Lessons from Restructuring Experiences: Stories of Change in Professional Development Schools

Describes the process of collaborative educational reform in the context of the professional development school model. First-person stories describe how "reformed" schools and universities look and assess the impact of such reform on students, teachers, and colleges of education. Lessons from Restructuring Experiences describes the process of collaborative educational reform in the context of the professional development school model. First-person stories and literature reviews show how "reformed" schools and universities look and assess the impact of such reform on students, teachers, and colleges of education. Intended for readers interested in establishing or assessing collaborative reform efforts, the book is organized in three units. The first provides an overview that will enhance readers' understanding of professional development schools and school restructuring. The authors review and highlight important concepts and processes in collaborative restructuring. The second unit brings the concepts and processes of collaborative change to life by sharing the stories of teachers and administrators in elementary and secondary professional development schools. The third unit addresses the complex issue of assessing the outcomes of restructuring in both schools and the university.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Part I. Working Together to Restructure in Professional Development Schools Overview of Part I 1. The Nature of Professionalism in the Context of School Reform Van Dempsey 2. Collaboration Between K-12 Schools and Universities Jerrald Shive 3. The Benedum Collaborative: The Story of an Educational Reform Effort Sarah Steel and Nancy E. Hoffman Part II. Stories of Professional Development School Change Overview of Part II 4. The Story of Two Changing Teachers Sarah Steel, Rhonda Jenkins, and Diana Colebank 5. The Story of a Changing Role: Teacher Research in Action W. Michael Reed, David J. Ayersman, and Nancy E. Hoffman 6. The Story of Two Principles: Constructing Leadership, Balancing Tensions, and Creating Relationships Van Dempsey with Thomas Hart and Susanne Lynch 7. The Story of Changing Practices: Classroom Based Collaboration as a Model for a Communications Program Jennifer Borsch, Ruth Oaks, and Cheryl Prichard 8. The Story of a Changing Program: West Virginia's First Science, Math, and Technology Center Mary Ann Gaston, Raymond Francis, Janet Crescenzi, and Perry Phillips 9. The Story of a Changing School Teresa T. Field and Mary Alice Barksdale-Ladd 10. The Story of Changing School-University Relationships Nancy E. Hoffman, Gwen Socol Rosenbluth, and Kaye McCrory Part III. The Outcomes of Restructuring: Problems and Possibilities Overview of Part III 11. Teachers' Perspectives on School Change: Lessons from the Classroom Joy Faini Saab, Sarah Steel, and Jerrald Shive 12. Reconsidering Assessment to Be Reflective of School Reform Jaci Webb-Dempsey 13. Impact on Colleges of Education Richard D. Hawthorne Index