Professional Development Schools

Rick Breault is currently a visiting professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy at West Virginia University. He received his EdD in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in social foundations of education from Northern Illinois University. Rick was an elementary and middle school teacher before entering higher education and, since then, has worked primarily in teacher education. His research interests include the nature of professional development school writing, aesthetic inquiry into teaching practices, and the sense of place in educational research. Among his recent publications are articles in Curriculum & Teaching Dialogue, Teaching and Teacher Education, Teacher Education Quarterly, and Equity and Excellence in Education. Rick was also a Fulbright Scholar in Hungary and was recently recognized for imaginative teaching practice by the Lincoln Center Institute.Donna Breault is an associate professor of curriculum studies at West Virginia University. She received her Ph.D. in curriculum and supervision from Georgia State University. Prior to entering higher education, Donna was an elementary and middle school teacher and administrator. Since entering higher education, she has taught courses in curriculum, foundations, research, and leadership, and she has coordinated programs in educational leadership. Donna’s research includes applications of Dewey’s theory of inquiry in curriculum, research, and organizational systems. Her publications include Urban Education: A Handbook for Parents and Educators (co-author, Louise Allen) and articles in Educational Theory, Educational Studies, The International Journal of Leadership in Education, Journal of Thought, Planning and Change, and Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly.

• IntroductionChapter 1: A PDS by Any Other NameChapter 2: Problems and Potential in PDS ResearchChapter 3: Is It Research or Not?Chapter 4: Research That is Good for Something: Warrantability and Added ValueChapter Five: The Nature and Use of Qualitative Data in PDS ResearchChapter 6: Representation in PDS LiteratureChapter 7: Organizational Implications for PDS ResearchChapter 8: Doing Meaningful Research in a PDS Setting

The authors provide researchers in the PDS field a sobering look at what was, is, and can be in the PDS research. The challenges for PDS researchers is to consider their critical perspective as an opportunity to strengthen the PDS field by applying research methodology.