Teacher and administrator perceptions of East Stroudsburg University’s professional development school model

Professional development schools (PDSs) were proposed as a way to apply a medical model of teaching to the training of teachers, to increase student achievement and bring about school reform. These innovative institutions create a partnership between public schools and universities, changing the way teachers are trained and resulting in school reform at all levels, from preschool to Grade 12 (P–12). PDS partnerships work toward high standards for educators, preparing teacher candidates to meet the needs of diverse student populations.By implementing a mixed-method study, the researcher explored administrator and teacher perceptions in a PDS developed by East Stroudsburg University and the Bethlehem Area School District. The study examined perceptions of teachers, the school administrator, and teacher candidates in the PDS .Using the NCATE (2004) PDS standards, the researcher sought to assess the PDS and to understand how the partnership develops. The NCATE standards are important to PDS research because they bring rigor to the PDS concept, provide evaluative feedback on the partnership for both the public schools and the universities, and address the outcomes associated with the PDS partnerships in order to delineate conditions that define other PDS settings.Perceptions of mentor teachers, the school administrator, and teacher candidates indicate that the East Stroudsburg University PDS is fulfilling its mission and meeting the goals of training teacher candidates better than traditional models. In contrast, questions concerning inquiry into teaching and learning—a cornerstone of the PDS model—had fewer positive responses than questions concerning the collaborative community. It may be surmised that teachers regularly engage in inquiry-related studies as a part of professional practice. Implications of the current study suggest that creating a PDS partnership can develop a collaborative atmosphere focused on improved student achievement, improved training for teacher candidates, and improved practice for mentor teachers. University and P–12 schools should continue to form partnerships, use the NCATE standards as a developmental tool to evaluate partnerships, and encourage PDSs to develop over time and implementation.Ph.D., Educational Leadership Development and Learning Technologies -- Drexel University, 200