Where Do We Go from Here?: Issues in the Sustainability of Professional Development School Partnerships

As teacher preparation undergoes closer scrutiny on the national scene, reformers ask: What is the future of Professional Development Schools (PDS)? How can research better address the developmental needs of partnerships? What types of organizational structures can ensure partnership success? What is the future of leadership in PDS? Are diversity and social justice - part of the original PDS vision - being served, as well? Written by scholar-practitioners who represent a new generation of PDS researchers, this book is a valuable source of critical analysis, reflection, and implications for taking PDS partnerships into the future for true school-university-community collaboration.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Alison Rutter: Foreword - Alison Rutter: The Evolution of the PDS Research Landscape - Jane E. Neapolitan/Jeanne L. Tunks: A Developmental Approach to Research on Professional Development Schools - Jonatha W. Vare: Response on Future Directions: Inquiry - Research - Evaluation - Claudia A. Balach: Building Capacity for Professional Development School Work: Using a Taxonomic Approach to the NCATE PDS Standards - Roberta Trachtman: In the Beginning: Planning the Professional Development School - Felipe Golez/Linda Symcox: Refashioning the Professional Development School through Masters Certification - Van Dempsey: Response on Future Directions: Structure, Process, and Expected Outcomes - Connie L. Fulmer/Carole G. Basile: Investigating Distributed Leadership in Professional Development Schools: Implications for Principals, Schools, and School Districts - Terry R. Berkeley: Interweaving, Interwoven: Perspective on PDS Leadership from the University with the School - Cynthia Hartzler-Miller: Response on Future Directions: Leadership - Donna Sobel/Sherry Taylor: Fostering Diversity-Responsive Teaching Practices in Multiple Ways and Multiple Contexts - Mary Harrell/Tania Ramalho/Barbara A. Beyerbach: Are We Promoting an Understanding of Diversity? - Bonnie Konopak: Response on Future Directions: Community, Diversity, and Social Justice - Jane E. Neapolitan/Terry R. Berkeley: Afterword.

About the Author :
The Editors: Jane E. Neapolitan is Associate Professor in the College of Education at Towson University in Maryland. She holds an Ed.D. in curriculum and teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University (1994). Terry R. Berkeley is Professor in the Department of Early Childhood at Towson University in Maryland. He holds an Ed.D. in administration, planning, and policy from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University (1981).

Review :
As the Professional Development School initiative has gained renewed momentum in recent years, there is no better question to ask than, where do we go from here? The authors of this impressive collection of essays, all of whom have played leading roles in furthering PDSs nationwide, offer insightful responses to this timely question and in the process challenge educators to examine in-depth both the successes achieved and the struggles encountered in collaborative school-university partnerships. Perhaps the most significant contribution of their collective wisdom is the lesson learned throughout the years that there is no one-size-fits-all PDS model and that those who aspire to sustain effective Professional Development Schools must value creativity and flexibility as two cornerstones of that very critical, and rapidly expanding, work. (Bruce E. Field, President, National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS)) This collection of essays describes not only the range of issues confronting professionals involved in the work of Professional Development Schools, but serves as a guide for creating and sustaining new partnerships. It describes the complexities involved in building successful PDSs, encourages a continued research focus on their effectiveness, and reminds us of the importance of this work in ensuring that schools meet the learning needs of all students. It is a must read for all involved in the work of Professional Development Schools. (Mona S. Wineburg, Director of Teacher Education, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU))