ERIC EJ915865: School-University Partnership: Perceptions of the Teachers

2009·0.1 MB·English

by  ERIC

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School–University Partnership:
Perceptions of the Teachers
Carol Gilles
University of Missouri, Columbia
Jennifer Wilson
University of South Carolina, Columbia
Martille Elias
University of Missouri, St. Louis
ABSTRACT: We investigated how and to what extent a school–university partnership might in-
fluence the teachers and the teaching in one school, Parkland. We interviewed 23 novice
and veteran teachers, the principals, and the university liaison. The data suggest that the
university structures (i.e., the practicum, the student teaching internship, the Senior Year On-
Site Program, and the Teaching Fellowship Program) combined with the setting of Parkland
(the strong principal, positive climate, and teachers) to provide a framework for renewal. Two
engines—mentorship and classroom research—drove the school’s renewal by extending
professional relationships. Data suggest that a synergy exists between the structure of the
program and the setting—a synergy created by the immediate assistance available to all
participants, the exchange of curricular ideas, and the professional nudging that occurred
among colleagues. We conclude that the principal and the knowledgeable mentor strength-
ened the school renewal, which resulted in a stronger professional learning community with
inquiry at its center.
The No Child Left Behind Act emphasizes a Smith, 2002), and inquiry (Cochran-Smith
need to elevate “teacher and principal qual- & Lytle, 2001; Oja, 2003).
ity through recruitment, hiring, and reten- This study offers a unique perspective on
tion strategies” (Section 2113.a.3). As dis- a school–university partnership with a strong
tricts search for ways to attract and retain induction program as the foundation for part-
teachers, as well as improve the quality of nership activities. Within that partnership of
their teaching, many have turned to 22 districts, we looked closely at one school,
school–university partnerships. The develop- Parkland,1through interviews of the teachers
ment and benefits of school–university part- and principals. The question guiding our
nerships have been widely studied (Borth- study was “How and to what extent does a
wick, Stirling, Nauman, & Cook, 2003; school–university partnership influence
Darling-Hammond, 1994; Goodlad, 1991; teachers and teaching in one school?” The
Stephens & Boldt, 2004; Wiseman & teachers’ comments narrate how the compo-
Knight, 2003) and have emphasized issues re- nents of the partnership, and the relation-
garding participant roles (Dallmer, 2004; ships that developed therein, affected their
Epanchin & Colucci, 2002), preservice edu- professional community and, ultimately, their
cation (Florez, 2002; G. Smith & Edelen- effectiveness as teachers.
100 School–University Partnerships Vol. 3, No. 1
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School–University Partnership 101
Literature Review Ricca, 2005; K. Smith & Sela, 2005). Gold
(1996) provides four contexts that effective
The partnership discussed in this study is a teacher induction programs must acknowledge:
member of the National Network for Educa- school assignment; administrative support; ped-
tional Renewal (see http://www.nner agogy; and socialization among students, peers,
partnerships.org), modeled after Goodlad’s and parents. Teachers placed in negative or
(1991) approach to simultaneous renewal and nonnurturing school environments often have
the Agenda for Education in a Democracy. disastrous first years. By placing new teachers in
Goodlad centers his 19 postulates of simulta- supportive environments, they question their
neous renewal on the idea of parity. Schools abilities less and thus find a higher sense of sat-
and universities enter into a collaborative isfaction in their work (Huling-Austin, 1992).
arrangement in which they are equal partners An important part of the support is the princi-
working to meet self-interests while solving pal who nurtures the new teacher, establishes
common problems. His 19 postulates support the culture of the school (i.e., professional de-
and expand this concept of parity by focusing velopment, morale, collaboration, etc.), and
on the teacher education institution, the part- provides assistance with difficult situations
ner schools, and the culture of schools and (Wayne, Youngs, & Fleischman, 2005; Wilkin-
teaching. Goodlad’s postulates also encourage son, 1994). Teacher induction programs sup-
teacher educators to help teachers become port new teachers by allowing time for critical
leaders of change in schools through their re- reflection, to encourage them to use theory to
lationships, experiences, connections between inform their practices (McGlamery, Fluckiger,
theory and practice, and successful induction & Edick, 2002). In addition, Gold (1996) sug-
of 1st-year teachers. gests socialization that includes a community
The partnership studied also exemplifies built among colleagues, students, and parents in
the nine required essentials of a professional which the new teacher becomes an active par-
development school as enumerated in the ticipant. This socialization is often facilitated
statement of the Executive Council and Board through mentor–mentee relationships (Wang
of Directors of the National Association for & Odell, 2002).
Professional Development Schools (2008;
available at http://napds.org/nine_essen.html).
These essentials outline nine components, in- Context for the Study
cluding the following: a comprehensive mis-
sion that is broader in scope than that of any of
The University Structures
the partners; the creation of a culture commit-
ted to the preparation of future educators; on- The MU Partnership for Educational Renewal
going and reciprocal professional development; has been in existence for 14 years. Throughout
shared commitment to innovative practices; this time, the partnership evolved as each en-
public sharing of results of investigations; an tity defined, developed, and challenged its role
articulated agreement with the parties delin- (see http://education.missouri.edu/orgs/mper).
eating each role and responsibility; and a struc- Within the university’s role, two distinct ele-
ture of governance and dedicated and shared ments exist: first, the preservice teachers, in-
resources. cluding field students, students of the Senior
This study highlights an induction program Year On-Site Program (SYOSP), and interns
within the larger university–school partnership. (student teachers); and second, the Teaching
Many states and districts have created induc- Fellowship Program, a multifaceted induction
tion programs to support new teachers (Ander- program.
son, 1991; Dangel, 2006; Garrett, 1994; Practicum preservice teachers. Preservice
Gilbert, 2005; Gilles, Cramer, & Hwang Lee, teachers in the education department partici-
2001; Keller, 2006; McCann, Johannessen, & pate in field practicum experiences attached
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102 CAROL GILLES ET AL.
to all methods education courses. Field stu- midrange teacher. In return, the school re-
dent experiences may include making observa- ceives two teaching fellows, newly certificated
tional visits, participating in individual tutori- teachers, each responsible for a classroom. The
als, working in before- and after-school school also benefits by keeping the mentor on
programs, offering assistance to small groups, faculty and utilizing the mentor’s expertise.
and teaching lessons to entire classes. Field ex- The mentor’s responsibilities are divided
periences allow preservice teachers opportuni- into thirds: mentoring the teaching fellows,
ties to observe techniques and strategies, apply working on school renewal projects, and work-
theory, and interact with teachers. In our ing for the university. The mentor supports
study, approximately 35% of the teachers in- and guides the teaching fellows through co-
terviewed discussed practicum students. Field planning, finding resources, demonstrating
experiences are intensified during the 16-week techniques, and so on. Unlike traditional
internship (the student teaching experience), mentor programs, the Teaching Fellowship
the capstone experience in the College of Ed- Program releases its mentors from teaching du-
ucation. Parkland hosts about 10 interns (stu- ties so that they have the flexibility to work
dent teachers) per year. Of the 23 teachers in- with new teachers at the time when it is most
terviewed, 9 had hosted one or more interns. beneficial to them, as opposed to being bound
The SYOSP, available only in partner schools, by a release schedule. Mentors negotiate their
is an on-site alternative to the traditional sen- work in their school with the principal, and it
ior year for elementary majors. First-semester may include offering workshops and in-
SYOSP students take courses taught by uni- services, securing grants, developing curricu-
versity and public school faculty at the part- lum projects, and working with other new
nership schools. Students also work in class- teachers in the building. Such work con-
rooms 3 days a week, experiencing the full tributes to their development as teacher lead-
range of grade levels. The second-semester stu- ers. At the university, mentors are designated
dents complete their student teaching intern- clinical faculty and so may assist in undergrad-
ship at the same school, thereby providing uate classes, supervise student teachers, organ-
them with a full year at one school. Thus, ize field experiences, and serve on university
SYOSP students see a range of practices committees. Liaisons support mentors and fel-
throughout the year—for example, new school lows and, through their visits, provide a link
procedures, various in-services and workshops, between the university and the partnership
and collaboration and curriculum projects. school; liaisons are typically retired university
Teaching Fellowship Program. The Teaching faculty or principals.
Fellowship Program, a unique induction pro- The program offers a strong start to new
gram, occurs in partnership schools, including teachers and their careers, with the assistance
Parkland. The program has four components: of intensive mentoring. Within 15 months,
the school, the mentor, the liaison, and the teaching fellows earn a master’s degree in cur-
teaching fellow (for more information, see riculum and instruction, which is essentially
http://education.missouri.edu/orgs/mper/ paid for through the program. Course work is
fellows/index.php). To participate in the designed to support induction. For example,
Teaching Fellowship Program, a school admin- the Classroom Research course, taken over
istrator must anticipate a classroom vacancy in two semesters, teaches fellows to use inquiry to
the school for the upcoming year. The princi- solve an identified classroom issue. In the sec-
pal then selects a mentor teacher from the fac- ond summer, fellows share their findings in a
ulty—that is, a master teacher, who is relieved capstone project presented to university fac-
of classroom duties for a minimum of 2 years. ulty and guests. This presentation serves as a
This combination creates two openings in the final examination of skills, as well as a celebra-
school. The district continues paying the men- tion of successes. The Teaching Fellowship
tor her or his current salary while paying the Program integrates university course work,
university a salary equivalent to that of one supportive mentoring, and 1st-year teaching.
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School–University Partnership 103
The program boasts a retention rate of 91% ican, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American.
among teachers who are 8 years out of the pro- About 32% of the Parkland faculty were cur-
gram (Kaiser, 2004). rent or past teaching fellows. Parkland had a
The preservice teachers, the SYOSP stu- stable and knowledgeable teaching force: One
dents, the interns, and the teaching fellows person had taught for 23 years at Parkland;
were all welcomed at Parkland Elementary most had taught from 10 to 15 years; and three
School as important members of the children’s had taught from 5 to 10 years.
education. Likewise, the faculty and principal
were dedicated to teacher education and
learning by virtue of their willingness to par- Method
ticipate in the MU Partnership for Educa-
tional Renewal. Given that we were interested in how a
school–university partnership influenced be-
The Setting: Parkland Past and ginning and veteran teachers, we focused on
aspects of the partnership that featured the
Current
greatest participant interactions, including
Parkland has always been a well-respected practicums, internships, the SYOSP, and the
school in a district committed to progressive Teaching Fellowship Program. This study is
ideas. Parkland has a long tradition of excel- one part of a larger study on the Teaching Fel-
lence. It was named a Blue Ribbon School in lowship Program. The question guiding our
the late 1980s (one of the highest awards study was “How and to what extent does a
given by the U.S. government), and it had the school–university partnership influence the
distinction of having President Reagan visit. teachers and teaching in one school?” Our fo-
Parkland regularly hosted university field stu- cus, then, is on the teachers in the school and
dents, and it was one of the first schools to not on the elementary students or the univer-
host teaching fellows and SYOSP students. sity part of the partnership.
Many SYOSP students moved directly into
the Teaching Fellowship Program and then re-
Participant Selection
mained as faculty at Parkland. In addition, for-
mer fellows moved from other schools in the Our participant selection was purposeful.
area to work there. Thus, the teaching force From a list provided by the principal, we in-
has become heavily influenced by the partner- terviewed teachers who had been at the
ship structures. school before and after the partnership’s in-
When the principal retired, his assistant, ception (in numbers roughly equivalent be-
Helen Hastings, became principal. Hastings, a tween the two groups)—that is, current and
veteran teacher at the school, had earned the past teaching fellows (n = 11) and veteran
respect of teachers, who spoke of her vision teachers of more than 5 years, including past
and strong instructional leadership. She devel- and present mentors (n = 12); we also inter-
oped a positive, child-centered climate that viewed administrative personnel, including
emphasized collaboration and the support of principals (n = 2) and the school–university
teachers. liaison and program coordinator (n = 1).
When we conducted the study, Parkland Three other individuals were asked for inter-
had 903 students and 86 staff members, of views and did not respond. Interview proto-
whom 42 were classroom teachers. Children cols differed per group, although similar ques-
from Parkland were from mostly middle- to tions were asked. We used a semistructured
high-income professional families; however, interview (Merriam, 1998), which allowed
9% were eligible for free and reduced-price the interviewer to expand on the predeter-
lunch, and single-parent families were com- mined questions. A neutral interviewer, not
mon. White students composed 86% of the associated with the school–university partner-
population, whereas 13% were African Amer- ship, conducted the tape-recorded interviews.
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104 CAROL GILLES ET AL.
Each participant was interviewed in person. and the two incidents of teachers who came to
The interviews lasted from 30 to 60 minutes. the action research sharing sessions but did
After the interview, the tapes were tran- not believe that it greatly influenced their
scribed and initial analysis began. teaching. Because the teachers at this school
saw themselves as integral members of the
partnership, they may have been reluctant to
Data Analysis
criticize the program. They were, however, ea-
Each transcript was coded by thought units, ger to point out the ways that it contributed to
based on grounded theory and constant com- their working environment.
parative methods. The use of such methods re- Of course, this study documents only the
lies heavily on developing theory by measur- experience of one school in a huge partner-
ing each incident, noting relationships, and ship. Documenting the experiences of other
reducing categories (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). schools with the same structures within the
Three researchers collaborated for initial and partnership may yield different insights. How-
subsequent coding (Miles & Huberman, ever, this study is important because it exam-
1994). The data were manipulated using ines the perceptions of teachers who have
NUD*IST 5 (QSR International, Cambridge, been involved in a long-term partnership
MA) to extend the analysis and provide addi- within a supportive professional context; as
tional organizational support. Triangulation such, it tried to ascertain the effect that the
(Denzin, 2000) was achieved by searching for partnership has had on them to date.
themes that occurred across groups.
In the final stage of analysis, we included
Findings
the insights of two expert reviewers (also,
peers)—namely, the current principal and the
coordinator of the Teaching Fellowship Figure 1 delineates a model of how the part-
Program—both of whom had broad and deep nership influences teaching and teachers. This
experiences with all the programs involved model demonstrates the structure of the uni-
but were not directly connected to the re- versity’s offerings (preservice teachers, interns,
search. They confirmed our interpretation of SYOSP, and teaching fellows), the setting of
the data, while pointing out areas in need of Parkland (the positive culture, the strong
further explanation. principal, and the teachers), the vehicles that
drive the partnership (the mentor teacher and
action research), and the synergistic relation-
Limitations of This Study
ships within the partnership (exchange of cur-
Interviews indicated that teachers were posi- ricular ideas, immediate assistance to all, and
tive about the partnership. Although we sus- professional nudging). We explain each com-
pect that this attitude was primarily due to the ponent in turn.
impact of the partnership, we recognize the
limitations of our study. Because of our design, How Does This Partnership
we interviewed about 32% of the faculty. Had
Influence Teachers?
we interviewed the entire faculty, we might
have heard additional points of view. The As we examined interviews from Parkland,
three teachers who did not agree to be inter- we identified two influential engines: the
viewed might have shared different experi- mentor relationship and the action research.
ences. The principal was positive about the These mechanisms exist in all schools that
partnership, and a close professional commu- have the Teaching Fellowship Program.
nity existed at the school, so that might have However, the principals and teachers at Park-
made people more reluctant to make negative land used these structures in ways that al-
comments. We do report on the one incident lowed the greatest flexibility and that lever-
of a teaching fellow who was overwhelmed aged the most resources from the school
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School–University Partnership 105
Figure 1. How are the teachers influenced by the school–university partnership?
district and the university. Because the two In addition to working with the fellows,
engines are intertwined, each of the follow- mentors have various school responsibilities.
ing sections highlights one while showing the Denise, one of the first mentors, recalled be-
effects of the other. coming a quasiadministrator in the school, by
Mentors. Parkland had four consecutive meeting with a parent if the principal was out
mentors since the Teaching Fellowship Pro- of the building or by substitute teaching.
gram’s inception: Denise, Melinda, Lili, and Melinda said that the mentors supported
Lynne. The mentors at Parkland supported teachers in ways such as sharing an instruc-
their fellows and other teachers, helped focus tional strategy, helping them learn how to use
the faculty’s inquiry, leveraged resources for a program on the computer, and editing a par-
the school, and strengthened the school– ent letter.
university connection. Their first priority was The mentor facilitates the Classroom Re-
to support the teaching fellows in the class- search class, which is required for teaching fel-
rooms. Lili explains: lows and which is held at Parkland. This class
is open to other Parkland teachers for district
in-service credit or university credit (or if they
I’m there to help them in any way they
simply wish to attend as participants). In addi-
need help . . . whether it is knowing the
tion, the meetings are open so that teachers
lay of the land to start with or . . . model
[lessons], talk a lot about curriculum and can drop in on occasion.
management and children’s behavior . . . Mentors also support the school through
or sitting in on parent conferences. the focus that each brings to the position—for
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106 CAROL GILLES ET AL.
example, through Denise’s and Lynne’s inter- engaged in the Classroom Research class; thus,
est in literacy, Melinda’s knowledge about inquiry permeated the culture in this school.
mathematics, and Lili’s skill in technology. Action research influenced the attitudes of
Melinda’s case provides a vivid example of the the teachers who engaged in it directly, as well
ways that mentors help in leveraging resources as those who did not. It helped teachers learn
for the school. With leadership from the prin- from one another and focus their teaching. In
cipal, the school concentrated on math for this section, we describe how action research
that year partially as a result of Melinda’s in- worked at Parkland and what some of its ini-
terest in mathematics. Melinda’s one third tial effects were.
school commitment included securing a 3-year The mentor teacher facilitated Classroom
math institute grant to provide leadership. Research with the support of Pam Jennings,
She recalled, the university liaison. Although the group
started small, it rapidly grew because of the im-
For the school, I worked a lot with inter- mediate impact that it had on the classrooms.
viewing students who were struggling in Laurie, a former fellow, explained the impact
math, and I tried to provide intervention on her teaching:
when their teachers were stuck. I was re-
ally a professional development resource It’s not only impacted my teaching. . . .
for math. In addition, I did all the sched- My kids really opened up and showed me
uling of our university students, all the what they could do because my focus was
scheduling of visitors, observers from on them, and because my attitude was
other buildings, as well as university level. changing about math [her action research
topic], their attitude changed dramatically
At the same time, Melinda taught a sec- too.
tion of the undergraduate mathematics educa-
tion class, as her one third commitment to the Principal Hastings was also committed to
university, so, for the field experience that ac- action research because she saw the collabora-
companied their class, she placed her under- tion occurring among her staff and the devel-
graduate students at Parkland. Through the opment of teachers as learners. She supported
math grant and conversations with Melinda, the process not only by actively engaging in
teachers became interested in an alternative action research (she studied looping and im-
curriculum for math—TERC’s “Investigations proving attendance) but also by giving teach-
in Number, Data, and Space” (see http:// ers a forum at the end of the year to share what
investigations.terc.edu/). A number of teach- they had learned. Not all teachers were able to
ers joined the Classroom Research group and participate. Bonnie, a veteran teacher who did
concentrated on using questions surrounding not participate in Classroom Research, sug-
TERC math as their foci for action research. gested, “If you can’t go out and do the research
Parkland faculty agreed to research math for a yourself, at least you can learn from someone
year, and Melinda was on-site to give teachers else, and you know, maybe take from it what
support with a new curriculum. Because you can use in your own classroom.” Although
Melinda worked with university math faculty, many teachers attended and enjoyed the pre-
the school had easy access to the university’s sentations, not everyone applied the new
resources. The school benefited from Melinda knowledge in their own classroom. Two teach-
as a kind of go-between with the university. ers mentioned that they had attended the pre-
Data revealed that the other mentors used sentations, but their reactions were more gen-
their special interests and talents to highlight eral. Donna suggested simply, “There was good
other parts of the curriculum for the school. information there,” whereas Naomi men-
Action research. Action research was the tioned that “everyone was talking about the
second influential partnership engine. The results of the TERC, so yes, indirectly, it did
data revealed that 30% of the faculty members affect me.”
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School–University Partnership 107
Teachers chose to do action research for pectation set by the principal was that all of
reasons beyond the credit that they received. Parkland was active in shaping preservice
Many used words such as focusing (their year) teachers. Catherine, a former fellow, re-
and honing (their teaching). Katie, a former sponded to field placement students in a way
fellow, suggested that it made her more spe- typical of other teachers:
cific and that it forced her to become familiar
with best practices. Although teachers spoke This last year I had two students who were
highly of action research, one current teaching early childhood. They came out Tuesday
fellow found it a challenging addition to her and Thursday all day, so they had to do
1st year of teaching: some teaching of their own. And then
they had to watch me and ask me ques-
Action research was a blur for me for a re- tions, and then they participated in a lot
ally long time, just because I had no idea of small groups, which was helpful to me.
of what I was doing. My mentor tried to Because, you know, while the kids were in
help me, but I was lost until the end, math groups, I could feel like I could have
when I finally figured out what I had been a more hands-on with [the practicum stu-
doing and I was, like, “Okay, this makes dents] visiting.
sense.”
Catherine relied on the large blocks of time
Interestingly enough, after the first experi- that the practicum students gave and the sup-
ence, which for some teachers was difficult, port they offered to her students.
about one third of the fellows volunteered to Nearly every past fellow spoke of the pow-
participate for at least another year. erful professional and emotional support they
received from the mentor over the course of
Synergistic Relationships Within the year. For instance, Dayna appreciated that
both a neighboring teacher and her mentor
the Partnership
helped her in her 1st year: “[They] spent gobs
The interactions among the mentor, the action of time with me that 1st year.” In general, all
research class, the university structures, and teachers spoke of giving and receiving aid and
the teaching community at Parkland created support from one another and the university
the potential for synergy. Through analysis of students. The assistance was symbiotic: Teach-
the interviews, we identified three overlapping ers were helping the university field students,
themes within that synergy: immediate assis- interns, fellows, mentor, and one another
tance, exchange of curricular ideas, and profes- while receiving help from each of these enti-
sional nudging—all of which often occurred si- ties as well.
multaneously. Each theme is defined and then Exchanging curricular ideas. Teachers sug-
clarified through examples to demonstrate how gested that curricular ideas were freely ex-
these three interactions worked. changed with other teachers, even the 1st-year
Immediate assistance. Immediate assistance teaching fellows. Lili suggested that “teaching
occurred at a number of levels—from fellows are valued colleagues. Other teachers
practicum students to veteran teachers, and learn from them. They bring a freshness to the
vice versa. Fellows reported assistance from building with their ideas.” Many veteran
their mentors, the liaison, and other teachers. teachers were open to this exchange of new
Teachers spoke not only of receiving assis- ideas from preservice and beginning teachers.
tance but of assisting one another, as well as The strong professional community that
fellows and field students. exists at Parkland partially facilitated the
Teachers at Parkland actively used sharing of curricular ideas that occurred.
practicum students and interns. These stu- Many ideas were exchanged in the action re-
dents were not simply running copies; they search meetings. Catherine, a second-grade
were primarily working with children. The ex- teacher, described having a growing awareness
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108 CAROL GILLES ET AL.
of curriculum and teaching practices while That was her strength, and it’s something
building collegial relationships across grade I always struggled over.
levels:
Having a student teacher energized Barb, and
It made me feel at home because I would it caused her to reflect on her teaching. For
walk down the hall Friday and say, “Hey, Tanisha, a former fellow, this process was dy-
how’s it going?” because I met with her [a namic:
fourth-grade teacher] on Thursday. I had a
heartbeat on what was going on in their When someone else is sharing their find-
classrooms because we’re always talking. ings with you and going through the
. . . I got to learn what they were learning thought process of their action research,
as they were finding out information for you know, their ideas spark ideas with
their question. you and prompt you to think of some-
thing, so you always have constant
The meetings encouraged teachers to talk thinking going on.
with people outside their grade levels and ar-
eas. Sharing research results helped teachers in As teachers shared their ideas and built on one
various areas know about the activities and in- another’s thoughts—that is, as they worked to-
quires of other teachers, thus promoting verti- gether and nudged one another—their con-
cal knowledge. versations gained a research edge and became
Catherine was fascinated by a colleague’s more professional.
research in building a community through
mathematics, so she followed up by inviting
Discussion: How Does
this colleague to visit her classroom. Cather-
ine was delighted when this colleague came to This Partnership Influence
her classroom (several times) to see what she Teachers at Parkland?
was doing in her own mathematics research.
This gave Catherine ongoing support. As
From the beginning, Parkland has been a
such, immediate assistance and exchanging
highly professional school, one where “being a
ideas often occurred together and encouraged
good teacher” was the goal of many faculty
professional nudging.
members who realized that teaching matters
Professional nudging. As the experienced
and that good teaching matters more (Darling-
Parkland teachers collaborated with one an-
Hammond, 1994). Although the teachers were
other and with the fellows and the preservice
already competent professionals, they became
teachers, they felt more accountable to one
more collaborative after the partnership was
another and to the children. Many reported
established. Parkland’s culture and climate
that they tried to teach better because of the
helped foster relationships that moved from in-
presence of the others. In a sense, the interac-
dividual partnership activities to true renewal
tion served to scaffold professional develop-
(Goodlad, 1991). Renewal acts as an umbrella
ment. We called such interactions professional
over the components (university and school),
nudging. Barb, a veteran teacher, related one
the engines that drive the renewal (the men-
incident of professional nudging:
torship and action research), and the synergis-
tic and symbiotic interactions that are at the
It was one of those situations that was in-
center of the renewal (immediate assistance,
spiring, where working with Cory [my in-
exchange of ideas, and professional nudging;
tern] made me want to be a better teacher
see Figure 2).
and to look at my practices and update
them. I realized that I had lost a lot of my Two implications emerged from this re-
energy. It made me think that I need to newal: first, a stronger professional learning
have fun with the kids while they learned. community for preservice, new, and veteran
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School–University Partnership 109
Figure 2. Model of renewal
teachers; and second, inquiry at the heart of faculty regarded teaching fellows as “some of
the school. the best teachers in the building,” even
Although the term professional learning though they were 1st-year teachers. Experi-
communities is sometimes overused and mis- enced teachers knew that they could bounce
used (DuFour, 2004), it does seem to fit what ideas off peers and fellows and in the process
occurred at Parkland. This school, nested create stronger teaching for children. This
within the partnership, was able to create a synergy moved the teachers beyond collegial-
strong professional learning community with ity and collaboration to a stronger, more col-
the field students, the SYOSP students, the lective purpose and identity (Murphy & Lick,
teaching fellows, the teachers, the principal, 1998). They moved from collegiality to a pro-
and selected university faculty. fessional community, with learning, a contin-
To create such a community, the principal ual commitment to growth, and inquiry at its
and the teachers had to take responsibility for center.
acculturating preservice and beginning teach- The data identified two factors fostering
ers. The principal expected that everyone this professional community: the role of the
would be involved with preparing this next mentor and the leadership of the principal.
generation of teachers, and the teachers con- The mentor was a force that drove renewal at
curred. Thus, veteran teachers regularly inter- Parkland School. Although each school in the
acted with novices. Parkland teachers hosted Teaching Fellowship Program has an identi-
university students because these students fied mentor, not every mentor had the same
asked the hard questions—questions that impact as those at Parkland did. At Parkland,
helped the Parkland teachers reflect and artic- the role of the mentor, as envisioned in the
ulate their own pedagogy and therefore be- program, was bestowed on a talented teacher
come stronger teachers. In the same way, the who had previous contacts and relationships