for each pre-service teacher team and
assisted pre-service teachers in planning grade 3 SS units.
2. Teachers created a pre-test/post-test on each topic and tested
children prior to pre-service teacher teaching.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
3. Struggling readers were paired with pre-service teachers for eight
weeks of tutoring using purchased non-fiction trade books.
4. Pre-service teacher teams taught SS units.
5. Teachers gave post-tests after unit teaching.
Outcomes:
1. All children failed the pre-test, and 90% of students earned C or
better on post-tests.
2. Tutored children connected strongly with their college partners
and gained self-confidence about their content knowledge.
3. Positive interactions with college students encouraged children
to participate more during classroom discussions and have more
correct responses.
Conclusions:
We tentatively concluded that pre-service teachers in these classrooms
encouraged social studies content learning and enriched reading
comprehension of non-fiction literature.
PDS Online Learning Community
Laura Corbin Frazier, Mount St. Mary’s University
This presentation will share learning from an online Professional
Development School learning community established to provide a forum
for university supervisors to discuss supervision strategies and other
issues of relevance. Further, supervisors share university and self-created
documents which facilitate teacher candidate growth in the classroom. The
community was designed to provide university supervisors the flexibility
of using the platform at times convenient to them and to reduce the number
of face-to-face meetings needed to share information and ideas. Primarily,
supervisors use the discussion board feature in BlackBoard to ask
questions and share successes from their schools. However, the community
also serves as a central repository for PDS documents such as
internship handbooks, assessments, tools, and PDS Standards and facilitates
announcements of events and meetings.
The presentation will highlight both the benefits and the limitations
to the learning community and will share samples of the kinds of collaboration
which took place.
PDS Participants Witness Successful
Celebrations Of Learning: Integrating Social
Studies And Literacy
Christine Walsh, Marilyn Yensick, and Amanda Brown, Slippery Rock
University
How can social studies content make literacy activities more meaningful?
How can literacy activities help students make connections to
social studies content? In an already overcrowded elementary day, it is
often difficult to find the time to fit social studies into the curriculum.
University faculty collaborated on these issues while teaching in an onsite
block of methods courses. Teacher candidates were given the topic
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“Our Heroes” and integrated social studies and literacy lessons using the
reading and writing workshop structure. Coaching teachers were invited
to select topics related to a broad theme of “Our Heroes” for the units of
study; the teacher candidates then developed lessons using the district’s
literacy framework.
In this presentation, teacher candidates will present their journey as
they collaborated with coaching teachers to develop the lessons and the
culminating event, a literacy celebration. With the themes of multicultural
awareness and social justice, students were engaged in purposeful literacy
experiences. During the celebrations, the students shared their publications
as poetry, award presentations, and journal entries. This event
afforded them the opportunity to interact with families. The perspective of
the coaching teachers will also be highlighted to describe how they
witnessed student engagement with literature, historical documents, and
primary sources. Reflections of the elementary students’ experiences will
be shared. University faculty will describe how all PDS participants -
administrators, parents, university liaisons, coaching teachers, and teacher
candidates - witnessed the students’ publication of authentic texts.
PDS Triage: Rapid Response To School
System Needs
Beverly German, Towson University
School systems which have PDS relationships with Towson University
include university staff in their strategic planning process, and the
resulting School Improvement Plans are driven by national, state, and local
test data. Towson University’s PDS Network of Schools often needs a
quick response to their identified needs. This presentation will describe
how the university, through the Towson Learning Network, responded to
unique needs in two area school systems.
The Towson Learning Network brought to bear a variety of internal
campus resources to help teachers in PDS schools reach out to the parents
of Hispanic students in the Anne Arundel County PDS Schools. Additionally,
the Towson Learning Network established a partnership with the
Office of Special Education in the Baltimore County Public Schools to
develop a program to help classroom teachers differentiate instruction for
included special education students, who were not making Annual Yearly
Progress on the MSA, the state testing program. The presentation will
describe how both of these PDS school needs were identified and addressed
in a collaborative and timely manner, including school system,
university, and community partners.
Perceptions Of Financial Literacy – Listening
To The Voice Of Students
Bridget J. Steele, University of Central Florida
The purpose of this study is to investigate how educators might
better prepare students for life by listening to the students’ voice of the
meaningfulness of learned mathematics. Also this study is to observe the
impact of attitudes toward mathematics on learning and how educators
might enhance students’ interest in mathematics by addressing such

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
topics as savings, credit, buying a home, personal budgeting, and retirement
planning. The study will be conducted at a local public high school
in the Central Florida area. The study will include a focus group, a survey,
and individual interviews with students and teachers. I will give the
students a survey about their perceptions of mathematics and will conduct
a focus group interview with students. During the presentation I will
discuss the results of this study and how it is impacting equity and access
for high school students. This presentation will also address what educators
can teach to help students relate mathematics to their lives. It will
address certain topics such as savings, credit, buying a home, personal
budgeting, and retirement planning that will help the students he able to
relate mathematics to real life.
Preparing General Education Pre-Service
Teachers For Inclusive Classrooms:
Capitalizing On The Expertise Of School-
Based Partners
Cathy J. Siebert, Ball State University
Carol Hill, Highland High School
As public classrooms become more inclusive, preparing pre-service
teachers to provide quality instruction that meets the needs of all students
is a professional imperative for teacher preparation programs. Recent data
points out that at least one in every ten students in a general education
classroom has been identified as having a disability. Yet, surveys conducted
in a teacher education course (typically taken one to two semesters
prior to student teaching) revealed that approximately 87 percent of
participating pre-service teachers believed they would not encounter
students with disabilities within their general education classrooms. In
addition to literally not being aware of the increasing presence of students
with disabilities in the general education environment, general education
pre-service teachers voiced concern over their lack of specific training
related to planning and implementing instruction to support unique needs
and improve student success.
This presentation contributes to the theme of the conference (the
Power of PDSs in Preparing Professionals) and Strand Four (Classroom
Practices) by providing an overview of a field-based collaboration between
a teacher educator and four special education high school teachers
that resulted in improving the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of our
pre-service general education teachers for providing quality instruction to
special needs students. Capitalizing on the rich resources represented in
our PDS partnership, we collaboratively developed a series of four
workshops taught by the special educators. In addition to describing the
four workshops, this presentation will also share the results of data
collected indicating the efficacy of the initiative.
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Preparing The Ground And Planting The Seed:
Preparing A School Site For Pre-Service
Teachers
Barbara Dire, Sally Utley, and Lusungu Sibande, Forest Heights Elementary
School
Saudah Collins, University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina Diverse Pathways Partnership has
forged a unique relationship with several schools to develop their individual
sites as potential placement sites for pre-service teachers. Through
this partnership the participating teachers wrote grants, which were
funded through Title II Teacher Quality funds, in order to examine and
enhance their classroom practices and engage in a process of reflection
and renewal.
Several projects developed from this work have demonstrated
positive effects on student learning through professional collaboration
and the facilitation of multi-sensory classroom engagements. One project,
The Earth’s Weather, was facilitated by the school’s science lab instructor
and involved collaboration with the school staff, NASA scientists, and
other consultants. Students engaged in various learning experiences and
demonstrated an increased understanding of weather-related topics following
participation in the project.
Another project, Musique et Conte de le Monde (Music and Tales
of the World), was facilitated by a second teacher and the music instructor.
The purpose of the project was to examine meaningful ways for the
students to learn about various cultures through folk tales and music. As
part of the experience, students met regularly with foreign-born staff
members who shared their past and present traditions. The learning was
extended through the visual and performing arts, integration of technology,
and introductory experiences related to geography.
The featured teachers will share their thoughts and reflections from
a year of collaboration with university faculty and staff, grant-sponsored
consultants, and their fellow teachers as they began the groundwork for
future pre-service teachers.
Programs That Work: Bridging The Gap
Between PDS Cohorts
Nancy W. Wiltz, Ocie Watson-Thompson, Patsy Washington, and Joan Ports,
Towson University
PDS faculty members in this Early Childhood Program work together
to prepare interns to become “facilitators of active learning for diverse and
inclusive communities of learners in environments that are technologically
advanced” (College of Education mission statement). This presentation
will share methods that IHEs use in all PDS sites at one mid-Atlantic
university. The six lHEs work as a team to plan, organize, and facilitate
effective clinical programs known as “all-ins.”
The all-ins begin with a half-day orientation meeting for all new
interns as they begin their three-semester program. This sets a tone of
professional collegiality where faculty members introduce the interns to
the major components of the program, as well as the philosophical and

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
guiding principles behind it. This helps establish respect for, pride in, and
commitment to the teaching profession. In the fall, interns spend the week
prior to the opening of school in the field with their mentors, attending
faculty meetings, setting up classrooms, and seeing the “behind the
scenes” work of a teacher. Syllabi and course assignments are shared with
mentors, so as to develop a sense of community between the PDS sites and
the university. At future all-ins throughout each semester, interns are
provided with knowledge and active, hands-on activities about professionalism,
dispositions, portfolio development, effective lesson planning,
service learning, action research, assessment, diversity, technology,
reflection, and the principles of MSDE (Maryland State Department of
Education), INTASC (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support
Consortium), and NAEYC (National Association for the Education of
Young Children), that guide our program.
Promoting Responsive Classroom
Management Practices Through
Collaboratively-Developed Intern Courses And
Mentor Professional Development
James Nolan, Lynne Sanders, and Bernard Badiali, Penn State University
Jodi Kamin, State College Area School District
Over the ten year history of our PDS partnership, a professional
development team composed of mentor teachers, principals, faculty members,
and graduate students has worked collaboratively to plan, deliver,
and evaluate a classroom learning environments methods course for PDS
interns and also to plan, deliver, and evaluate graduate level professional
development courses for mentor teachers focused on classroom learning
environments. Both the intern methods courses and the mentor graduate
level courses are grounded in the responsive classroom approach to
elementary classroom management. The result of this ongoing collaboration
has been the widespread use of classroom management strategies that
focus on community building, positive social skill development, and
encouraging students to take greater ownership and responsibility for
their own behavior. Some of the specific tools and strategies that are
commonly used include designing a student-centered physical environment,
morning meetings, classroom meetings, teaching conflict resolution
strategies and problem solving skills, the use of teacher language that
encourages student responsibility and ownership, and careful study and
observation of children as a vehicle for enabling them to control their own
behavior successfully.
The presentation will focus on three key ideas: 1) the collaborative
structures and roles that we have created and used to develop both the
intern courses and the mentor professional development experiences; 2)
the key learning activities and assignments that have been developed for
the intern methods course; and 3 ) the key content and processes that have
been used to structure the graduate level courses for mentor teachers.
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Proven Strategies That Enhance Practice In A
Large PDS Network
Jill C. Miels and Lynette Varner, Ball State University
Ron Purtlebaugh, Mitchell Elementary School
Mary Hendricks and Kristen Mains, Auburn Rhoades Elementary School
While there are guiding principles for PDS work, they are often
implemented differently and sometimes change as PDS relationships grow.
The practices and procedures associated within the Professional Development
Schools Network at Ball State University have been institutionalized
and recognized for a process of true collaboration with its individual
partners, as well as serving as a role model for other institutions. Adjunct
faculty (classroom-based) and university liaisons (university and sitebased)
will share practices for enhancing pre-service, in-service, and PK-
12 learning.
Ball State University has a long history of working successfully with
schools throughout the state of Indiana to prepare future teachers. After
ten years of working in the Professional Development Schools arena, there
is much to be learned from the individual stories that guide our practice.
While the featured PDS sites provide placements for student teachers, for
practicum students in both pedagogical and content methods, and places
for the development of inquiry and professional development, each has
developed its own focus within a large network. Lessons learned over
these past ten years will be shared. Sample stories will include:
• NCLB and 4-star schools;
• A study which examines the use of technology by teachers and
students in a technology-rich environment;
• Developing common expectations for preservice teachers;
• Providing resources for those working with struggling student
teachers;
• Collaborative models of student teaching supervision and coteaching;
• Increasing the connections between schools and community
resources;
• ... and many more
Providing Hands-On Experience For Pre-
Service Teachers By Bridging The Gap
Between Neighborhood Schools And
Surrounding Universities Or Colleges
Yvonne D. Taylor, Shippensburg University
This presentation describes a long-term (13 year) partnership that is
mutually beneficial between the Teacher Education Department at
Shippensburg University and King Street Elementary School in
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this partnership is to
provide pre-service teachers with experiences translating theory into
practical hands-on teaching experiences in the classroom. It also provides
these pre-service teachers with experiences working with diverse cultures

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
in a school with a high at-risk population. In turn, cooperating teachers are
given an extra set of hands providing one-one instruction with their
students. This bond has developed into a relationship that continues to
grow each year.
In class, the professor discusses theory and strategies about
reading, with a special emphasis on reading standards, developing lesson
plans, reading strategies, reading comprehension, and phonics. The preservice
teachers utilize classroom discussion and transfer it into practical
hands-on lesson plans. The pre-service teacher is paired with King Street
students. The cooperating teacher observes, giving feedback to the
college student using an evaluation sheet given by the professor.
This program bridged the gap between neighborhood schools and
a local university. The university students gain early experience working
with students and a cooperating teacher. The school in turn gains an extra
set of hands to aid with individualized instruction. It has been a win-win
situation, resulting in higher test scores for the elementary school.
Research In A Fifth-Grade PDS Collaboration:
Using Drama To Move Students To Higher
Levels Of Comprehension
Sherry DuPont, Slippery Rock University
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the
instructional strategy of Creative Dramatics used with fifth graders, in one
of our PDS sites, in conjunction with reading instruction on reading
comprehension and thinking levels.
A class of 25 fifth-graders comprised the sample of this study. For
the first two months of the school year the students were involved in the
normal reading instructional routine, comprised of vocabulary, background
knowledge, pre-reading activities, predictions, discussions, and
comprehension questions. Then for the next two months creative drama
was also incorporated into reading instruction along with the normal
reading instructional routine.
Students in the class were assessed with the DIBELS, the DRA, and
the 4Sight Tests at the onset of the study. The students were re-tested on
the 4Sight Tests after the first two months of being involved in the normal
reading instructional routine. Then the students were re-tested again on
the 4Sight Tests, along with a re-test of the DIBELS and the DRA, after
another two months of the typical reading instructional routine in conjunction
with Creative Dramatics activities.
An analysis of this data revealed that when fifth-graders were
involved in a treatment of creative dramatics in conjunction with their
reading instruction, their reading comprehension scores, as measured by
the 4Sight Tests, the DIBELS, and the DRA, increased.
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Role Switching: A Powerful Approach In
Preparing Professionals
Tamra W. Ogletree, John Ponder, Emily Brown, and Katie Hawkins,
University of West Georgia
Diane Costley and Kathy Ferguson, Central Elementary School
The partnership between the University of West Georgia and the
Carroll County School System offers many opportunities for university
and county faculty to collaborate in teaching and learning. This presentation
will focus on role switching and how this approach can be used to
enhance both university and public school curriculums. Role switching is
beneficial in that it helps university faculty remain grounded in public
school practices while giving university interns insightful experiences
working under a practicing master teachers.
One role switching initiative that will be presented involved a
university professor team teaching creative writing in a fourth grade
classroom in conjunction with a fourth grade coaching teacher working
with university PDS interns to implement the Writing Workshop in their
assigned classrooms. The coaching teacher took the PDS interns through
a series of practical, hands-on experiences to reinforce the theory taught
by the university professor. As a result of the guidance of the university
professor and the coaching teacher, PDS interns successfully implemented
the writing workshop. Procedures, outcomes, and insights will be
shared, as well as other examples and possibilities.
S.O.S. (Student-On-Student): Building
Relationships Between High Schools And
Universities to Promote Transition
Opportunities
Susan Brooks and Connie Leatherman, The University of Findlay
Kathryn Samsal, Harmony High School
The S.O.S. model features pairing pre-service candidates majoring
in special education with local high school sophomores identified with
special needs. These students work voluntarily on campus twice weekly
for ten weeks in a variety of work settings, ranging from groundskeepers
to clerical assistants. Begun in 1999 with grant monies from the State
Superintendent’s Task Force for Preparing Special Education Personnel,
this unique partnership has continued for an additional eight years with
no state or federal monies. This model can be easily replicated and
sustained in many areas of the country. There are innumerable tangible and
intangible benefits for participants.
The design of this model is straightforward. Pre-service candidates
serve as job coaches for the high school students. Prior to beginning the
on-campus work, an evening social event is held for students, parents, and
supervisors to meet and take a campus tour. Once on campus, all participants
maintain weekly electronic and paper journals with both the professor
and high school special education teacher. The experience concludes
with an awards recognition breakfast for all participants.
Project outcomes provide valuable experience for all parties. High
school students practice writing skills through journal entries, use math

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
skills for constructing exam week “survival bags,” and use communication
skills while working for a “boss.” University pre-service candidates gain
experience in working with students with special needs, interacting with
parents, gathering information for transition portfolios, and developing an
Individualized Transition Plan (I.T.P.). The university gains a voluntary
work force to complete assignments not finished during summer break.
Starting An Elementary Science Lab
Christina Russell, Guinyard Elementary School
Through a grant with Diverse Pathways we have begun to get our
science program on the right track. This grant started with a simple weather
station, weather instruments, and books that made it possible for our fourth
graders to have hands-on experiences with the implementation of the
weather standards. Also through this grant and our collaboration with the
University of South Carolina, we have been able to bring in consultants
who then brought in their expertise in different areas to again further our
students’ knowledge. The collaboration between Saudah Collins, Phyllis
Carey, Janis Mack, and Christina Russell started the ball rolling for future
endeavors.
This past summer three of our teachers participated in a science
course offered through Diverse Pathways, and many others worked with
the consultants to enhance their science in the classrooms. The reason for
participating in these courses was to better enable our teachers to put best
practices in place in their science teaching. This past summer we also set
up an elementary science lab that would serve third, fourth, and fifth
grades. The lab has a full-time lab instructor who works closely with the
classroom teachers to plan, reinforce, and enhance the science curriculum.
The lab instructor provides most of the hands-on experiences and activities
for the students. Since this is the implementation year for the science
lab, there have been numerous challenges. Some of these challenges
include scheduling, funding, and resources. Scheduling had to be worked
out for each grade level and had to be worked around other activities, such
as related arts, literacy groups, and class changes. Funding was an issue
for the start up, but thanks to what we already had in place with Diverse
Pathways we were able to tap into that and get a number of things that
would get the lab up and going when school started in August. As for the
resources, which are still somewhat limited, we use the Anderson Five
Curriculum, AIMS activities, Project Wild activities, and STC kits. Our
principal is good at providing for the lab and making certain that materials
are available when needed.
Through the science lab and the classrooms we are engaging the
students in a variety of inquiry-based experiences each and every day. We
are trying to prepare the school for pre-service teachers. We want these
pre-service teachers to come into our school and see what can happen
when these valuable partnerships are made and used. The Diverse Pathways
initiative has made us better personally as teachers because it has
made us do more self reflection on our teaching in all areas, especially
science.
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Supporting ALL Learners And Seeing Real
Results . . . No More Excuses!
Gina R. Scala, East Stroudsburg University
Craig Downey, Nancy Hardter, and Michelle Bosak, Lincoln Elementary
School
NCLB and IDEA have mandated accountability and validated learning.
All students need to show progress within the general education
curriculum. Schools are assessed on the documented AYP. How are the
individual needs met successfully in urban schools when resources are
minimal and additional resources seem impossible to secure? The PDS
partnership addressed these issues in the entire third grade within the
reading, literacy, and language arts areas. By identifying best practices and
utilizing the PDS model, traditional teaching was relinquished in favor of
an exciting, student-driven model of successful instruction. The results
have clearly indicated success for all students. Teachers are very invested,
and professional development has been developed to continue to add to
the professional skills of the faculty. Residual outcomes have been realized
by those not directly involved in the project. The presentation will identify
the steps that were developed, the outcomes, future directions, and current
data supporting the success for the students. In addition, a district-wide
initiative supporting literacy & inclusion has been initiated.
Teachers And Candidates Learning Together
Alisa Hindin and Lourdes Z. Mitchel, Seton Hall University
Lori Moonan, Hillside Avenue School
One of our biggest challenges in teacher preparation is how best to
link theory and practice. Feiman-Nemser (2001) suggests that teacher
education programs need to link theory and practice and insist the
important question is “how to integrate the two in such a way that it leads
to integration within the teacher” (p. 4). Professional Development Schools
have been promoted as the answer to meeting this challenge confronting
teacher preparation programs in the 21st century. Although research has
shown benefits of the PDS (Castle, Fox, and Souder, 2006; Ridley, Hurwitz,
Hackett, & Miller, 2005; Sandholtz &, Wasserman, 2001), we are still unsure
of the best classroom practices to meet the needs of the learning community,
including teacher candidates, cooperating teachers, and their students.
To address this challenge, our PDS developed an on-site literacy
methods class where teachers and teacher candidates were learning
together. The purpose of teaching an on-site course was to work more
closely with teachers and candidates in creating a more enriching learning
experience for all. To best structure collaborative learning, the class was
held on-site at two of our PDS schools and candidates spent the full day
with the instructor and cooperating teacher.
This presentation will provide a description of the on-site course
model, including classroom and field-based experiences for teachers and
candidates. Further, we will share findings from our research on the
effectiveness of this model as a best classroom practice and how this model
has been institutionalized (Mitchel & Hindin, In Press).

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Ten Easy Tips Coaching Teachers Can Do To
Help Professional Development School Teacher
Candidates Reduce Their Stress Load
C. Matt Seimears and Jean Morrow, Emporia State University
When PDS teacher candidates start a new semester, they often find
themselves in stressful situations. At Emporia State University, we have
found that these PDS candidates often experience this stress during their
Block I, Block II, and Block III internships. During these Block experiences,
teacher candidates may need extra support to avoid becoming “over”
stressed. How can coaching teachers provide these candidates with a PDS
experience that models a positive one instead of a stressful one? This
presentation will address ten easy tips each college or coaching teacher
could use to help PDS teacher candidates avoid becoming over-stressed
in the classroom. These ten tips might help the interns reduce their stress
load and make them feel at home in the classroom.
The Capacity Building Revolution: Growing
and Sustaining Our Own Through The Power
Of PDS
Brian Williams, Georgia State University
Karen Ross and Thea Johnson, L. O. Kimberly Elementary School
L. O. Kimberly Elementary School, in collaboration with Georgia
State University, has tapped into the power of Professional Development
Schools to improve the quality of teaching and learning. For four years our
PDS model has evolved and continues to be the lifeblood of school
improvement efforts. Most recently, Kimberly Elementary tapped into the
power of PDS through a mathematics endorsement program for teachers.
The mathematics endorsement program is a year-long intensive
research-based course designed to deepen and refine content knowledge
and promote culturally relevant pedagogy in the teaching of mathematics.
GSU serves as the provider for this initiative. As a result of the course, the
teachers have become a collaborative learning community focused on
creating ways to increase the mathematics achievement of students in our
urban community.
The purpose of this Kimberly-GSU collaborative partnership is to
transform the ways that Kimberly teachers think about and teach mathematics.
To realize this purpose, partners from Kimberly and GSU have
designed a school reform agenda around three priorities:
1. Building capacity within; teachers serve as intellectual leaders in
mathematics;
2. Thinking and acting “outside the box” in school leadership; and
3. Collective learning in action through Cross Career Learning
Communities (CCLC) and Lesson Study
In this session we will present data to show the impact the Kimberly-
GSU partnership has had on improving teachers’ knowledge while improving
the quality of instruction. We will share the methods that we are using
to create and empower mathematics teacher leaders throughout the
school.
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The Clinical Practice Model: Bridging The
Divide Between Theory And Practice
Connie Bowman and Shauna Adams, University of Dayton
Lori Dorn, Harry Russell Elementary School
Historically there has been a disconnect between university programs
and clinical experiences, even though research (Guyton, 1989;
McIntyre, 1984; Giebelhaus & Bowman, 2002) has supported clinical
experiences as being crucial components for candidates in teacher education
programs. This disconnect has been between theory and practice. As
Darling-Hammond (2006) notes in Powerful Teacher Education, clinical
experiences need to be tied to the coursework by presenting tasks to the
candidates that need to be explored in the clinical setting (p.154); still, the
traditional model of front-loading theory with little or no application to
practice is still used in teacher education programs. With this approach the
candidate is not able to analyze teaching and learning in order to ground
the theory being presented in the courses.
The premise of the Clinical Practice Model (CPM) is “how to” make
connections between coursework (theory) and field experiences (practice).
This model assists the university and its partners in implementing a
“how to” approach to our clinical field experience and professional
development that was embedded in the practice of both worlds. This
engages all parties in conversations about teaching and learning, best
practices, and systematic professional development. These conversations
presented qualitative data that was used to improve practice,
empower clinical educators, and develop a program that prepares candidates
to address the multiple demands and realities they will be facing. The
post-survey gave insights from the candidates that affirmed our goals, but
also gave data that can be used to improve programs. The roles of the
university and school faculty have changed, and this session will share
the results from the surveys, structure of the model, and implementation
practices that changed the relationship of the clinical and university
faculties.
The Memo Of Understanding: The Foundation
For Effective Partnership Work
Rodrick S. Lucero, Colorado State University
The Memo of Understanding that was in place at our site was no
longer serving its intended purpose. In fact, we had trouble even locating
it. We knew it had not been addressed in several years, and none of the
persons who had originally negotiated it were in place. It was an exciting
opportunity to create a working document that helped to articulate our
work.
We found ourselves at a crossroads around our common expectations
and our work within the PDS model. Principals and professors were
unclear as to the theoretical underpinnings of our work, and communication
pathways had eroded. We took the opportunity of renegotiating our
M.O.U. with the local school district to re-establish our collective mission
and to provide operating principles to our collective work. A key element
to this negotiation was the re-establishment of effective communication
pathways. In addition, we had to address the conundrum around providing

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
support, empowerment, and compensation for practicing teachers who
participate in different ways within our partnership. This session will
revolve around some “out of the box” thinking to facilitate the work and
reinforce the partnership between the school district and the university.
The Next STEP-UP (Students And Teachers
Educating Positively Under Pressure) The Sago
Mine Disaster: Recovery and Reflection
Sheri Carr and Deborah Smith, Buckhannon-Upshur High School
Sara Gosa, Glenville State College
Strand Four discusses how we, as practitioners, appreciate suggestions
for how real-life, hands-on practices between coaching teachers and
teacher candidates can enhance student learning. This year’s practical
presentation, the “Next Step-Up,” builds upon last year’s, which focused
on the strategies utilized during the healing and recovery from the Sago
Mine tragedy. The impact of this incident is far-reaching and our students
are still suffering the effects of the tragedy. With the implementation of
“STEP-UP,” we were able to assist students with special needs in identifying
stressors, recognizing symptoms of distress, and positively responding
to stress.
The Next Step-Up is a follow-up and shares a variety of classroom
practices that we have found successful in furthering teaching and
learning in the classroom. Our presentation demonstrates a continuation
of the healing process based upon the students’ personal reactions and
reflections. We, as coaching teachers, collaborated with the teacher
candidates and targeted improving pre-writing skills, thereby increasing
the students’ scores on the WESTEST and writing assessments. Through
the PDS partnership and grants, we are publishing a book with nationally
acclaimed authors, Martin and Delia Wach. The Wachs are experts in the
field of story writing. Students will participate in brainstorming, outlining
the story, writing, editing, illustrating, and marketing strategies. Through
this writing process, the students with special needs were able to express
their thoughts in a positive way. Proceeds from the book sales will assist
in providing sustainability for the PDS initiative and the STEP-UP program
to assist in future disaster relief.
The Phenomenon Of True Collaboration:
Classroom Practices For Coaching Teachers
And Teacher Candidates
Ron Siers, Stacie Siers, and Sara Elburn, Salisbury University
Participants in this concurrent session will be exposed to theory and
best practices regarding working with teacher candidates in their Professional
Development School classrooms. Current research from the field
through the lens of today’s teacher candidates will be shared. Participants
will glean insight from data regarding the supportive co-teaching internship
experience in PDS sites. Research that Ron and Sara conducted during
Salisbury University’s Spring 2007 internship time period will be shared.
Voices from teacher candidates at PDS sites will articulate the true meaning
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of the supportive collaborative internship. The presenters will share
strategies focusing on creating positive partnerships to enhance student
learning. Participants will receive hands-on materials to be used by
coaching teachers and their teacher candidates to enhance their coteaching
experience. Collaborative issues regarding planning, instruction,
management, evaluation, and reflection will be addressed. Strategies
shared will be applicable to any co-teaching environment. The presenters
will be utilizing an audience response system to engage attendees, assess
learning, and enhance meaning.
The Picture Of Collaboration: Building
Partnerships To Improve Classroom
Instruction
S.L. Rebecca Cibic, Oakland University
The purpose of my 2006-2007 dissertation study was to learn what
happens when art and language are ways through which second graders
can construct meaning. I collaboratively explored children’s ways with art
and language with the classroom teacher. The collaborative nature of this
study speaks to the fourth PDS strand on classroom practices.
The classroom teacher and I offered four different invitations to
learning in which learners could talk about their responses. In a table share,
learners shared their ways with art and/or language by talking with each
other while they worked; in a group share, learners shared their responses
from the publisher’s chair and peers offered feedback and suggestions on
each other’s work; in a guided share, learners engaged in one-on-one
conversations with the classroom teacher or me about their response; and
in an independent share, learners sat by themselves behind a three-fold
cardboard screen and talked about their response by speaking into a tape
recorder.
These four different shares encouraged learners to construct meaning
through various media (e.g., marker, crayon, paint, pastel, color pencil,
pencil), develop a sense of agency and voice, and to reason abductively.
Mondays we debriefed on what we were noticing in terms of trends/
patterns. We met in her classroom to discuss what we were learning from
the children and how children’s ways with art and language informed our
practices. We analyzed the data together; we collaboratively expanded/
refined opportunities for learning in the classroom. Mondays were ideal
because together we could tentatively plan the week ahead, which also
allowed us to offer the students revised invitations to learning.
The Pond Study Project: Teaming With L.I.F.E.
(Leadership And Inquiry Through Field
Experience) At An Urban PDS
Karen J. Riem, Central Connecticut State University
Gayle Hills and Jill Simko, Dr. James H. Naylor Elementary School
Teacher candidates (TCs) need integrated fieldwork that initiates
them to the best of the profession. Education professors need positive
placements in which to study and teach pedagogy. Students need authen-

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
tic learning activities and mentors. Teachers need strategies for involving
students in hands-on learning and active reflection. Communities need
citizens who know and respect their neighborhoods. Families need meaningful
involvement in schools, and PDS partners need to engage in
sustained efforts resulting in student learning. The education community
needs realistic collaborative models that work. The Pond Study Project
addresses these needs without incurring huge expense and while meeting
certification and curriculum requirements and aligning with standards and
school/university missions.
TCs from a variety of content area majors engage in mentoring, tool
construction, inquiry, problem-solving, and ongoing reflection while
studying teaching and learning through social studies (community life,
local history) and science (pond life, scientific method) with teachers,
paraprofessionals, families, professors, and 3rd and 7th/8th graders from
a diverse urban PK-8 PDS. Professors connect to learning theories,
communities, and curriculum development. Teachers contribute to university
coursework on-line and on campus. Older students mentor younger
ones, assuming leadership roles. TCs plan and implement activities and
create multidisciplinary units for use in future iterations of the project.
This concurrent session presents clear evidence of the demonstrated
impact of PDS work, describing a year-long multi-level, multi-grade,
multi-disciplinary inquiry project, including suggestions for how real-life,
hands-on practices between coaching teachers and teacher candidates
can enhance P-12 student learning while furthering teaching and learning
and cutting across the P-16 continuum.
The Power Of Quantum Learning: Renewing
Partner Schools And Professional Educators
Jane Ziebarth-Bovill, Jane Strawhacker, and Carrie Kracl, University of
Nebraska at Kearney
Nancy Brosamle, Bryant Elementary School
Quantum Learning is a research-based model that integrates the best
practices of teaching with brain-based learning strategies. Other components
of the model include leadership development, parent involvement,
and school improvement through evaluation. Quantum Learning has been
proven to increase student achievement and improve students’ attitudes
towards learning. Another aspect of the model is the positive impact it has
on professional educators and teacher candidates.
This interactive presentation will feature the main tenets of Quantum
Learning. Actual strategies will be modeled to illustrate the active nature
of the model and to show how the instructional strategies can be applied
immediately in classroom settings.
Partner school principals will share stories and statistics about how
Quantum Learning has changed the learning climate for their students,
teachers, and parents. A quote from one of the partner school principals
indicates the potential value of this model: “Quantum Learning is the most
effective program I’ve seen in my entire career for boosting student
achievement and staff morale. It changed my belief in what’s possible in
changing education.”
A university supervisor and two hybrid university educators who
teach field-based courses will describe how Quantum Learning has trans-
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formed the instructional repertoires of teacher candidates to embrace more
dynamic and meaningful learning strategies.
Presenters will also describe how elementary student achievement
scores improved after partner school educators used Quantum Learning
strategies in their classrooms. In addition, presenters will share ways in
which educators in Professional Development Schools can implement the
renewal process and experience the power of Quantum Learning.
The Power To Inspire: Establishing New PDSs
At The Middle Level Through The Use Of
Technology
Sharon Leathers, Roxanne Medina, and Stephanie Koprowski-McGowan,
William Patterson University
In 2006, William Paterson University was awarded a three-year
Improving Teacher Quality Partnership grant from the New Jersey Department
of Education. Focusing on math, literacy, and technology integration,
WPUNJ partnered with three middle schools from Paterson, NJ. The
three identified middle schools were challenged with identifying critical
areas of concern in the content areas and requested to share how they
thought the issues they were facing could be addressed and resolved.
Math and literacy had been given great attention over the years due to
mandatory state testing; however, technology integration was required by
the district without the tools such as hardware and “know-how.” Utilizing
technology as the vehicle for addressing the content areas, a new initiative
began with addressing the need for base-level knowledge of computer
applications and answering the questions “why” and “how” technology
integration can lead to higher order learning in the classroom. Taking the
lead from a district faculty member, a new and unexpected endeavor to
revitalize and re-inspire in-service teachers to utilize technology has now
grown beyond all initial expectations. Examples of successful practices in
technology integration will be shared, and specific attention will be
focused on tools to aid the middle school classroom. Additional areas to
be addressed relative to the challenges faced in these PDS partnerships
are diversity, empowering faculty to take calculated risks, and raising the
bar of expectations.
The Quartet Model: A Unique Learning
Community
Patrick M. Westcott, Rowan University
For a second year, Oak Knoll Elementary School, an elementary PDS
in southern New Jersey, is participating in the Quartet Model of Supervision.
Student teachers receive input and analysis of their teaching from not
only the cooperating teacher and the Rowan University supervisor/PDS
liaison, but from the onsite co-supervisor. This forms a unique quartet
which improves upon the standard triad of teacher candidate, cooperating
teacher, and university supervisor. Hence, a unique learning community
is formed. Each teacher candidate is assigned an on-site co-supervisor
among the staff at the PDS site, selected by the building principal based
on their pursuit of supervisory/administrative certification and/or excep-

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
tional teaching. Student teachers are afforded additional viewpoints on
teaching and learning that may at times vary from that of the cooperating
teacher. Rather than view these differences as unconstructive, the contrary
points of view facilitate the student teacher’s emerging understanding
of instruction. The cooperating teacher confers with both the on-site
and university supervisor/PDS liaison, providing a wider forum for discussing
insights about and potential concerns vis-a-vis the teacher
candidate’s performance. The on-site co-supervisor is afforded supervisory
experience, enriching his or her own understanding and appreciation
for the supervisory act. Presentation participants will be able to compare
and contrast their experiences with clinical supervision with the quartet
model. Participants will have opportunities to discuss details of the model,
offer their own experiences with alternative models of supervision, and
take away potentially practical ideas for applying variations of the model
at their home site.
The TOTAL Experience: A Journey Of Change
For Faculty, Pre-Service Teachers, And PDS
Schools
Robin Burden, Diana Quatroche, Sharron Watkins, Beth Whitaker, and
Rebecca Libler, Indiana State University
This presentation will share how a group of elementary and special
education faculty at Indiana State University, using funding from a federal
grant (Project PRE-Partnering to Reform Education), made the decision to
dramatically change the way early field experiences are provided for preservice
teachers. The TOTAL (Teachers of Tomorrow Advancing Learning)
Program is a collaborative effort on the part of university faculty and
clinical faculty partners in PDS classrooms, known as “Coaching Teachers.”
Pre-service teachers who chose to participate in TOTAL are spending
a minimum of three days each week in the PDS classroom, thus seeing
immediate application of theory to real classroom situations, as well as
gaining valuable first-hand experience. We will present both the challenges
and benefits that such a program offers to both pre-service teachers
and the schools in which they were placed. The discussion will focus on
(1) where and how the journey began, (2) changes in the way courses are
offered, (3) role changes for our faculty and PDS faculty, and (4) what we
have learned. To that end, we will include both qualitative and quantitative
results. Through the use of video, the students and coaching teachers who
are unable to attend due to student teaching and teaching commitments
will be able to share their perspectives of the experiences with the audience.
The Watering Can Of Experience Facilitating
The Growth Of The PDS Intern
Suzann Copeland, Pete Kelly, and Bev Peters, Truman State University
Rebecca Murphy, Ray Miller Elementary School
One of the unique features of the Truman State University/Kirksville
RIII partnership is the university/mentor collaboration of programmatic
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reflective practice during a spring retreat. Out of the most recent retreat
came a document of suggested experiences the special education intern
should have prior to leaving their “pre” internship. Creation of a “to do”
list ensures quality experiences and guidance for mentors, particularly
those new to the program. Knowing how to effectively engage interns
creates an atmosphere of confidence for both the intern and mentor. This
enables collaborative teams, a decrease in student/teacher ratio, and
allows the intern the opportunity to conduct educational research to
impact student learning. Team members will detail the collaborative process
on achieving breadth and depth to the “pre” intern experience
document and share ways in which they utilize intern experiences to impact
student growth in the K-12 setting.
Training Teachers To Manage Conflict
Effectively: The Conflict Resolution Education
In Teacher Education (CRETE) Project
Diane Corrigan, Kristien Marquez-Zenkov, and Sarah Vogel Laschinger,
Cleveland State University
Anne Varian, Jerri Saltz, and Margo Kernen, University of Akron
James Harmon, Euclid High School
The Conflict Resolution Education in Teacher Education (CRETE)
project is a national pilot project responding to the lack of adequate teacher
preparation in classroom management and conflict resolutions skills.
Funded by US Department of Education and foundation grants, the project
is a collaborative effort amongst Cleveland State University, The University
of Akron, and Temple University, who have partnered with area
schools in Cleveland, Akron, and Philadelphia. Additional support has
been provided by the Ohio Commission for Dispute Resolution and
Conflict Management. CRETE provides pre-service teachers and P-12
mentor teachers with the Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) and classroom
management skills necessary for cultivating constructive P-12 learning
environments, enhancing student learning, and bolstering teacher
retention.
CRETE is focused on the following goals: 1) to help university
faculty infuse CRE skills into their pre-service education courses; 2) to
educate P-12 teachers in CRE and prepare them to support new teachers’
use of conflict resolution techniques; and 3) to provide P-12 students with
critical skills for effectively managing conflicts with peers and adults.
This session presents an overview of CRETE accomplishments and
materials, including training agendas, conflict resolution exercises, and
classroom handouts that have been developed and field-tested with better
than 700 pre- and in-service teachers. Audience members will participate
in CRETE activities and discuss how mentors and interns collaborate to
implement these strategies. Participants will receive a packet of CRErelated
lesson plans appropriate for P-12 subjects and settings.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Transformative Action Research: Bridging
Preservice And In-service Contexts In Teacher
Education Programs
Mary Earick, University of South Carolina
Nanci Ostrosky and Keighley Skelton, Killian Elementary School
Mary Haney, Horrell Hill Elementary School
The focus of pre-service teacher programs has been to gain knowledge
of both theory and practical methods in order to create equitable
classroom learning communities. Discussions by instructors, teachers,
and pre-service students have led to a need to reflect on how these theories
and methods are delivered, with a goal of strengthening programming. In
collaboration with two University of South Carolina Professional Development
School sites, we will present on a new model for teacher education
programs. We will present a collaborative action research project embedded
in a core pre-service teacher education course entitled EDEC 447:
Building Communities of Learners. PDS schools provide a unique opportunity
to have students learn from real classroom interactions between
experienced teachers and students in public urban schools. Pre-service
teachers in EDEC 447 collect data on text, image, and language artifacts for
teacher study groups, who then use this data as they reflect upon and
analyze the effectiveness of their own classroom methods towards building
a community of learners. Study group teachers then implement lessons
based on their action research that is filmed and used in EDEC 447. The
focus of the course and action research is the study of academic identities
in race, gender, language, sex, and ability and the application of developmental
and socio-cultural methods towards equitable learning environments.
It provides a needed framework to build diverse pedagogies that
bridge current gaps in a mono-lingual white teacher workforce and multilingual,
multi-racial, multi-ethnic society.
Using Collaboration To Nurture PDS
Relationships
Gayle Jones and Cathy Woody, Crest Ridge Elementary School
The University of Central Missouri and our local school district
created a PDS Partnership in 2000. One of the goals of the partnership has
been to develop a “training ground” for PDS teacher candidates to be hired
by the local school district after completing their internship and student
teaching.
This presentation will discuss the collaboration between coaching
teachers and teacher candidates, as well as the real-life hands-on practices
associated with having predominately urban and suburban university
students learning in a rural setting. Step by step collaboration between
teacher candidates and the practicing teacher is an essential tool for a
successful PDS experience.
Some questions asked and answered will be:
• What key personnel meet regularly to provide expertise in designing
the collaboration?
• What are the roles of higher education faculty, classroom teachers,
and principals in collaboration?
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• How do coaching teachers schedule time for collaboration with
PDS teacher candidates?
• How are discipline, time management, and curriculum issues
handled with PDS teacher candidates?
• What impact do PDS teacher candidates have on student learning?
This presentation will elaborate on these questions as well as share
classroom teachers’ narrative accounts. We will share our thoughts on
caring for one another and valuing expertise within a community, which we
believe are central tenets for collaboration.
Varied Paths To One Destination – Models Of
PDS Classroom Instruction
Ann K. Behrens, Dorothy Nelson, Marian Sorenson, and Pat Rokusek, Quincy
University
Tom Conley, Quincy High School
Bobbi Klein, Quincy Junior High School
What is the most effective way to implement a PDS model, take full
advantage of meeting in the school setting, and cover the required course
content? Classroom teachers and university instructors will discuss a
variety of approaches, including block scheduling, traditional scheduling,
one school placements, and multi-school placements. This session will
feature practical suggestions for beginning or refining a PDS model.
Advantages and challenges of the various schedules will be highlighted,
with opportunities for participants to share their own experiences or ask
questions.
We’re In This Together: A Step Beyond
Content
Cheryl Gill, Sybil Segars, and Courtney Pallay, Conackamack Middle School
The Piscataway Township School District is not only a member of
the New Jersey Consortium for Middle Schools, but also a PDS working
cooperatively with Kean University. At Conackamack Middle School we
enthusiastically embrace collaborative team teaching. This process has
enabled us to reach beyond the content area and come together with other
content areas, special education, and creative arts teachers to create a
community of learners.
Research promotes what we already know - two-heads are better
than one! In recognizing ourselves as life-long learners, it becomes
apparent that working in isolation does not work. However, we all realize
that it’s not always easy to combine theory and practice in a manageable
way.
In this presentation we will share our vision and strategies for “how
it really works.” Presenters will communicate their experiences in collaborating
and team teaching and provide insight into the actual classroom
model. The presenters, both general and special education teachers, will
show how this works in the regular education classroom and the inclusion

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
setting. Finally, they will demonstrate how incorporating the PDS preservice
teacher is an integral part of this dynamic team effort.
“What’s Up Your Sleeve?” Creating An
Arsenal Of “Tricks Of The Trade” For
Beginning Educators
Vicki Heitczman, Smithfield Elementary School
Andrew Whitehead and Linda Rogers, East Stroudsburg University
Pre-service teachers participating in the ESU Apprentice II semester
receive course content on campus two days each week and become part
of the learning community two days a week at their Professional Development
School. This rigorous semester before the Resident Student Semester
provides them with many opportunities to learn about school climate,
planning and implementing lessons, and increases their knowledge about
the wide range of skills and strategies veteran teachers have developed.
An on-going field experience in a PDS offers pre-service teachers an
authentic setting in which they develop the skills related to planning and
implementing lessons; however, the “tricks of the trade” that veteran
teachers draw on at various times often remain a mystery. This presentation
examines and shares the first phase of an action research project in
which a variety of effective “tricks” from the veteran teachers and university
faculty in PDS schools were developed into a resource book for
Apprentice II beginning educators and Resident Student Teachers. In the
second phase, the impact of the resource book will be measured. The
“tricks” include strategies to address common beginning educator issues
such as classroom management, time management, effective use of teachable
moments, and creating highly motivating and engaging lessons.
Why We’re The BEST At Emporia State
University
Merle Patterson, Ashlie Barth, and Tim Warner, Emporia State University
Butler and Emporia from Students to Teachers (BEST) is a partnership
that combines the convenience of Butler Community College (BCC)
with the nationally-renowned teacher education program at Emporia State
University (ESU). Students complete their first two years of courses at
Butler and then continue with ESU on the BCC campus to earn their fouryear
degree. The courses are taught at BCC by ESU faculty. Even the
student teaching is done at elementary Professional Development Schools
in Butler County. In the end, students will have earned two degrees, an
associate’s degree from BCC and a bachelor’s in elementary education
from ESU.
The presentation will focus on classroom practices and collaboration
strategies that promote positive experiences and collaboration between
interns, mentors, administration, and ESU and BCC faculty. The
presentation will include:
• Block 2 experiences
o Development and teaching individual of lessons
o Three to five day teach
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o Ten day teach
o Evaluations
o Collaboration with mentor/supervisors
o Brown Bag /Teacher Work Sample/Dispositions
o Weekly walk-through
• Block 3 experiences
o Collaboration with interns/mentor/administration/supervisors
o Weekly walk-through
o Evaluations (student & ESU staff)
o PDS supervisor Evaluations
“Writing Right”: Creating Techniques,
Strategies, And Understandings Of The Writing
Process - A Year-Long Collaborative Project
Between Urban Second Grade Classrooms And
Pre-Service Students
Virginia McGinnis, Edinboro University
Dawn Blair, Pfeiffen Burleigh Elementary School
This presentation will focus on the year-long collaborative writing
immersion project between “at risk” second graders in an urban elementary
school and a class of pre-service teachers at Edinboro University of
Pennsylvania. This project was instituted as an effort to increase the
writing proficiencies of both the elementary students as well as the
university students. It was a collaborative initiative between a second
grade elementary teacher and PDS university affiliate elementary education
professor. The presentation will include discussion and demonstration
of:
• Work samples and assessments;
• Activities to promote writing across genres and for different
purposes;
• Attitudinal adjustments about the writing process;
• Using writers notebooks for successful writing; and
• Creating understanding of the writing process including planning,
writing, reviewing, revising, and publishing.
Activities and assessments will be shared to document the progress
of this exciting project. The collaborators of this PDS initiative will also
provide information about lessons learned throughout the process, techniques
to increase success, and self-reflections.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
STRAND #5 – ACHIEVEMENTS
7 Habits + Leadership + PDS = Sky-Rocketing
Test Scores
George Meyer, Quincy University
Jerry Ellerman, Dewey School
Patsy Cornwell, Matt Runge, and Penny Westerman, Washington Elementary
School
Dewey and Washington Elementary Schools and Quincy University
in Quincy, Illinois have collaborated to implement The 7 Habits and
Covey’s Leadership strategies in a PDS model. These strategies were
inspired by the AB Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina
where, after implementing these ideas, the student achievement scores in
this inner-city school went from the 50th percentile to the 90th percentile
over a 5-year period.
Come to this presentation to learn why using these strategies in
schools is more powerful than what has been accomplished with this
program in business and industry. Learn how the Washington/Dewey
School/QU collaboration was started and implemented over a two-year
period. Now in its second year of implementation, the academic scores in
these schools have sky-rocketed over the last two years. Both faculties are
trained in the 7 Habits and Covey’s Leadership strategies outlined in his
most recent book, The 8th Habit. Quincy University collaborates with both
these two Title 1 schools in a PDS model. The two primary goals of the
program are to create more effective future teachers while at the same time
improving the academic and interpersonal performance of elementary
students.
After only one year of implementation of the 7 Habits last year,
academic scores improved significantly, tardies have decreased, discipline
referrals are virtually non-existent, and parent participation has more
than doubled over previous years.
A Truly Powerful PDS
Kitty Brant and Dana Moore, University of Central Missouri
Just as students need the support of fellow learners (Atwell, 1998;
Grisham, Ferguson, & Bring, 2004), pre-service teachers need a supportive
community throughout their learning experiences. By empowering teachers
to be the leaders of their own learning and customizing the nature and
immediacy of training, transfer and application of newly learned skills into
classroom practice is far more assured (Zepeda, 1999; Messer, 2004).
Our rural PDS is in its fifth year and has experienced much success,
even with that school district being located 25 miles from the university.
The goal of this PDS site is to continue to provide PDS pre-service teachers
additional correspondence along with their weekly classroom contact with
PDS practitioners by networking via technology to validate that what they
are being taught is applicable in a “real” classroom. Pre-service teachers
and practitioners continue their growth of connecting technology with
teaching strategies and to participate on an on-going basis to reflect on
their implementation of chosen strategies, to expand a collegial conversa-
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tion about instruction, and to share reflective discussions about classroom
practice and student results.
These practitioners continue to focus on improving two-way symmetrical
mentoring in place of mentoring as simply giving pre-service
teachers advice. Creating communities of educators that are collectively
responsible and accountable for student learning, and who find collective
energy in the joy of working together to reach common ends, creates “a
truly powerful PDS” for education.
Accomplishing The Development Of Novice
Teachers’ Content Knowledge In Professional
Development School Partnerships
Reagan Curtis, Jaci Webb-Dempsey, and Amy Kuhn, West Virginia University
This presentation will describe an on-going mixed-methods study
(Collins, Onwuegbuzie, and Sutton, 2006; Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and
Worthen, 2004; Rossi, Lipsey, and Freeman, 2004) of the five-year teacher
education program at West Virginia University within the Benedum
Collaborative Professional Development School network. We will focus
on developing content knowledge in novice teachers because content
knowledge has been highlighted as a critical factor in teachers’ ability to
impact their students’ achievement (Floden and Meniketti, 2006; Hill,
Rowan, and Ball, 2005; Rowan, Correnti, and Miller, 2002). This means the
development of content knowledge is a critical need for teacher candidates
and novice teachers, and we develop evidence that filling that need is
facilitated in PDS contexts. Existing program data was triangulated with
telephone interviews and a site visit to a school where graduates of the
program were employed. We will discuss findings that the program
positively impacted content knowledge and that graduates of the program
exemplified INTASC Principle #1 (content knowledge) in their professional
practice (INTASC, 1992). The presentation will include discussion of the
program context and how this context impacted candidates’ developing
content knowledge. This study informs program improvement and addresses
issues articulated in the Report of the AERA Panel on Research
and Teacher Education (Cochran-Smith and Zeichner, 2005, pp. 30-35).
Audience participation will be encouraged as we engage in discussion of
best practices for facilitating teacher candidates’ development of content
knowledge and how to maximize aspects of professional development
contexts that enhance that achievement.
Achievements All Around: The Power Of
Elementary Education/Special Education
Professional Development Schools
Amy Nicholas, Debi Gartland, Sophia Berruz, and Kara Ball, Towson
University
Justine Miller, Waterloo Elementary School
Mark Borinsky, Waverly Elementary School
The presentation will be delivered by four stakeholders from an
Elementary Education/Special Education (EESE) dual certification program’s
PDS partnership in Maryland and will address Strand 5 (Achievements) in

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
relation to two categories: 1) student achievement and 2) professional
achievement. First, to address the category of student achievement, a
former intern (a 2007 graduate from the EESE program and now a special
education teacher in the school in which she completed her internship) will
share the design and results of an action research project she conducted
involving an individualized intervention aimed at improving social interactions
in a young student with autism. Then, two university supervisors
will discuss the model and data obtained from the implementation of an
after-school service learning tutoring program in which interns created and
delivered instructional activities for at-risk students. The results from both
the active research and service learning projects demonstrate positive
impacts on student achievement. Next, to address the category of professional
achievement, a mentor teacher from the partnership will describe his
experience with co-authoring two articles with university faculty, one
submitted to the NAPDS newsletter and the other to the NAPDS professional
journal. Finally, we will present partnership achievements in increasing
the special education workforce and achieving initial NCATE accreditation.
Achievements Of A PDS Partnership To
Address The Learning Needs Of Low-lncome
Children: An Evaluation Of Year 2 Activities
Bettina Baker, Neumann College
Penny Burrall, Chester Community Charter Schools
There are three purposes of this presentation on the accomplishments
of the PDS partnership described herein. The partnership was
established to increase literacy rates of low-income children and to provide
urban education experiences to pre-service teachers. The purposes of the
proposed presentation are: (1) to discuss the effectiveness of the partnership
in relation to NCATE PDS standards, (2) to discuss the PDS
partnership’s role in increasing pre-service teachers’ competency teaching
in urban settings, and (3) to discuss the partnership’s role in raising
literacy rates of grade 3 to 8 students enrolled in the schools.
Answers to three questions relating to the partnership’s achievements
in its second year will be displayed and discussed. The questions
are: (1) At what stages does the PDS partnership fall in the implementation
of the NCATE PDS standards? (2) What gains in local and standardized
state reading tests have the charter school students made due to the
literacy tutoring initiative implemented by Neumann College students in
their field placements at the schools? and (3) What are the outcomes of preservice
teachers’ field placements and student teaching experiences in the
schools?
Preliminary analyses indicate that adherence to NCATE PDS standards
is increasing in most categories; students’ state reading test scores
have increased significantly in year 2; requests for student teaching
placements and hiring rates of graduating pre-service teachers have
increased dramatically at the schools; and professional development
sessions have been tailored to school staff’s reported needs and implemented
by college personnel on a larger scale.
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Achieving Excellence In New Teacher
Induction: Mankato’s Success Story
Lori Bird, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Sandy Hatlestad, Kristin Dauk, Tracy Sexton, Bridget Weigt, and Lanette
Olson, Mankato Area Public Schools
The Mankato Area Public Schools new teacher induction program
has achieved state-wide recognition in Minnesota for its comprehensive
approach to enhancing new teacher growth and development. A Minnesota
2020 report called “Growing Gap: Minnesota’s Teacher Recruitment
and Retention Crises” cites the need for a state-wide induction model like
Mankato’s, in which “the program has experienced teachers working with
university undergraduates as well as performing extensive mentoring in
the home district.” Including more than just a quality mentoring component
with five full-time mentors, the Mankato model includes a focus on
professional teaching standards through classroom-based coaching, new
teacher seminars that are differentiated based on the identified needs of
its participants, and a high level PDS partnership with Minnesota State
University, Mankato and the Center for Mentoring & Induction.
Pre-service and new-to-district teachers alike benefit from the expertise
of well-trained mentors and this high degree of advocacy and support
Join Mankato mentors as they share their experience creating and implementing
this successful induction program and how the university has
collaborated with the district to support this initiative. Participants will
briefly review the research, learn the components that are critical to a
quality induction program, and hear about specific strategies that these
educators have found to be most impactful.
Alabama A & M University And Montview
Elementary School - A HBCU And A Title 1
School Partnership Year Four: Our List Of
Achievements
Karen Foster, Alabama A & M University
Kreslyn McGinnis, Montview Elementary School
“Signed, sealed, and delivered” – we believe that our PDS Collaboration
has been the best “bargain for the money” for the time and resources
spent. Our partnership and the memorandum of understanding between
Alabama A & M University and Montview Elementary School was
established four years ago through a No Child Left Behind grant. Since that
time, our collaboration has evolved and strengthened without any additional
funding.
Our presentation highlights the major achievements gained through
our collaboration during the past four years. The following is our list:
1. During the 2005-2006 school year, Montview Elementary School
made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) and was able to be removed
from School Improvement, while being placed on “delay” for two
years. Progress was made in the areas of reading and mathematics.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
2. During the 2006-2007 school year, although still on “delay” for
year two, the achievement gap closed significantly for the special
education population at Montview Elementary.
3. During the 2007-2008 school year, Montview Elementary School
was removed from school improvement, with students demonstrating
large gains in reading.
4. Alabama A & M University teacher education majors linked
theory to practice by working directly in the classrooms at
Montview. The teaching repertoires diversified and strengthened.
Alabama A & M University students “logged in” over 2,000
hours at the school site during the 2006-2007 school year.
5. Strong professional partnerships developed between the professors
at Alabama A & M University and the teachers at Montview
Elementary School. A professional learning community evolved.
“And The Survey Says . . . !”: Tracking
“Success” And “Impact” Of Partnership
Curricula, 2001-2008
Suzanne Klatt and Tom Poetter, Miami University
Jean Eagle, Talawanda Schools
Over the course of seven years (2001-2008), the Talawanda-Miami
Partnership has implemented three very large and significant partnership
projects together. These projects involve both institutions and their
personnel, resources, students, teachers, and administrators deeply,
requiring that we reach common, shared goals and continuously judge the
mutual benefit of the activities for each body. Our task now, while the
projects mature, is to measure and judge their worth, both in terms of quality
of program delivery and perceived impact on student and participant
learning. The three programs are: 1) an on-site student teaching supervision
model that commits to approaches that privilege co-teaching, clinical
observation techniques supplied by school personnel taking on the role
of university supervisor, and teacher inquiry (the development of a teacher
portfolio); 2) an entry-year teacher program in the school district that
places school and university personnel as mentors for teachers - perhaps
the only tripartite mentoring model of its kind in the State of Ohio; and 3)
two large university student tutoring programs that serve over 1,500 public
school students each year - both housed in the university’s Office of
Community Engagement and Service, Adopt-a-School, and America Reads.
Our presentation focuses on the results of an intense, pilot evaluative
inquiry beginning in the Fall of 2007; the evaluation project involves
several surveys of participants as well as qualitative interviews and focus
groups of key parties. We hope that the results show that the interventions
are having a significant impact on participants, considering the great
amount of time and resources committed to the three projects.
Assessing Teacher Candidate Dispositions
Gloria A. Neubert and James B. Binko, Towson University
Mastery of subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge have
historically been the stalwart characteristics of teacher competence (Shulman
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1987; Darling-Hammond, 2003-2006). More recently, school and university
faculty, educational theorists, and researchers, as well as accrediting
agencies [e.g., see vonEschenbach and Gile, 2007; Fenstermacher and
Richardson, 2005; Neubert and Binko, 2007; and standards of the National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (2006)] have endorsed
professional dispositions as another essential characteristic of good
teachers. To date, however, few teacher education institutions have
operationally defined professional dispositions nor institutionalized procedures
to assess these dispositions during their students’ professional
development program.
This presentation will review research and theoretical literature on
professional dispositions, then describe the approach and materials used
by our college, and the secondary education department specifically, to
assess the professional dispositions of teacher candidates in our Professional
Development Schools. The results of two years of teacher candidates’
self-assessment, formative assessment by PDS coordinators, and
summative assessment data by university supervisors will be shared,
including trends, cohort average rubric scores, average scores disaggregated
by major, representative case studies, and adaptations in the
program resulting from data interpretation.
Celebrating Change: The Value And Need Of
Celebrating Success In Changing The Culture
Of A School
Stephanie Koprowski-McGowan, William Paterson University
Many have questioned how success can be measured in a Professional
Development School. Although it has become popular and mandatory
by some to utilize standardized test scores only to measure success,
many have overlooked the value of demonstrating equal parts of quantitative
and qualitative data, especially when measuring the change in
culture in a Professional Development School. For William Paterson
University of New Jersey, success has come by changing the way our PDS
partners view their role as educational leaders. Often, educational leadership
opportunities require some of our most outstanding teachers to leave
the classroom and move on to administrative roles. Over the past several
years, we have strived to motivate faculty and administrators to become
innovators and teacher leaders. Many have returned to WPUNJ for
advanced degrees, and others have now taken the opportunity to present
as “experts” to colleagues and pre-service teachers through university
sponsored workshops. By offering opportunities of personal and professional
growth through activities such as book clubs and “lunch and
learns,” many PDSs have experienced a change in culture which cannot be
measured by quantitative measures. Through the use of surveys, interviews,
and direct feedback from pre-service and in-service teachers, an
encouraging and inspiring portrait has been created over several years in
a select group of urban schools. It is this non-traditional voice which will
be shared with participants and suggested means in which to document
key successes and how to share such valuable insight with policymakers
at the local, state, and federal levels.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Collaborative Inquiry: A Powerful Tool For
Impacting Student Learning And For
Deepening Our PDS Partnership
Darby Delane, University of Florida
Kevin Berry, Alachua Elementary School
Alachua Elementary School and the University of Florida have
partnered together as a PDS for the last eight years. During this time we
have been able to give testimony to the power that our partnership has had
on increasing the efficacy and enhancing the professional cultures of both
faculties. This has been evident through higher quality teacher preparation
and school-based mentoring practices that have developed over time.
This has also been made clear through the increasing role that inquiry has
played in the professional development of prospective and practicing
teachers, as well as with university faculty and graduate students. Finally,
we have deepened our institutionalized commitment with one another and
are now sharing human resources in increasingly “blended” ways.
However, we have been wondering how our long-term commitment
to collaboration and inquiry is directly impacting K-5 student learning.
This year we created teams of prospective teachers, administrators, and
school-based PDS coaches to investigate this question. Multiple inquiries
were conducted to find the relationship between the aims and practices of
the PDS and student achievement. Collaborative inquiry teams systematically
collected and analyzed data specifically to find out how practices
associated with teacher preparation and mentoring in the PDS were
impacting learning of K-5 learners with diverse educational needs. These
inquiries were also designed to support the individual Professional Development
Plans (PDPs) of each participating mentor teacher, as well as the
overall School Improvement Plan (SIP). Preliminary data reveals that
collaborative inquiry indeed (1) benefits diverse learners and educators by
improving accessibility to quality teaching, learning, and mentoring in
each classroom; (2) helps to align classroom practices with school- and
district-level goals; and (3) deepens the goals of our university-school
district PDS partnership.
Does A PDS Experience Make For More
Effective Teaching?
Doris Grove and Jim Nolan, Penn State University
Although Professional Development School partnerships have
been in existence for more than a decade, very little research has been done
to examine whether PDS programs prepare pre-service teachers better than
more traditional ones. How do we know that PDS preparation results in
more effective teaching practices? This presentation is based on a study
that explores how former Professional Development School interns compare
to other novice teachers from more traditional programs and the
justifications for those comparisons.
Surveys were sent to former PDS interns and the principals who hired
them. For purposes of this study, a single, two-part item from each survey
was analyzed. The first part asked respondents to compare the performance
of the former interns as beginning teachers to that of other
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beginning teachers using a Likert-type scale. The second part of the item
asked respondents for a brief written description explaining their ratings.
All principals and the vast majority of the former interns rated former
interns as performing far better than or better than other novice teachers.
Their reasons for the ratings, however, differed. In examining the rationale
for their ratings, we discovered that principals speak differently about
former interns (i.e., more in terms of social interactions and pedagogy) than
former interns speak about themselves (i.e., more personally and historically).
We will share the findings of our study that begins to address how
a PDS program produces novice teachers who engage in more effective
teaching practice.
Evidence-Based Professional And Instructional
Change (EPIC): Professional Development To
Integrate Curriculum, Assessment, And
Technology
Diane Bottomley, Peggy Rice, and Cathy Siebert, Ball State University
This concurrent session describes the participation of PDS teachers
in a two-year professional development project to improve the quality of
the curriculum, instruction, and assessment in classroom contexts in order
to boost student achievement. The goal of EPIC is to build a sustainable
model for professional and instructional development designed to raise
academic rigor and to advance assessment practices of P-12 teachers. The
EPIC model pivoted on increasing the subject matter knowledge of
teachers, interpreting the academic standards into meaningful instruction,
and gathering evidence about the effectiveness of the instruction through
an array of assessments. Two collaboration and assessment systems were
used to support the process. rGrade is an assessment system that was used
to develop rubrics and conduct performance-based assessment in the
classroom. smartDESKTOP is a teachers’ portal with collaborative forums,
planning tools, and a resource database for teacher-developed units.
Participating teachers used the Understanding by Design model to develop
standards-based units that were peer-reviewed, taught in class,
assessed and evaluated in rGrade, revised, and finally shared in
smartDESKTOP. Many teachers changed their perceptions of curriculum
design by focusing on student learning outcomes first and then developing
an appropriate plan of instruction to reach these outcomes along with
more authentic assessments, such as performance tasks and student selfevaluation.
Session attendees will have the opportunity to view the
collaboration and assessment systems as well as participant exemplars.
Data regarding the impact of this professional development project will be
reported and insights concerning the overall initiative will be shared.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Failure And Success Of A PDS In A Rural,
Low-Socioeconomic, Low-Performing District
Jeffrey M. Priest and Gwen Johnson, University of South Carolina Aiken
In 2003, the School of Education at the University of South Carolina
Aiken received a Center of Excellence grant from the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education. The tenet of the project, Center of
Excellence for the Advancement of Rural, Under-Performing Schools
(CEARUPS), was to establish a Professional Development School in a
district that was taken over by the state due to poor student achievement.
The main objectives for the project were to increase student achievement
by improving pre-service teacher preparation, improved classroom instruction,
and improved teacher retention.
To date, the results of this project have been mixed. Student
achievement, as measured by South Carolina’s Palmetto Achievement
Challenge Test, has improved in all areas since the beginning of the project.
Except for this past year, teacher retention had improved each year of the
project. Although candidates in the program and program faculty feel the
pre-service teacher preparation program has improved, the graduates of
the program have not wanted to stay on at the school as teachers once they
graduated. Finally, we feel that in many cases classroom instruction has
improved.
The conference presenters will discuss the progression of the
project from its inception to its current status. Struggles, successes,
failures, data, and future directions of the project will be shared as well.
Five Achievements That Impact Student
Learning In The PDS
Karen Schafer and Scott Gehring, Towson University
The active engagement of interns and liasons can make a difference
in student achievement in your PDS. We will illustrate five ways that PDSs
can impact student learing in the classroom and in the total school. We will
distribute these ideas in a form you can use in your PDS immediately.
Following Through With A Virtual Hand
Christopher M. Irovando and Reginald O. Davenport, Conackamack Middle
School
James Lerman, Kean University
The NJ Consortium for Middle Schools PDS program at Conackamack
Middle School identified Smart Board technology training as our focus for
2006-2007. This presentation will inform participants of how we identified
Smart Board as our focus, encouraged training, and provided both support
and resources to implement the new technology to enhance student
achievement. Demonstrations of the technology and discussions of future
initiatives will be provided.
Several needs arose as part of this initiative – how to: 1) acquire high
quality professional development based on the selected technology, 2)
acquire funding to obtain the selected technology, 3) offer support in
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constructing classroom lessons utilizing the technology, and 4) ensure
that student teachers are exposed to current trends in educational technology.
The presentation will address the outcomes and successes of the
year-old NJCMS PDS program at Conackamack Middle School and our
emphasis on professional development opportunities in Smart Board
technology, especially those technology needs that are not being addressed
within the school district. In doing this work we concluded that
while it is important to develop quality teachers through our pre-service
program, it is just as important to provide opportunities for veteran
teachers to expand their knowledge base through professional development.
Growing A Community Of Writers And
Teacher Leaders In A PDS-2
Erin Miller, University of South Carolina
Parthenia Satterwhite, Tracee Walker, Claire Montgomery, Diana Studley,
Kara Stevens, and Mary Jade Haney, Horrell Hill Elementary School
Writing builds community and bridges the gap between instruction
and best practices while supporting interns at our school site. Horrell Hill
Elementary School has been a successful PDS in collaboration with the
University of South Carolina for 17 years and involved in a 3-Year inquiry
project as a PDS-2. The guiding question that our school identified to lead
us in a 3-year collaborative research project is: When a faculty and staff
view themselves as writers, does student performance increase? With this
question in mind, the faculty and staff at our school created an On, Grow,
Show approach to guide the three-year involvement with the PDS-2
Network and the National Network for Educational Renewal. Our school
is currently in the third year of our inquiry project implementation and is
reflecting on theoretical pedagogy of writing across the curriculum with
content integration and social democracy. Our research implementation
team will share components of the 3-year collaborative research project
and the outcomes.
The presenters will focus on successes and challenges within the
past three years of the research project which involved: university faculty,
interns, on-site classes, professional study groups, and “Best Practices in
Writing.” Participants will leave this session with ideas and effective
strategies that gave our PDS-2 partnership a renewed commitment in
preparing teachers to teach teachers and the NNER’s agenda.
Growing Teacher Leadership Through Science
Community
Alison Rutter, East Stroudsburg University
Christina Scholl, Lincoln Elementary School
Danielle Dos Santos, Donegan Elementary School
While math and reading continue to dominate school curricula, two
of our PDS schools have heavily invested in extra-curricular science as a
way to supplement their elementary science curriculum. The Family
Science Nights, Project Wild Days, and after school science clubs have

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
helped to build a science community and afforded new opportunities for
teaching and teacher leadership for our PDS apprentice (ATII), student
teachers (REST) and new faculty (our former students). The after-school
clubs are giving the new faculty visible leadership roles within the schools
as club advisors with the chance to mentor the ATIIs and RESTs. The
ATIls are gaining valuable experience teaching science in an informal
setting under the guidance of these near peers. They also work in teams.
This helps them to build confidence and support one another collaboratively
- skills they can take back to their regular classroom teaching. In turn, the
RESTs use their experience to demonstrate their leadership ability by
organizing the program’s logistics. They, too, provide advice and support
to the new ATIIs outside of their traditional student teaching role. When
job seeking they represent themselves and the PDS well. They have
already documented evidence of their initiative, leadership, and collaboration
skills. The cycle continues easily.
Our session looks specifically at the impact participating in these
events has had on these teachers’ interest in science and teacher leadership
at each level – apprentice, resident, and new teacher. We will also
discuss briefly the design and logistics attached to these extra-curricular
science experiences.
Growing The Seeds Of Communication
Beyond The Classroom Door
Melinda Cole and Tracy Bugh, Baldwin Intermediate School
Successful schools build partnerships among teachers, students,
and parents. In an attempt to give teacher candidates in our PDS more
opportunities to interact with parents of students in a high-needs school,
we collaborated with the Quincy University instructors of elementary
methods courses to develop Family Curriculum Nights. Family Nights are
hosted at the school site and are planned and facilitated by PDS teacher
candidates. The teacher candidates teach parent-child teams in the subject
matter of their current methods class. We will present pre- and post- data
to demonstrate our achievements in strengthening the partnership and
communication between PDS teacher candidates and parents.
How Do Suburban Interns Survive In Diverse
Urban PDS Schools And Demonstrate Higher
Teacher Retention Rates?
Mubina Kirmani, Ocie Watson-Thompson, Nancy Wiltz, Patsy Washington,
and Joan Ports, Towson University
Towson University, as a founding member of the Coalition of Urban
and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), has established many interdisciplinary
partnerships with public and private organizations in Maryland. In
support of the university’s mission to reach out to its metropolitan
community, the College of Education has responded to the increasing
educational needs of the region, in particular of Baltimore County and
Baltimore City. A number of schools with diverse populations in urban
settings have become part of the Professional Development School
network, where suburban interns are placed for field experience. Review
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of literature shows differences in teachers’ retention rates and responses
while teaching in diverse settings due to differences in culture, discipline,
communication, and learning styles (Lansman & Lewis, 2006; Cochran-
Smith, 2000; Gay, 2000; Delpit, 1994; Banks, 1988).
The study conducted at Towson University demonstrates that the
teacher retention rate of suburban interns trained in diverse urban PDS
schools after five years is significantly higher than graduates who completed
the traditional student teaching experience. Drawing from quantitative
and qualitative data the following will be presented:
(a) Pre-attitudes of suburban interns before their entree into diverse
urban PDS settings;
(b) Features of the PDS model including training of interns, training
of mentors, professional learning communities, action research,
and service learning projects that contribute to successful integration
of interns into PDS schools;
(c) Post-attitudes of suburban interns on completion of the field
experience; and
(d) Retention rates of teachers trained from PDS and non-PDS
schools.
Inquiry Explosion
Mary Brown, Emily Carpenter, Tonia Griffin, and Cindy Yoos, A.C. Moore
Elementary School
Christina Russell, Guinyard Elementary School
Three first grade teachers, in collaboration with the University of
South Carolina, developed an action research project to examine the level
of student inquiry and engagement through the use of a thirty-foot
mounted interactive display of the continents. The first project, Meet the
World at A. C. Moore, was funded through a Title II Federal Enhancement
grant and serves a school with the challenges of having a large international
community representing fourteen countries and thirty languages.
Since the first project the teachers have worked closely with university
faculty and fellow teachers to encourage more inquiry-based projects.
This has resulted in an “Inquiry Explosion” from which two more projects
have been funded, South Carolina: From the Mountains to the Sea and
Telling Time Long Ago: The Sundial. Three more are in the first stages of
development: Moore Young Readers, Life Cycles: See How They Grow,
and Just Like Me.
Four teachers developed this presentation to highlight the successes
and challenges of collaborative process between A.C. Moore
Elementary School and the University of South Carolina. This symbiotic
relationship has led to 1) the development of graduate level courses, 2) an
infusion of professional and classroom resources, 3) a collaborative model
for pre-service teachers, and 4) enriched learning experiences for the
school community. Through this project these teachers have been able to
share their vision of the importance of inquiry in the classroom.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Intervention Program For At-Risk Readers:
Petersen Professional Development School
Follow Up Presentation From 2006 – Where
Are We Now?
Lisa Bendixen, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Karen Homen and Hilary Jones, Dean Petersen Professional Development
School
Our presentation will describe the purpose and results of an ongoing
reading intervention program developed for at-risk readers at
Petersen Professional Development School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Petersen
is located in a high-poverty urban area, one mile from the Las Vegas Strip.
One of the major challenges for Petersen is the high number of elementary
students who are reading significantly below grade level. As reading is
such a key to all learning, an intervention program was devised, with the
support of reading faculty in the Department of Educational Psychology
at UNLV, to implement a data-driven tutoring program for struggling
readers in first and second grade.
Details of the intervention will be provided, such as information
regarding the various reading assessments used to select the participating
students. In addition, the pre- and post- test measures will be described
that assessed the effectiveness of the reading program.
This presentation is a follow-up to our presentation at the 2006
conference in Las Vegas. During this presentation we will present intervention
results and discuss the educational implications of the program for
reading instruction and student learning. We will also share some of the
unique benefits that being a PDS has provided in helping us establish and
expand our reading intervention program.
Learning To Conduct Action Research Projects
At A Long Standing Urban PDS: Impact On
Students, Teacher Leaders, And University
Faculty
Susan N. Seider, Central Connecticut State University
Gayle Hills and Jill Simko, Dr. James H. Naylor Elementary School
Teachers engaged in professional development work with a university
partner to design, conduct, and assess action research projects in their
respective classrooms. Eight teachers, part of a school leadership team,
conducted projects across grade levels in this K-8 school.
This project showcases what can be accomplished in an urban
district school to positively impact student learning. The action research
model enabled teachers to learn to implement the model and incorporate
it into daily classroom routines through collecting and analyzing baseline
data and designing targeted interventions and measurement strategies
based on the research literature.
The teachers’ action research projects were designed to impact
student learning in the areas of literacy, English language learning,
mathematics, pre-school participation in learning groups, questioning
strategies, and motivation to read. How did these action research projects
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maintain their viability and result in positive differences in the lives of
students and their families, and school and university faculty? What
factors enabled these school and university partners to effectively face the
challenges of ensuring optimal student learning success? How individuals
in this PDS partnership maintained their focus on successfully conducting
AR projects over time, despite the limitations that often derail urban school
initiatives, is the focus of this session.
Through the sharing of research analysis along with specific anecdotes,
reflections, and artifacts that illustrate the process of conducting
action research projects in a diverse urban PDS, multiple perspectives on
strategies and structures that build and support conducting projects such
as these in a PDS setting will be described.
Leonardo And Math Standards - How Art
Classes Can Contribute To Achieving AYP In
Professional Development Schools: A
Workshop Presentation
Michael Henry, Paradise Professional Development School
The Paradise Professional Development School is located on the
University of Nevada Las Vegas campus. Like all PDS schools, Paradise
strives to implement winning strategies to meet the mandates of No Child
Left Behind. Some of the challenges at Paradise include an abnormally high
student transient rate (57%), non-native English speakers, and poverty.
Demographics aside, the entire Paradise staff worked very hard to
maximize student achievement, anticipating everyone’s efforts could
translate to a successful testing. Through teamwork and cross-integration
of curriculum, math scores increased 28% school-wide, 35% in the Hispanic
subgroup and 32% in the LEP (Limited English Proficient) subgroup.
Art specialists have the unique opportunity to reach all students
within the school community. By utilizing instructional strategies and
cross-curriculum experiences, they can contribute to the overall success
of the Professional Development School experience. Art lessons can aid
non-English speakers with non-linguistic representations that reinforce
math standards. The arts can contribute to higher level thinking and
problem solving as art programs teach a specific set of thinking skills rarely
addressed elsewhere in the curriculum.
This presentation will present
• Art lesson plans utilizing instructional strategies and crosscurriculum
experiences, with an emphasis on test preparation;
• Art tips and strategies that integrate math and writing standards;
and
• A “make and take” project of a pictograph rock art medallion.
Instructors without the benefit of an art specialist can also easily
utilize these lesson plans and strategies in their classroom.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Lessons Learned: PDS Expansion Into Middle
School 6th Grade
Mardi McDonough, Jason Perrin, Dave Rockower, and Virginia Squier,
Mount Nittany Middle School
Brian McGonigal and Matt Ammerman, Park Forest Middle School
Bernard Badiali, Penn State University
The elementary PDS partnership between Penn State University and
State College School District is enjoying its 10th year as a PDS. During the
lifetime of our PDS work, there have been various expansion efforts
involving the number of schools, mentors, interns, and university faculty
members. Over the past several years, efforts have been made to expand
the K-5 elementary PDS into 6th grade self-contained classrooms in two
middle schools (containing grades 6-8) within the State College School
District. The presentation will focus on the lessons we have learned over
the course of this expansion year and what our next steps will be as we look
to the future. We will describe the process taken to prepare the 6th grade
staff and administration, as well as the existing K-5 settings, for the
expansion into the middle schools. Answers to questions we struggled
with prior to expansion (How do we manage the various calendar issues
due to the elementary versus middle school schedule? Should we ask
incoming interns about their feelings on student teaching in a middle
school setting? How can we best support the 6th grade staff as they enter
into a well-established PDS partnership knowing that there is a cultural
difference between the elementary setting and the middle school setting?)
will also be addressed. Participants will be encouraged to share ideas and
experiences with the presenters and to help work through the various
issues that may arise as we continue the middle school expansion.
Measuring The Achievement Of Professional
Development Schools To Ensure The Growth
And Sustenance Of Powerful Partnerships
Carl Grigsby, Deb Theiss, and Dana Moore, University of Central Missouri
“What exactly have our PDSs accomplished?”
This question was at the center of discussion for evaluating,
monitoring, and identifying accomplishments of the network of PDS
partnerships with the University of Central Missouri. The goal was to
create a systematic tool that would provide information to answer the
question, “How are we doing?”
The tools designed were based on standards for Professional
Development Schools and standards for teacher preparation in the state
of Missouri. Scoring guides were created to reflect these standards. At
each of the PDS sites, the scoring guides were completed to provide insight
into how each of the five PDS standards were evidenced in the collaborative
work of the partnerships and to identify the PDS site’s stage of
development. Information was gathered from pre-service teachers, classroom
teachers, administrators, and university faculty. In addition, the data
afforded an opportunity to monitor the developing skill level of pre-service
teachers as they continued their work in partnering schools, beginning
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with their senior block PDS experience and culminating with their student
teaching experience.
Initial results from the data collected will be shared with participants,
highlighting what was learned about our PDSs during this first year of
evaluation. Samples of the scoring guides will be available, and participants
will have an opportunity to discuss with colleagues how this
evaluation of PDSs could apply to their own sites.
Middle School Science Professional
Development Learning Community: Sharing
Our Achievements, Successes, And Our
Dreams
Robin Lee Harris, Buffalo State College
The Middle School Science Professional Development Learning
Community, or the Buffalo Science Teacher’s Network (BSTN), has been
continuously funded since 1999. We are a data-driven project. We use
state exam results and local teacher exams to guide our project activities.
Through trust and time we have developed vigorous partnerships with:
local area K-8 school administrators, teachers (both science and special
education), and students; higher education faculty; community organizations
and businesses; and nationally recognized curriculum designers.
Our project vision is of a continuum of stakeholders that mentor each other
throughout their careers. We listen to each other and work together toward
common goals.
Achievements and Successes:
• Partners interact at all levels;
• Data drives the project, not the whims or agenda of any one
stakeholder;
• Science teachers and special education teachers work together
to improve science student achievement;
• Classroom teachers build personal self-efficacy through project
activities;
• Classroom teachers become mentors, researchers, and leaders;
• Pre-service teachers have an opportunity to work with master
teachers in an urban setting;
• New teachers are recruited from the local institute of higher
education;
• Local community partners embrace the involvement of many
stakeholders;
• High retention rates of urban faculty during a four-year wage
freeze;
• And more!
Dreams:
• To innovate and improve science education for all middle level
students in Buffalo public schools;
• To encourage personal professional growth in all members of the
partnership; and
• To share our successes and achievements with others.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Moving From Acceptable To Recognized: A
PDS Collaboration Story
Randy M. Wood, Baylor University
Alfredo M. Loredo, Cesar Chavez Professional Development Middle School
This presentation will discuss programs that have made a difference
in helping Cesar Chavez Professional Development Middle School to
become the only Texas state-recognized secondary school in Waco ISD
in collaboration with the Baylor University School of Education.
The first programs are the Baylor Buddies Program, Cool Math, and
English Rocks, which tutors the school’s lowest achieving students
during and after school all year. Another program works with the higher
achieving students in the Souring Eagles Club, which helps them prepare
for greater academic achievement through projects.
An adult support program is the Family Literacy Program called
LEAF (Learning English Among Friends). Now in its 4th year, LEAF is a
program that is made up of over 300 adults/children who meet weekly to
learn English as a second language (ESL). This presentation will examine
factors that enhance the work of LEAF. Another component revolves
around the children of the LEAF adults. These children are given personal
attention from graduate students who have designed specific lessons for
them in the LEAF Kids (ages 4-5) and the Branching Out program (Grades
1-6).
Initially thought of as the “crowning project” of Cesar Chavez
Middle School, LEAF is now recognized as the strong foundation for
“Strengthening Families, Building Communities” in South Waco by receiving
numerous foundation/educational grants, as well as being recognized
nationally for best practices in teaching Hispanic adults English.
Objectives of the Presentation:
1. To identify programs that PDS schools can use to support
academic success for students failing in math and English;
2. To describe how PDS schools can develop programs that will
support their high achieving students; and
3. To describe a best practice that connects family literacy, parental
involvement, and student achievement.
Northern Arizona University And DeMiguel/
Knoles Elementary Schools: Achievements And
Successes From A 10-Year Process Using A
Professional Development School Model
Sandra J. Stone, Bill Stone, Emilie Rodger, and Sherry Markel, Northern
Arizona University
Brian Stone, Mountain School
The purpose of this session is to present the history, process of
development, and achievements and successes of a university partnership
with two local elementary K-6 schools, which was created to provide
a rich learning environment for pre-service teachers, classroom teachers,
professors, and children.
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A year before the program was implemented, teachers and university
faculty collaborated on the design of the PDS program. This unique
program has a focus on school innovation for the purpose of providing an
educational environment which will benefit children. Some of the successes
include: interns (pre-service teachers) having the opportunity to
integrate theory with practice on a daily basis in both mentor teacher
classrooms and in guided practicum in the schools; teachers (mentors)
empowered to mentor and guide interns, with mentors and interns meeting
monthly for professional development designed by the teachers; and
professors having the opportunity to be in the schools and assess interns
in order to inform their instruction and modeling of strategies. Teachers,
professors, and interns will present perspectives on achievements gained
through the PDS program. Examples are given to further the understanding
of the dynamics of this successful program and how it benefits all
participants.
One Will Get You Ten, Or Maybe 15? - An
Examination Of Growth From One Partner To
A County-Wide System And Our
Documentation Of Accomplishments
Ann Calder Rose and Beth Musser, West Liberty State College
How do you make a difference? What difference do you make? These
are questions raised when the concept of Professional Development
School partnerships is introduced to those outside the day-to-day practice.
The purpose of this session is to share a brief overview of the timeline
for our development from a single partner NCATE PDS Standards pilot
institution to a county-wide partnership and the documented impact on P-
12 student learning, teacher candidate development, in-service teacher
enhancement, and growth by campus faculty. Accomplishments resulted
from the implementation of study groups, structured partnership-wide
professional development, school-based action research projects, support
for innovative instructional programs, and collaborative planning and
assessment. We plan to share our dissemination strategies, lessons
learned, and next steps. Hurdles and highlights from both practical and
philosophical perspectives will be shared. Insights into our most current
addition, support for the statewide 21 st Century Learning Skills initiative,
will wrap up our presentation.
Partnerships: Why Bother?
Emilie Rodger and Greg Prater, Northern Arizona University
The presenters, both having been lead teachers in highly successful
teacher education partnership programs with two distinct school districts
in northern Arizona, examine the reflections, responses, and realities of
program graduates currently teaching in diverse education settings. A
particular focus of this presentation is the extent to which the new teachers
adapted to their school environments as reflective practitioners and
teacher leaders. What exactly did the students’ school /university education
accomplish? Did they feel better prepared? Did their administrator’s
feel they were? And, in fact, were they? Analysis of participant responses

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
to describe the professional development of early career teachers and their
perceptions of their programs as they transitioned to “real-life” educational
settings will be discussed. The presenters offer two different models,
based on conclusions from their separate programs, for instruction,
professional support, and mentoring of pre-service teachers who incorporate
“best practice” in their professional lives. In addition, the retention rate
of Native American students in these programs will be discussed.
Currently, the College of Education at Northern Arizona University
has five diverse partnership programs, two at the secondary level and three
at the elementary level. The concept of a school/university program began
in the 1980s with a program which continues to be in existence.The
presenters plan to include the audience in an interactive sharing of ideas,
advantages, and challenges of school /university partnerships.
PDS: Enhancing Teacher Quality In PA
Alison Rutter, East Stroudsburg University
Monte Tidwell, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Jim Nolan, Penn State University
George Bonekemper, Muhlenberg College
Three years ago, the Pennsylvania Academy for the Profession of
Teaching and Learning initiated a network, the PA Network for PDS, to
encourage and promote PDSs within the commonwealth. The steering
committee, consisting of university faculty, school administrators and
staff, and state system of higher education administration, created a
number of documents designed to help those interested in forming PDS
partnerships. The Network has held annual symposia and offered consulting
and mentoring services to start up PDSs. Steering committee members
have presented about PDS and the Network at various conferences and
meetings. To expand our outreach, the Academy invited members of the
Network to put together an edited volume with Dick Ishler about the
NCATE PDS standards and their implementation within our PDSs. This
session will be a discussion of the contents of the volume, PDS: Enhancing
Teacher Quality, and the way the Network has been organized to
promote PDS.
PDS Partnerships – Promoting Teacher
Leadership
Rachel Gemo-Bernhardt and Nancy Meskel, St. Benedict Elementary School
So what exactly has this DePaul University Professional Development
School accomplished? The DePaul LINK-Initiative PDS Partnership’s
original goals are to improve pre-service teacher training, improve classroom
practice, and ultimately improve student achievement. While working
toward these goals, an unexpected outcome became apparent: the
number of teacher leaders dramatically increased. As a result of university
faculty support, cross-network sharing, and increased teacher professional
development time, teachers - both veteran and new-to-the-field,
have seized opportunities to lead specific areas of school improvement.
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The local school improvement goals were supported by the PDS
network resources, and teachers were able to access these resources in a
timely manner. Structures created by the school, PDS network, and the
university allowed for research, planning, thoughtful implementation,
reflection, and revision - mostly led by teacher leaders. The result: teacher
leadership is clearly evident, the “professional climate” has grown positively,
DePaul students are receiving training in several educational best
practices, and the students are achieving more. Some of the areas of
professional growth and teacher leadership at our school are portfolio
assessment, reading instruction, technology integration, teacher
mentoring, and fine arts integration.
The goal of this presentation is to provide an example of how PDS
partnerships may be a catalyst to foster teacher leadership.
Principles To Consider
Van Dempsey, Fairmont State University
Neal Shambaugh, Sarah Steel, and Jaci Webb-Dempsey, West Virginia
University
This session will recommend that research on the process and
outcomes of efforts to simultaneously renew teacher preparation, the
teaching practice of experienced teachers and teacher educators, and the
contexts of public schools and universities should reflect that underlying
commitment to simultaneous renewal. This presentation will describe
efforts undertaken in one school/university partnership to document: 1)
the impact of PDS on the renewal of schools, teachers’ practice, and K-12
students’ learning; 2) the development of a culture of inquiry through
action research initiatives; 3) the effects of PDS-based preparation on
graduates, and; 4) the implementation of NCATE PDS standards. In
addition, a set of principles that reflect a commitment to simultaneous
renewal and democratic participation identified through a meta-analysis of
these efforts will be proposed and discussed. Analysis of these efforts
yielded principles that include:
• Focus on capacity-building. Whether new skills for university
faculty as they learn to collaborate with practitioners around
research, or the ability of PDS faculty to become critical consumers
of results, documentation efforts can create resources to
sustain the collaborative agenda and enrich the purposes addressed
by research initiatives.
• Enhance opportunities for collaboration and be representative of
the constituencies of the partnership, including stakeholders.
The research agenda should be negotiated in much the same way
as relationships in the partnership, resulting in benefits for all
partners. (Webb-Dempsey et. al., 2007)
The session will include solicitation from the audience of examples
of documentation efforts and possible principles for research in partnerships.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Professional Development Schools’
Achievement In Raising Student Scores And
Enhancing Clinical Experiences
Susan Curtin, Crystal D. Jones, and Sherlanda Thomas, Edinboro University
of Pennsylvania
Edinboro University’s Professional Development Schools’ initiative
was established in April 2005. The two initial goals of the Memorandum
of Agreement which guides the PDS are to increase the test performances
and real skills and knowledge of students in three high-poverty, high-risk
urban schools and to increase the knowledge base and clinical skills of
teacher candidates so that they are prepared to work effectively in schools
with large numbers of children in poverty.
Efforts to raise standardized test scores for urban students have
included after school tutoring programs, character education initiatives,
the provision of academic resources, on-site graduate course work, and
on-site clinical experiences. Teachers and administrators report that these
efforts have contributed to the success of the three participating schools
in achieving adequate yearly progress for the two years of the partnership.
The knowledge base and clinical skills of EUP candidates has
increased through the teacher-created model for supervision, on-site
course work in classroom management, observation opportunities for
sophomore education students, and placement of social work interns and
school counseling interns.
In addition, the week-long Summer Experience at Edinboro residency
program has encouraged high school students to consider college as a
reality and created a comfort level about a college experience. An increase
in enrollment of PDS high school students at the university has also offered
the students a connection to peers at the university.
Thus far the multitude of achievements has benefited all participants
and reflects and meets all five NCATE PDS standards.
Project TEACH: The Emerging Reflection Of
Teaching Effectiveness
Denise Hill and Margaret Bolick, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
One primary purpose of the Centers for Professional Development
and Teaching (CPDTs) at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi has been
to prepare highly qualified beginning teachers in South Texas. Several
research-based evaluation pieces have been put into place to determine
the effectiveness of preparing these beginning teachers. However; the
focus of the Centers expands to a much broader spectrum. It has been the
intent of the CPDTs to improve the practice of teaching to enhance PK-12
student achievement. Therefore, the purpose of the CPDTs must also be
to bring a rewarding benefit to the current in-service teacher already in the
field. It is the desire of the program to help the in-service teacher reflect
upon his/her own practices, methodologies, structure, and development
in becoming a highly effective teacher. Therefore, to assess the outcome
of this desire, an informal survey was utilized to determine the benefits of
a Professional Development School as perceived by the in-service teachers
who had pre-service teachers in their classrooms during the 2006-2007
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school year. The survey included questions addressing the influence of
having a PST in the classroom on teaching, the influence on student
achievement, and the strengths of the PDS partnership. One teacher
stated, “I try to make my lessons as engaging as possible not only for the
benefit of my students, but for the benefit of my PST also.” This session
will discuss the results of the survey along with strengths of the program
and possible future research stemming from the results.
Singing The Praises Of Professional
Development Schools: Collecting PDS Data
Michele Dunkle, Maggie Madden, and Cheri Wittmann, Maryland State
Department of Education
Constance Marable and Joan Moffitt, Prince George’s County Public Schools
Karen Schafer, Towson University
This presentation will address the background, uses for, and current
status of PDS data collection in Maryland. Maryland is unique in that an
internship in a PDS is a state-level policy requirement for full-time undergraduate
and graduate candidates. Institutions of Higher Education are
held accountable for this through joint state program approval and
national accreditation processes. Each IHE also reports PDS data annually
through the Teacher Preparation Improvement Plan (TPIP), which collects
data on demographics of the IHE and school, professional development
opportunities, and level of standing, using the Maryland PDS standards.
The TPIP allows IHEs to bring forward the strengths of specific PDSs,
showing that PDS significantly has effected literacy and student achievement
in a variety of ways, including Maryland assessments. Since PDS
training is seen as more expensive than a traditional student teaching
model, funding has been an issue. The data required through TPIP, along
with the need to be able to show that the PDS cost/benefit ration is
significant, has facilitated in-depth reflection within each PDS site (440
statewide), within IHEs in their quest for recursive and ongoing program
improvement, at the state level as PDSs reflect the place where all programs
play out in practice, and at the level of the Maryland General Assembly as
funding is awarded. Maryland State Department of Education presenters
will share the nature and format of the data collected and ways those data
are being used. IHE and school system representatives will provide
specific examples of studies in which they are engaged.
Stress And Anxiety Of PDS Interns: A Data-
Based Transformation Of The Year-Long
Internship For One PDS Cohort
Molly Mee, Towson University
Stress and anxiety of PDS interns during the year-long internship is
a significant issue for interns, classroom students, PDS mentors, and the
institute of higher education (IHE) representatives who work with the
interns. It is a time when many of our students step into the role of a
classroom teacher for the first time and are asked to apply what has been
taught in their teacher education courses to real-life situations. To that end,
intern levels of stress and anxiety are high during the early phases of the

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
internship and decrease with time (Miller & Fraser, 2000; Sadler, 2006;
Hemmings & Hockley, 2002), and are a direct result of intern concerns
about classroom management, mentor teacher issues, knowledge of content,
university procedures, and more (Mee, 2007). How and when the IHE
addresses these topics is of critical importance to a successful internship.
This session will be presented in two parts. First, the speaker will
present data from ongoing research that explores major determinants of
stress and anxiety among interns. She will share methodology and results
of the research, as well as specific suggestions by PDS interns for how to
alleviate stress and anxiety. Second, the speaker will outline how the data
from this study transformed the 2007-08 year-long internship for one
secondary education PDS cohort by altering the content of the Fall and
Spring seminars. A direct correlation is made between the data and the
decision of the IHE liaison to make these programmatic changes. Data
methodology, results, and course syllabi will be shared with the attendees.
Struggling For Success: Insights Into Why
Interns Struggle Within A Professional
Development School
Lynne Sanders and Bernard Badiali, Penn State University
This study of struggling interns began as a result of conversations
during team planning meetings about one or two chronic cases of poor
performance by preservice teachers in a Professional Development School.
As responsible instructors in the PDS, we wondered why some of our
students who appeared to be very qualified struggled to succeed and how,
if possible, we might adjust the program to avoid this problem in the future.
This presentation traces the systematic study of struggling interns over
a three-year period. It uncovers the nature of interns’ struggles from three
viewpoints: the interns, their mentors, and their supervisors. The investigation
sought to answer the following questions:
• Why do some interns struggle?
• What is the nature of their struggle?
• What factors are common to their struggle?
• How do mentors describe interns’ struggles?
• How do supervisors describe interns’ struggles?
• How do the interns describe their struggles?
• Can struggle be predicted in this PDS?
• What are the context variables that contribute to their struggle?
• What are the personal variables that contribute to their struggle?
• What are the relationship variables that contribute to their
struggle?
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Teacher Candidate Attitudes That Influence
Preparation Choice: Traditional Versus
Professional Development School Options
Nancy Latham and Linda Wedwick, Illinois State University
The purpose of this study was to explore reasons why teacher
candidates choose a traditional versus a Professional Development School
model for their culminating student teaching experience. Data collection
was accomplished through the use of a brief survey asking participants to
indicate why they made the student teaching choice they made.
Findings from the study will be shared as a lens through which to
scrutinize current research pertaining to Professional Development School
outcomes. As the field examines benefits and outcomes of PDS-type
training on teacher performance, teacher attrition, and even student
achievement, it is important to understand the types of students who
choose PDS options and their reasons for doing so.
Based on the results of this study, PDS students appear to be more
career-minded at the onset of their student teaching experience. If PDS
teacher candidates place a higher priority on preparedness before their
student teaching experience, does that mean they would already be more
effective or is it the combination of the established attitude and the PDS
preparation that produces the most effective teacher? At the very least, the
current study suggests that more research needs to be done on whether
PDS preparation or established career mindedness (disposition) prior to
student teaching has more impact on teacher performance and effectiveness.
Or is the greatest impact on teacher effectiveness found in the
combination of the two?
The Fruits Of PDS In Eastern North Carolina
Louis L. Warren, East Carolina University
The number of traditional students earning teaching degrees and
walking across the stage at East Carolina University’s graduations has
been climbing about 30 percent each year since 2000, and there’s a bulge
in the undergraduate pipeline that should keep the surge continuing for
years to come. Much of the credit is due to the highly effective Professional
Development Schools throughout the ECU Clinical Schools Network. The
ECU Clinical Schools Network consists of working closely with the 31
counties of eastern North Carolina and the PDS in each system. ECU has
devised a partnership between its College of Education and the PDS of
each of the counties that allows pre-service teachers to complete their
teacher education program in their own counties and within their own PDS.
Essentially, ECU has brought the elementary education program to the
people of the region it serves and has produced more qualified teachers
to fill its ever-increasing number of classrooms. That has been a substantial
achievement of the PDSs in eastern North Carolina.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The Impact Of The PDS Project On African-
American Males In Urban High Schools Across
Metropolitan Atlanta
LaShawn McMillan, Cross Keys High School
My interest in serving as a presenter at the Professional Development
Schools National Conference is two- fold: 1) I am a principal at Cross
Keys High School in Atlanta, Georgia, one of eight PDS schools in
Metropolitan Atlanta, and 2) I am a Ph. D. student at Georgia State
University whose dissertation topic revolves around the PDS project in
metropolitan Atlanta.
As a presenter, I will focus on the impact of the PDS project on Black
males in urban high schools across Metropolitan Atlanta. More specifically,
my presentation will compare and contrast the impact of the PDS
project at four PDS schools and four PDS control schools. This will be a
data-driven presentation that provides a laser light focus on the issues that
impact the lives of African-American males in PDS high schools. This
presentation will answer the question, “Does the implementation of PDS
at urban high schools have a positive impact on the educational achievement
of black males?”
The Introduction And Development Of PDS In
The Netherlands
Wybren Scheepsma, Hogeschool Leiden University of Applied Sciences
Some seven years ago the PDS initiative began to attract the
attention of teachers, school managers, and other educational professionals
in the Netherlands. They started reading about the possibilities of
PDSs, and some of them even visited PDSs in the USA. Inspired by the
American example, shortly afterwards several PDS projects have been
launched. PDS achieved, so to say, to spread its influence as far as the
Netherlands.
In the Netherlands it is the national government that coordinates and
finances the educational program of the country. In 2002 the Dutch
government launched its own innovation program on teacher education,
called “Opleiden in de School” (OidS). Like PDS, OidS promotes much
closer connections between universities and schools. Pre-service teachers
should for a bigger part be educated in schools, on their future working
spot, rather than in the university. But OidS has a more limited scope than
PDS, since professionalisation of experienced teachers and the existing
school teams is not especially thematized.
As I will show on the example of Teachers Training College for
Primary Education from Hogeschool Leiden, the broad introduction of
OidS in the Netherlands offers opportunities as well as challenges for
Dutch PDSs. On the one hand there are serious possibilities, organizational
as well as financial, to implement important innovations in the spirit of PDS.
On the other hand it proves to be difficult to develop full-blown PDSs now
that the Dutch government strongly subsidizes OidSs.
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The PDS Then And Now
Lourdes Z. Mitchel, Seton Hall University
Lori Moonan, Hillside Avenue School
In the mid-1990s, merely agreeing on what was a Professional
Development School was a major challenge to the education community.
How to conduct research and measure impacts was almost non-existent.
The Professional Development School Standards Project of the National
Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (2001) later provided
a structure from which to self-study the impact of the PDS by identifying
five standards and indicators of success. The PDS governance used this
framework and process to identify the accomplishments and areas for
growth of the four PDS sites. Understanding the process and how the
process led us to PDS accomplishments may allow others to reach their
goals in a more timely fashion.
We believe that many of our accomplishments are the result of
engaging the learning community in the process of self assessment and
monitoring. The process of self-study allowed the participants to fully
understand the nature of a PDS, thus increasing its ability to move forward
in directions that strengthened our work.
In this presentation we will share our accomplishments and briefly
describe the self-study. Some of our accomplishments include how over
a six year period the PDS has been able to increase the rate and degree of
involvement among multiple partners, engage with others in systemic
change in policies, jointly conduct research to benefit all members of the
community, serve as an extended learning community, design teacher and
faculty development opportunities, and more recently design proposals to
assess student learning outcomes.
Tools For Action Research: Crafting Effective
Teaching Practices Through Collaborative
Studies
Diane Corrigan, Kristien Marquez-Zenkov, and Ron Beebe, Cleveland State
University
Kimberly Swaggard-Svec, James Heffernan, Edward Weber, and Paul
Finucan, John Hay High School
One of the goals of any Professional Development School is to
provide professional development for pre-service teachers, in-service
teachers, and university faculty. To provide authentic professional development
for its constituents, the Cleveland State University PDS partnership
has developed multiple projects to implement teacher research into
mentor teachers’, pre-service teachers’, and university faculty members’
practices. The results, structures, and tools of two of these projects will
be shared in this presentation.
The first project is a teacher research course offered to pairs of preservice
teachers and mentors collaborating during the student teaching
experience. This course is taught by two university faculty and has most
recently been offered to the entire staff of a “small school” at one of the
most energetic of the PDS sites. The goal of the project is to develop
research-based teaching practices that enhance student learning and
encourage novice and veteran teachers to remain in the classroom. The

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
second project is a teacher research course that is a requirement for preservice
teachers in one PDS-focused licensure program. Mentor teachers
working with interns in this program have recently become more involved
in the teacher research process.
This presentation will include discussion of research topics, data
and conclusions, and the research process. Audience members will learn
about the findings of some of the more than 250 studies conducted over
the past decade and will also be provided with syllabi and tools used to
support these explorations.
What Impact Do Professional Development
School Interns Have On Students’ Reading And
Math Achievement?
Jin-ah Kim, Illinois State University
The Holmes Group (1986, 1990) established Professional Development
Schools to help pre-service candidates, classroom teachers, and K-
12 students. The PDS is a partnership between the public school and the
university providing a year-long intensive clinical preparation for interns
and supporting student learning. It also provides continuing professional
development for teachers and university faculty to improve teaching and
learning.
An abundance of research studies on the benefits of having PDSs
in both public schools and teaching universities has been conducted.
Nonetheless, student academic achievement has received the least attention.
Few studies have focused on the long-term impact on student
achievement (Abdal-Hagq, 1998; Valli, Cooper, and Frankes, 1997).
The purpose of this study was to examine the accumulated impact
of PDSs, especially the impact that interns had on student reading and math
standardized achievement scores after controlling for cognitive ability,
SES, and special education status (IFP). Third and fifth graders’ state
reading and math scores from 1999 to 2004 were analyzed using one-way
analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Third graders who were exposed to
interns for one or more years tended to have significantly higher reading
and math scores than students who had interns for less than a year or no
interns. Additionally, fifth graders who had interns for more than two to
four years tended to have higher reading and math scores than those who
did not. Further research needs to continuously examine the accumulated
impact that interns have on student academic achievement.
Working Collaboratively In A PDS
Environment To Improve Teaching And
Increase Student Learning
Lila Carrick, New Jersey City University
This presentation will focus on three major topics:
First, the professor-in-residence will describe her first two years of
the PDS experience that is funded by the university and its impact on the
students, teachers, administration, parents, and university. An in-depth
description will be given on how the partnership was formed, the devel-
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opment of the relationship with the students, teachers, principal, and
superintendent, work done in the classrooms to improve student learning,
and assessing the role of the PIR and student learning.
Second, the classroom teacher will describe her role in the PDS and
how she implemented various strategies and lessons to improve student
learning in her classroom. Third, the professor-in-residence will share
standardized test score results that substantiate improved student learning.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
STUDENT POSTER SESSIONS
Another View: Undergraduate Teaching
Internships In A PDS Environment
Rebecca Hallock and Lindsey Prunkard, Southern Illinois University
Carbondale
Established in 1999, our school-university PDS partnership is in its
5th year of an undergraduate teaching internship program, allowing
students to spend an entire year in the field. This program is designed as
an intensive internship for students to complete their Block 3 course work
and Block 4 student teaching in a PDS setting. This year-long inquirybased
internship is designed to immerse the prospective teacher into the
school’s culture, develop deeper understanding of student learning, and
create a wider experience base from which the prospective teacher can draw
when he/she enters the teaching profession as a first-year teacher. We are
in a rural setting with individual public school districts of varying size and
make-up. Teaching Interns, through the PDS setting, have a common set
of expected experiences throughout their intern year. However, the context
for these experiences is conceptualized and influenced by particular
contextual nuances. This poster session will be a visual representation of
those experiences from the teacher candidate (teaching intern) perspective.
Additionally, this session will also feature the difference in experience
between the teaching interns and a traditional student teaching experience.
Clarifying The Professional Development
School Program: Common Misconceptions
Perceived By Teacher Candidates About PDS
Programs - “Tips From The Trenches”
Amanda Neff, Raegen Ewy, Kaylene Churchill, Todd Roberts, and Troy
Reade, Emporia State University
This poster presentation documents common misconceptions about
PDS programs professed by teacher candidates who are enrolled in their
Block I experience. At Emporia State University, teacher candidates must
complete a series of Blocks (Block I, Block II, and Block III) before they
become fully-licensed teachers. The teacher candidates who often enter
their Block I experience frequently arrive with erroneous or misconceived
knowledge about what entails a PDS program. Five Block III students from
a PDS distance site will present data collected on these misconceptions
students often experience about PDS programs.
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Collaboration In Piloting Professional
Development Schools At Morehead State
University
Belinda Riley and Sharon Hignite, Morehead State University
This presentation addresses individual roles in PDSs. As presenters
we will attempt to recognize the following individuals and elaborate on the
roles they have played in piloting PDS Schools at Morehead State
University: PDS students Belinda Riley, Sharon Hignite, and Amber
Adams; Dr. Edna Schack and Krista Barton, MSU Program Coordinators;
Debbie Howes, Principal of Tilden Hogge Elementary, the piloting school;
and Vivian Clark, Ginger Cooper, and Peggy Esham, supervising teachers.
It is our vision to bring to the presentation members of the above group;
there we will share the triumphs as well as the struggles we have encountered
in our piloting program. Emphasis will be placed on both the practical
and theoretical aspects of pre-service education. Despite the pros and
cons of our experience together as a team, we stand united in our belief that
all involved have benefited in positive ways. As PDS students we have had
the opportunity not only to learn various strategies but to implement them
in a real-world classroom; this alone is priceless. PDS has not only
advanced our experiences as students but has also had great affects on the
piloting school, Tilden Hogge Elementary. We have had the experience of
receiving outstanding professional development from our Morehead State
faculty and in turn have been honored to share with the faculty of our
piloting school. As a team much has been accomplished but most importantly
the students of Tilden Hogge Elementary have benefited.
Documenting Student Achievement Attributable
To PDS: Emerging Readers
Lindsey M. Shreck, Salisbury University
So many variables come into play when identifying the reasons for
student achievement that it’s nearly impossible to claim that any one factor
is responsible. It is possible, however, to document student achievement
before and after intensive interventions that were made possible by the
collaboration between an intern and mentor supporting first-grade readers
in a PDS setting.
Spurred by a PDS mini-grant, the investigators documented the
scores of 16 first grade students on the Houghton-Mifflin Emerging Reader
Inventory during the first week of school in the fall of 2007. As part of the
internship experience and related action research project, the intern and
mentor developed prescriptions for individual and small group intervention
during the fall semester and re-tested students at periodic intervals.
In addition to sharing findings and limitations of the investigation
and detailing strategies used in the interventions, the poster presentation
will discuss the impact of the collaboration’s success among PDS stakeholders,
including school leaders, professional colleagues, parents, and
subsequent teacher education candidates.

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Documenting Student Achievement Attributable
To PDS: Technology Skills
Brooke Hollingsworth, Salisbury University
There are so many factors affecting student achievement that it’s
difficult to claim that a single variable - like PDS - is responsible. It is
possible, however, to document student achievements that were accelerated
by PDS intern-mentor collaboration supporting the acquisition of
computer skills among elementary and middle school learners.
Supported by a PDS mini-grant, interns documented the scores of
elementary and middle school classes on the district’s educational technology
checklist at the beginning of their placements. As part of the
internship experience and related action research project, interns were
required to teach “technology-rich” showcase lessons that involved
hands-on computer use by students. At the end of their placements, the
investigators tallied checklist scores for the classes and were able to
document significant advances among students.
The poster presentation will share findings from the investigation
and discuss its limitations. In addition, the poster will illustrate instructional
strategies used in the showcase lessons and will discuss the impact
of the collaboration’s success among PDS stakeholders, including school
leaders, professional colleagues, parents, and subsequent teacher education
candidates.
Experience Is Priceless
Jennifer Withrow, Ashley LeMaster, and Amber Adams, Morehead State
University
Imagine walking into a classroom of 17 five year-olds on their very
first day of school. What should one do to make the children feel
comfortable in the classroom and calm them down after they have been
separated from their parents for possibly the first time? Until the beginning
of the Professional Development School program we would have had no
idea where to even start to help these five year-olds transition from children
to students, but now we do. This is just one of the many practical classroom
experiences we have come to acquire as students of the Professional
Development School. Through this program we have seen many classroom
strategies and methods of instruction implemented rather than just explained.
In normal on-campus classes we receive instruction of methods,
yet we do not get to see these same instructors in the field trying to employ
these methods. Now that we are in the classroom with our coaching
teachers, they can explain an instructional strategy and we get to watch
them apply it first-hand with students we have grown familiar with. This
direct correlation between observation and implementation really personalizes
our educational experience and helps us decide what to do if the ideal
strategy fails. As students and as pre-service teachers we have gained
invaluable knowledge of behavior management, content application, and
instructional techniques. Throughout this program we have learned many
admirable and constructive teacher qualities from our coaching teachers
that we can now make use of in our own teaching experiences.
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From Playgrounds To Parent Nights - Teacher
Candidates In Action
Karilyn Lipcamon and Dema Sabbara, Quincy University
See highlights of the many K-12 experiences in which our teacher
candidates are involved through the Collaborative Academy for Teacher
Training (GATT) at Quincy University. Going beyond observation and
teaching lessons, our students work in every aspect of the school
environment, from doing recess duty to conducting curriculum night
activities for students and their parents. Join two of our “shining stars”
who will share their experiences with you in this poster session.
Making Connections Through Inquiry
Samantha Aldridge, Amanda Phelps, Jamie Sheffer, and Catherine Song,
Towson Elementary
Undergraduate interns engaged in action research projects along
with their mentors and other school-based faculty members. This initiative
was new to our PDS to have the faculty-interns matches and was seen as
a way to integrate initial teacher preparation, continuing professional
development, and student achievement - using teacher inquiry as the
connective thread. Interns’ involvement supported PDS-wide goals focused
on outreach to ELL families, more heterogeneous math groupings,
and full implementation of a writing strategy. Project titles include: “Math
Facts and Vocabulary Development,” “Writing Rules,” and “Linking 6 +
1 Writing Traits and the Writing Process to Improve the Writing of 4th
Grade Learners.”
PDS School + Liaisons + Graduate Student +
Teacher Candidates = Powerful Learning For
All
Deborah Flurkey and Michelle Adams, Indiana State University
Look what happened for a graduate student and teacher candidate
when they joined with a university liaison, other teacher candidates, a PDS
elementary school principal, and a third grade teacher to deliver an afterschool
mathematics outreach program for children. The SMART Program
(Student Mathematics AfteRschool Thinking Program) was created through
the powerful collaborative efforts of a resourceful combination of university
and PDS participants.
The graduate student and one of the teacher candidates involved in
the delivery of the program experienced different roles with different
challenges. The graduate student, a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum, Instruction
and Media Technology with a specialization in Elementary
Education, served as the on-site supervisor of the program and was
responsible for tutor training, lesson plans, and materials, as well as
serving as on-site problem solver and resource person. The teacher
candidate, who participated for two semesters as volunteer tutor, took
turns with other pre-service teachers being lead teacher or supporting

2008 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS NATIONAL CONFERENCE
teacher during each session. Reflections from all teacher candidates were
submitted after each SMART Program session.
Poster session attendees will see qualitative data from the program
(themes from the tutors’ reflections), an overview of the goals and
structure of this extraordinary experiential learning opportunity, and hear
personal accounts of the graduate student’s and teacher candidate’s
challenges and growth when they helped deliver an enrichment program
at a high-needs PDS site.
The Role Of Teacher Candidates In PDS
Governance
Amy Bianchi, Sarah Kwiatkowski, and Brooke Salzman, Buffalo State College
Partnership, collaboration, and shared decision making are important
components of the Buffalo State College Professional Development
School Consortium. Teacher candidates are significant stakeholders in
this collaboration, particularly those representatives who play vital roles
in supporting PDS initiatives and the PDS mission. Through a process of
departmental nominations and recommendations, two undergraduate
teacher candidates and one graduate assistant are selected to work with
the PDS Director, PDS Advisory Council, and PDS Consortium. These
student representatives offer critical support to PDS, including updating
website information, preparing materials for Consortium events, data
collection and analysis, and other daily operations. The student representatives
are also responsible for disseminating information regarding PDS
events and demonstrating the benefits of PDS involvement during specialized
orientations for teacher candidates. These representatives sit on the
Advisory Council, the guiding body of the PDS, where their voices are
highly respected and lend significant real world perspective. This involvement
in the governing PDS bodies provides early opportunities to develop
leadership and collaboration skills. The poster session will allow the
teacher candidates to highlight their important role in the structure and
governance of the Buffalo State College Professional Development School
Consortium.
When The Rubber Meets The Road . . .
Methods’ Theories Meet Classroom Realities
Kyla Meisenheimer and Janette Fultz, Emporia State University
This poster presentation describes our experiences in the Professional
Development School partnership between the Emporia Unified
School District and Emporia State University. From methods classes we go
to our PDS site and practice what we are learning. We will share the
challenges, opportunities, and successes we have experienced this year.
Samples of our lessons and student work will also be shared.
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