Traditions, Standards, and Transformations: A Model for Professional Development School Networks

This book tells the story of the Towson University, Maryland, Professional Development School Network, which serves more than eighty schools in metropolitan Baltimore and surrounding areas. It describes the development and implementation of state and national standards for professional development schools, accountability and sustainability issues, and impacts on the roles of faculty and teachers. This book is a source of advanced information for institutions that face the complexities of professional development school work for connecting policy with practice. The Towson project not only examines the how to of professional development schools but also examines some of the impacts on teaching and learning.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Terry R. Berkeley: Foreword - Thomas D. Proffitt/Maggie Madden/Cheryl L. Wittmann/Teresa T. Field: History and Development of the Towson Professional Development School Network - Lynn C. Cole/Bess Altwerger/Lisa Joy Greenberg/Jessica Wolf Rhoten: Becoming Teachers: The First Professional Development School Partnership in Maryland - Debi Gartland/Joyce E. Agness: Waverly Elementary School - Towson University Special Education Professional Development School - Cynthia Hartzler-Miller/Terri Wainwright: Defining Our Own Roles: Professional Renewal for Teachers and University Faculty - Gloria A. Neubert/James B. Binko/Sally J. McNelis: You Want Us to Do What? The Story of the Conversion of a Secondary Education Faculty to the Professional Development School Movement - Shelly S. Huggins/Todd Kenreich: Conquering Boundaries: Collaborating Between Two Distinct Districts - Pamela W. Morgan/Ann M. Eustis: Connecting Teacher Preparation and Continuing Professional Development: The Boundary Spanner's Role - Gregory Bryant/Nechie Rochel King/Jane E. Neapolitan/Maggie Madden/Lauren Rifkin: Transforming Faculty Roles by Waving the Magic Wand - William A. Sadera/David R. Wizer/Lisa A. Newcomb: Technology Integration within a Teacher Education Program and a Professional Development School Network - Jane E. Neapolitan/Chet Scott: The NCATE Professional Development School Standards Field Test Project - Terry R. Berkeley/Pamela W. Morgan: Afterword.

About the Author :
The Editors: Jane E. Neapolitan is Assistant Professor in the Elementary Education Department at Towson University, Maryland. She earned an Ed.D. in curriculum and teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. She currently serves as Director of The Institute for Professional Development School Studies at Towson University, a research and development initiative that focuses on improvement-oriented inquiry. Thomas D. Proffitt is Acting Dean of the College of Education at Towson University, Maryland. He holds an Ed.D. in educational policy, planning, and administration from the University of Maryland, College Park. As the former Associate Dean, he was the Coordinator of the Towson University Professional Development School Network and worked closely with the Maryland State Department of Education to develop Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools. Cheryl L. Wittmann has an extensive background in the field of education in classroom, resource, and supervisory roles. She received an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction with a focus in organizational development from the University of Maryland, College Park. She currently serves as Professional Development School Facilitator for the Maryland State Department of Education, where she contributed to Professional Development Schools: An Implementation Manual (2003) and other publications. Terry R. Berkeley is Professor and Chair of the Early Childhood Education Department at Towson University, Maryland, where he has developed numerous partnerships. These partnerships are an outgrowth of his doctoral work at Harvard University, his university teaching, and local service which all focus on the building of community. He is co-editor of Ensuring Safe School Environments: Exploring Issues, Seeking Solutions (2003).

Review :
PDS partnerships can change the landscape of teacher education and P-12 schools. The experiences of Towson University and their school partners, of working collaboratively over 10 years, provides a rich source of substantive and research-based information on how those changes take place and the differences they can make. (Marsha Levine, Sr. Consultant for Professional Development Schools, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Washington, DC) Towson University and its school partners have long played leadership roles in state and national PDS development and with this book, they continue that role. 'Traditions, Standards, and Transformations' provides a valuable mix of theory and practice about using data to determine PDS impacts, about shaping state and national PDS standards (and being shaped by them), about the role changes that must go on for PDSs to be effective, and about taking PDS to scale in the largest teacher education program in the state. Grounded as it is in Towson's long history with starting and going to scale with PDS and its key role in local, state, and national PDS development, this book, 'Traditions, Standards, and Transformations', provides a valuable mix of theory and practice about supporting and developing PDSs and PDS networks. (Lee Teitel, researcher and author of 'The Professional Development School Handbook: Starting, Sustaining, and Assessing Partnerships that Improve Student Learning')