School-University Partnerships and Partner Schools

Currently, there are few teacher education settings in the United States where discussion of program improvement does not include reference to professional development schools. However, the discussants differ in their understandings of what they are talking about. The range is wide: from schools where future teachers hone the final stages of their preparation to centers where experienced teachers come together for in-service education. This article is about the former: schools in which school and university personnel join in renewing schools where a significant part of the preservice teacher education program is carried out jointly. The necessary joining of K-12 and university cultures brings with it virtually every problem documented in the literature of educational change. Yet it is a long-overdue effort that is here to stay. There is likely to be no turning back as what is now more talk than action becomes a common feature of the teacher education enterprise.