This book is intended as a guide for practitioners interested in forming alliances within their community to support teacher and student success. Under the umbrella of a professional development school (PDS), school principals willing to engage in this type of partnership have access to a framework for school renewal. Within this school/university framework lie four critical factors that transform the ways in which teachers’ teach and schools’ function. The professional development school model takes a holistic approach to revitalizing schools by sharing knowledge, resources, practices, and the collaborative efforts of P-12 educators and the higher education community. Through the collective wisdom of P-12 and university educators, PDSs provide a new way to think about teaching and a rich environment for learning.
JoAnne Ferrara is associate dean for Undergraduate Advising at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY. She is a former urban public school teacher and administrator. She created the college’s first professional development school in 2002. Her pioneering work with a professional development school nested in a community school transformed her vision for preservice teacher education. Her research interests include whole child education, community schools, and educator preparation.
PrefaceChapter 1: Making the Case for CollaborationChapter 2: Historical Context of the Professional Development School MovementChapter 3: So You are Thinking of Becoming a PDSChapter 4: Backward Design: Job Embedded Professional Development in PDSsChapter 5: A PDS with Unique Focus on Whole Child EducationChapter 6 : PDS: Making It Work from the Principal’s OfficeChapter 7: The Role of Leadership in the PDSChapter 8: A National Perspective on the Current State of PDSsChapter 9: PDS Action StepsAcknowledgements
Many education leaders have called attention to the need to forge much stronger connections between pre-service teacher preparation programs and the K-12 education system, and this new book provides practical advice about how to tackle this challenge. Based on local work in Westchester County, NY and drawing on national expertise as well, Professional Development Schools outlines strategies for providing rich clinical experience designed to prepare teachers for the real world of practice in 21st Century America.