Financially Sustaining University Lab Schools: One University’s Story

University lab schools connected to teacher preparation programs are based on the clinical teaching model. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education encourage teacher preparation programs to extend the hours required in clinical settings for teacher candidates. For years, some teacher preparation programs have championed the clinical teaching model. The university that was the focus of this study has implemented the clinical teaching model for over 87 years. Sustaining this model was not easy but through perseverance, this university did just that. The intent of this study was to determine the organizational practices implemented at this university that aided in financially sustaining university lab schools over time. Through a case study method, the researchers discovered lab schools were sustained by (a) creatively utilizing state funding and regular teacher candidate tuition to assist with lab schools’ support; (b) instituting childcare tuition to help cover costs; (c) using teacher candidate lab fees and including lab school teachers as university faculty