Partnerships for Progress

Collaboration involves partnerships and shared effort. Individuals and organizations collaborate to achieve the synergy and leverage derived from that shared effort. One of the key attributes of a strong mission-driven public university is collaboration across the university as well as between the university and its constituencies. The mission statement of UTA includes the following: .... to pursue knowledge, truth and excellence in a student-centered academic community characterized by shared values, unity of purpose, diversity of opinion, mutual respect and social responsibility. These precepts can best be developed in a cooperative and collaborative atmosphere in which are eager to share ideas and undertake projects with each other. A poster with pictures of students and our motto UTA--a place where students come was made this year, and was distributed to offices all over campus, where it serves as a constant guide to staff and faculty. The of the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) are involved in numerous collaborative initiatives both within the School of Education and across the university. This article profiles several of these ongoing collaborative efforts. It is hoped that the article will serve as a catalyst and blueprint for similar initiatives at other universities. Programs within the School of Education The University of Texas at Arlington's teacher certification program is a fieldbased program, and is based on a philosophy of collaboration with the public schools. Our education courses are taught in schools when space permits, and UTA students often have an opportunity to observe as their professors teach lessons in a public school classroom. Not only is this process direct and effective, but it also increases the visibility and enhances the credibility of UTA education members. Students spend two semesters working in the schools, first as interns for five hours per week, followed by full time residency the next semester. The teachers in the schools who were formerly called cooperating teachers are now known as mentors. Designated clinical faculty supervise interns and residents, and conduct three-way conferences when needed. The shortage of administrators--especially minority administrators--is a significant problem in many public school systems. Although many teachers are interested in becoming administrators, relatively few can afford to take a year away from teaching to earn the necessary certification. The Educational Leadership UTA program leads to a master's degree and Texas Mid-Management Certification. School districts nominate teachers, release them for one year, and pay their salaries, tuition and fees. The teachers meet in cohorts of twenty students for the full year program, including two summers. This year, teachers from charter schools joined others from private and public schools, making this program one of very few in the state which include the relatively new charter schools. About twenty administrators who graduated from the program are now leaders in the schools where they were teachers a year ago. The Distinguished Lecture Series builds academic bridges with the public schools by matching the expertise of U.T. Arlington with the needs of high school teachers. Faculty Lecturers are profiled in a brochure, which is sent to the schools. A special training session helps the learn interactive teaching skills in order to better relate to the younger students. Most of the presentations take place in the schools, but some high school classes have come to the university to meet in the professor's lab, in the planetarium, or to visit the library Special Collections area. In addition to the academic knowledge shared, a significant amount of goodwill and understanding results from these connections. University learn more about the secondary schools -- what is taught, how it is taught, and the sequencing of instruction. …