Learning Our Way Through: Collaborative Self-study in an Evolving Professional Development School (PDS) Partnership

Purpose of study: Professional development schools (PDSs) are essentially learning communities in which all participants increase their knowledge about how teaching and learning works and how best to manage the collaborative enterprise (Goodman, 2002; Horn, 2007; Mantle- Bromley, 2002; Patrizio & Gadja, 2007; Sue, 2002). The National Council for the Accreditation of Teachers (NCATE, 2010), identified PDS as an avenue through which aspiring teachers can be provided the opportunity to integrate theory with practice. In addition, PDS partnerships serve as a vehicle for the professionalization of teachers and systematic examination and evaluation of practice. However, according to the National Association of Professional Development Schools (NAPDS, 2008), many colleges and universities who participate in PDS partnerships do not fully understand the true meaning of PDS. This creates a void between the concept of PDS as originally proposed (Holmes Group, 1990), and the reality of the PDS as it operates in many of the partnerships (Webb-Dempsey, Steel, Shambaugh and Dampsey, 2007). In addition, while interorganizational collaboration is a PDS imperative, it remains complex, multilayered and labor-intensive for both school and university faculty (Patrizio & Gadja, 2007; Rice & Afman, 2002; Su, 2002). This situation calls for a clear understanding of the concept of PDS as well as frequent and systematic review of the goals and objectives of PDS partnerships. The purpose of this study was to better understand one teaching college\u27s collaborative relationship with the partner schools. The study is guided by the following questions. What was the nature of the collaboration between a teaching college and five urban-based PDSs? What were the individual and collective experiences of the faculty as well as other stakeholders in the collaboration? What factors, if any, impacted the collaboration