ERIC EJ974371: Professional Development School Partnerships: An Instrument for Teacher Leadership

2012·0.24 MB·English

by  ERIC

Professional Development School Partnerships:
An Instrument for Teacher Leadership
Brittany D. Carpenter, PhD
American Institutes for Research
Christine E. Sherretz, EdD
University of Louisville
ABSTRACT: Professional development school (PDS) partnerships have the potential for great
impactonthefieldofeducation.ThisstudyexaminedonePDSpartnershipschool’sactivitiesin
promotingteacherleadership.Thestudyaddsanewdimensiontoprospectiveoutcomesofthe
NAPDSessentialsrelatedtoestablishingongoingandreciprocalprofessionaldevelopmentforall
participants. The goal of the study was to understand school participants’ experiences in one
schoolsetting;thus,aqualitativecase-studydesignwasused.Togain,discover,andunderstand
the PDS partnership practices at the selected site, data collection methods included interviews,
observations,andfocusgroupsoveroneacademicschoolyear.Threethemesthatfosterteacher
leadership emerged: opportunities for professional development, co-teaching, and collective
teacher efficacy. The study findings suggest PDS partnership activities create potential for
enhancing teachers’ opportunities to become leaders within their school communities. This
empowerment leads teachers to take ownership and responsibility in teaching each other and
advocating for their profession and students. Ultimately, such an approach increases the
likelihoodofenablinghigherqualityandstrongerteachers,improvedstudentachievement,and
better schools.
Professional Development School quality teachers through enhancing the profes-
sional development of novice and veteran
Partnerships: An Instrument for
teachers. Professional development opportuni-
Teacher Leadership
ties include, for example, teacher participation
in seminars, problem-solving groups, reflection,
Teacher quality has emerged as the key factor
inquiry, skills development activities, and col-
contributing to student achievement and edu-
lege and graduate level classes (AACTE, 2001;
cational improvement (Cochran-Smith, 2006).
Levine, 2002). According to The American
Goodlad (1984) argues that to have quality
Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
teachers, one needs quality schools in which
(2001), ‘‘professional development schools
clinical-like learning takes place. Goodlad
(PDSs) are real schools, often in challenging
(1984) was referring to professional develop-
settings, which have been redesigned and
ment school (PDS) partnerships. Professional
development school partnerships are relation- restructured to support their complex mission.
ships among partner institutions—universities, PDS partnerships support professional and
school districts, teachers’ unions or professional student learning through the use of an inqui-
education associations—with one goal of better ry-oriented approach to teaching’’ (p. 1). PDS
preparing teachers (Levine, 2002). PDSs are partnerships share common goals such as (a)
learning organizations where schools and uni- improving student performance and achieve-
versities share the common goal of preparing ment,(b)preparinghigh-qualityteachers,and(c)
School—University Partnerships Vol.5,No.1 89
90 BRITTANYD.CARPENTERANDCHRISTINEE.SHERRETZ
enhancing professional development for novice had higher test scores compared to students in
and experienced teachers (AACTE, 2004). non- PDS partnerships. Furthermore, PDSs
Proposed in the early 1990s by the Holmes reduce the pupil-teacher ratio. According to
Group, PDS partnerships have the potential to Levine (2002), ‘‘teacher candidates become fully
make a great impact on the field of education. integrated intoinstructional teams,they takeon
Tomorrow’s Schools: Principals for the Design of responsibilities commensurate with their expe-
Professional Development Schools (Holmes Group, rience and [they] can lighten the load for
1990) proposed school university partnerships— supervising teachers’’ (p. 67). Additionally,
modeling teaching hospitals—that would pro- Houston, et al. (1999) promoted PDS partner-
mote education, research, and professional ships as an avenue for creating higher-quality
development (Harris & Van Tassell, 2005). teachers. Using a consortium of four university
Shortly after the Holmes publication appeared, and three school districts in Texas, Houston, et
PDS partnerships were embraced and encour- al. (1999) compared PDS teachers to their
aged by professional organizations such as the counterparts on several teacher-focused assess-
National Education Association (NEA) and the ments including the Texas test for new teachers
American Federation of Teachers (AFT). In and classroom observations. The study results
2004,TheAmericanAssociationofCollegesfor indicated that on all teacher assessment mea-
Teacher Education (AACTE) promoted PDS sures, PDS teacher candidates outperformed
partnerships as avenues to enhance professional their non-PDS peers.
development of all teachers. The National Much research on PDS partnerships has
Council for Accreditationof Teacher Education examined partners serving as instruments of
(NCATE) recognized the need for professional change in teacher quality. Based on a review of
development schools to improve the quality of extant literature it was clear that not much is
teaching and enhance student achievement. known about the relationship between PDS
NCATE (2001) developed and published the partnerships and leadership roles teachers
following five standards for professional devel- assume to support their schools as learning
opment schools: (a) learning community, (b) organizations. Research has substantiated lead-
accountability and quality assurance, (c) collab- ership is one of the best learning opportunities
oration, (d) diversity and equity, and (e) possible for teachers; specifically, teachers im-
structures, resources, and roles. Furthermore, prove instructional practice and grow in their
in 2008, the National Association for Profes- organizational and decision-making perspectives
sional Development Schools (NAPDS) devel- (Barth, 2001; Ryan, 1999; Smylie, 1994). A
oped nine essentials of what it means to be a study designed to better understand the rela-
professional development school, further sub- tionship among PDS partnerships and teacher
stantiating the importance of PDSs in the leadership would add significantly to this
education community (NAPDS, 2008). research base and to the understanding of
Research in the last fifteen years has teachers as leaders in a PDS. The purpose of
substantiated positive outcomes of PDS partner- this study was to examine one PDS partner-
ships. Research has indicated such partnerships ships’ school’s activities in promoting teacher
result in higher student achievement, reduction leadership. To achieve this purpose we investi-
in pupil-teacher ratios, and higher-quality teach- gated how the principal, teachers, staff, and
er candidates. For example, Pine (2000) found, school context (as a learning community)
overaneight-year period, thatminoritystudents fostered teacher leadership.
in professional development schools met or The concept of teacher leadership has
exceeded average test scores in mathematics, increasingly become a part of educational
science,andreading,comparedtothoseof their reform conversations. Teacher leadership has
more affluent peers in Michigan. Supporting been defined conceptually and operationally in
Pine, Gill and Hoove (2000) found that a variety of ways in the last two decades. To
students enrolled in PDS partnership schools guide the current study we perceive teacher
PDS Partnerships 91
leadership as conceptualized by Childs-Bowen, the research provides an example of NAPDS
Moeller, and Scrivener (2000): ‘‘We believe essentials 3 and 8 role in the development of
teachers are leaders when they function in teachers as leaders in the PDS.
professional learning communities to affect
student learning; contribute to school improve-
Study Site
ment; inspire excellence in practice; and
empower stakeholders to participate in educa-
Housedinametropolitanpublicschooldistrict,
tional improvement’’ (p. 28).
A.C. Smith Elementary (K-5) is an inner-city
school located in the southeastern part of the
United States with ninety-eight percent of its
Standard I for Professional
students qualifying for free or reduced-price
Development Schools
lunch. The school provides Extended School
Services, a before-and-after school program for
A professional development school is a learning
extra educational assistance, and intervention
organization focused on the learning of school programs in mathematics and reading. In
students, novice and veteran teachers and addition, A.C. Smith has a full-time counselor,
university faculty. In order to bring rigor to an on-site school nurse, a social agency
the concept of PDS and support PDS partner- representative, a student support team, Excep-
ships, NCATE developed five PDS Standards. tional Child Education resource teachers, and a
In the current study, we focus on Standard I Jump Start program for early childhood educa-
Learning Community. This standard defines a tion. Jump Start is a program that provides
PDS as a ‘‘learning-centered community that training to college students and volunteers who
supports the integrated learning and develop- work with low-income preschool students.
ment of P-12 students, candidates, and PDS Moreover, it is a district Health Promotion
partners through inquiry-based practices’’ School of Excellence. This is a comprehensive
(NCATE, 2001, p.11). PDS partners share a school health program that provides access to
common vision of teaching and learning health services for parents and students such as
grounded in research and practice. Work and free vision screenings, physical fitness testing,
practiceinthePDSisinquiry-basedandfocused andRedRibbonWeek.Furthermore,manysafe
on learning. Inquiry-based practice is used after-school programs are in place, including
regularly at the classroom, departmental, and orchestra, basketball, cheerleading, and a gov-
school levels to inform decisions about best ernment club.
approaches to teaching and learning. Inquiry- In the fall of 2009, A.C. Smith Elementary
based practice in thePDS is at thecrossroadsof School entered into a PDS partnership with a
professional education reform and school local state university as a part of the university’s
improvement, serving as an instrument of Signature Partnership Initiative (SPI). The goals
change. Because the PDS partners view the of the SPI focus on improving the educational
partnership as integral to their individual attainment level, the health and well-being, and
purposes, the partnership influences change the economic viability of the community. A.C.
(NCATE, 2011). PDS partners develop new Smith is one of five schools identified for
approaches for examining and improving the university-wide support.
practices through integrating partners’ expertise A.C. Smith’s student population draws
and knowledge of practice. Thus, teachers and from a community with the highest poverty
staff assume more leadership functions in levels and lowest parent education levels in the
regards to developing the school as a learning district. Every aspect of the partnership focuses
organization. However, not much is known on supporting the academic growth of A.C.
about how teacher leadership develops in a Smith’s students and on creating a poverty-
PDS; the current study aimed to add such friendlyschool.Inaddition,theprogramtargets
research to the extant literature. Additionally, the university teacher preparation program,
92 BRITTANYD.CARPENTERANDCHRISTINEE.SHERRETZ
ensuring that students taking methods of and staff. The collaborative nature of the
teachingcoursesandstudentteachersareplaced university–school partnership speaks to NAPDS
in an urban setting with a diverse student essential 8 – ‘‘work by college/university and P-
population. The PDS partnership ensures that 12 Faculty in formal roles across the institution-
university faculty and teacher candidates work al settings’’ (NAPDS, 2008, p. 3). Additionally,
together with A.C. Smith administrators and the ongoing professional development for all
teachers to support the academic growth of participants aligns with NAPDS essential 3.
teacher candidates. In a traditional clinical
supervision model, university supervisors may
Research Methods
visit university students two or three times a
semester. In contrast, in this PDS model, a
The current study utilized qualitative research
universityliaisonisattheschoolforthreedaysa
methods to address a research problem associ-
week offering extensive support to university
ated with a phenomenon in a natural school
students. The university partners with many
setting. The aim of the study was to understand
schools to offer a clinical model but only A.C.
school participants’ experiences; thus, a qualita-
Smith has a PDS model that promotes a
tive case-study design best informed the study’s
collective responsibility for teacher training.
research question (Creswell, 2008). Specifically,
Additionally, resources across the school-
this study aimed to understand and provide a
university settings are consistently shared. Hu-
broad description of how professional develop-
manresourcesaresharedbybothuniversityand ment activities foster teacher leadership at the
PDS faculty. One university faculty member elementarylevelusingasinglecase,thatofA.C.
serves as the liaison at the PDS and has a 20 Smith Elementary School.
percent allocation of time across the academic A purposeful sampling design was utilized
yeardedicatedtoworkconductedwiththePDS. to gain, discover, and understand the PDS
Additionally, a university instructor works with partnership practice at the selected site. Specif-
a cohort of teachers seeking National Board for ically, a nomination technique (Hunter, 1953)
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certi- delineated staff members who actively fostered
fication. Monetary resources are also shared leadership practices within the school. All
between partners. During the 2010–2011 aca- participants took part in the case study for six
demic year, the PDS university supported six months beginning in October 2009 and
teachers to enable their participation in the concluding in March 2010. Interviews, focused
NBPTS process. Furthermore, physical resourc- observations, focus groups, and an analysis of
es are frequently shared. The PDS offers space documents were all employed to help reveal the
for the university to host professional develop- ways in which the school promoted teacher
ment sessions, seminars, meetings, and presen- leadership.
tations. First, researchers conducted semi-structured
A.C. Smith Elementary was chosen as the interviews with the principal and staff, record-
site for this study for many reasons, all centered ing the interviews using a digital audio recorder
on school staff’s opportunities to grow as and taking written notes. All school and
leaders. First, the university has provided participant identifiers were removed with pseu-
support for professional development for the donyms assigned to the data during transcrip-
teachers and extended services to the students. tion. Researchers used the study’s purpose as a
Second, as a PDS, the staff and teachers guide to develop interview protocols (see
consistently work with university partners in Appendix A). Researchers interviewed the
conducting research, providing professional school principal on two occasions. The first
development, and working to mentor student interviewwasconductedatthebeginningof the
and pre-service teachers. Third, previous school study with an interview protocol identical to
observations have indicated a diffusion of that used with the staff members. The princi-
leadershiproles among teachers, administrators, pal’ssecondinterviewwasconductedattheend
PDS Partnerships 93
Table1. Emergent Themes
Theme Definition
Opportunities forprofessional Gives teachers theknowledge, skills,and confidence tobecome leaders
development themselves.
Co-teaching Teachers in the caseschoolwereactively involved inteaching andcoaching
otherteachers in thebuilding.
Collective teacher efficacy Speaks to theteachers’ perceptions that the facultyasawhole hasa positive
impactonstudent achievement.
of thestudytoclarifyemergingthemesfoundin incidents of the emerged themes; (d) discover
staff interviews (see Appendix B). Staff inter- any existing relationships between themes; and
views were conducted with those identified by (e) code the data according to emergent themes.
peers as leaders in the school: the school’s The steps of the constant comparative method
literacy coach, a first-grade resource teacher, the occur simultaneously during data collection
Culture/Climate/and Communications Chair, until themes are saturated. To ensure trustwor-
the family resource coordinator, the science thinessofthedatacollected,wetriangulatedthe
coordinator, and the writing coordinator. The data (Bogdan & Biklen, 2003; Maxwell, 1996);
same questions were asked of all participants. specifically,thiswasdonetocheckthevalidityof
Second, researchers observed staff members assumptions and explore alternate possibilities
and the principal as he or she conducted his or and interpretations.
her daily routines, with special attention given
to times when the principal and staff intention-
Findings
ally engaged in leadership behaviors (i.e.,
facilitating morning meetings and committee
The study investigated how the principal,
meetings). The field notes consisted of detailed,
teachers, staff, and school as a learning
concrete descriptions of what had been ob-
community fostered teacher leadership. From
served, including a map of the layout of the
information gathered during the interviews, the
room and where participants sat.
observations, document analysis, and focus
Third, one focus group was conducted
group, three themes emerged: (1) opportunity
during the research project. The focus group
for professional development, (2) co-teaching,
consisted of six teachers who were all working
and (3) a sense of collective teacher efficacy.
onNationalBoardCertification.Theseteachers
These themes are defined in Table 1.
were deemed leaders in the building by
providing professional development, chairing
Opportunities for Professional
committees, and/or serving as mentor teachers
Development
bysupervisingteachingmethodscoursestudents
and student teachers from the partnering Research shows that schools in which teachers
university (see Appendix C). have strong professional communities that in-
Fourth, researchers collected handouts, clude ongoing teacher learning have higher
newsletters, emails, and meeting minutes to student achievement gains than do schools with
supplement the interviews, observations, and weaker professional communities (Conzemius &
focus group in order to gather data for content O’Neill,2001;Lewis,2002;Reeves,2002;Waters,
analysis. The review of documents took place Marzano, & McNulty, 2003), which reflects the
simultaneously with observations. first theme uncovered in the current study. An
The study employed the constant compara- emergent theme from this study indicated that
tive method explained by Glaser (1978). The teachersweregiventheopportunitytoparticipate
steps in this method include the following in professional development that, in turn, gave
activities:(a)begindatacollection;(b)groupthe teachers the knowledge, skills, and confidence to
data into themes; (c) collect data that provide then become educational leaders within the
94 BRITTANYD.CARPENTERANDCHRISTINEE.SHERRETZ
school. Many of these opportunities have oc- teachers also serves as the chair of the Demon-
curred as a result of support from the local strationSiteTeam,acommitteethatanalyzesand
university partnership. The PDS partners collec- monitors the progress of students struggling in
tively ensure the professional development expe- reading. This committee examines the needs of
riencesarerelevant,innovative,andconnectedto the whole child including academic, social, and
the goals of the school. Prior to becoming an medical issues.
officialPDS,A.C.Smithhadseventeacherswho The statewide writing project is a network
participatedinastatewidereadingprojectandfive focused on developing teacher leaders in the
that participated in a statewide writing project. area of writing. It seeks to help improve the
AftertheformalizationofthePDS,moreteachers writing skills of students in primary grades
weregiven theopportunity to participateinboth through college by preparing teachers who work
professional development initiatives. Because of
with their own students and with other teachers
thehumanandmonetaryresourcesofthePDS,a
during the following school year in their own
National Board for Professional Teaching Stan-
and other schools. Since the inception of the
dards cohort was established, and partnerships
partnership,tenteachersatthecasestudyschool
with the university focused on conducting action
have participated in this writing project, with
research were offered toteachers.
more teachers now registered to attend the next
The statewide reading project is a profes-
session. The state writing project has worked
sional development initiative for elementary
with teachers at the school to provide and
teachers funded by the state. Teachers apply
promote professional developmental in writing.
fortheprojectandmusthaveatleastoneyearof
Teachers have received graduate-level credit,
teaching experience to participate. Each state
participated in study groups, and attended in-
university holds a two-week institute in the
school professional development and mini-
summer where teams of teachers are immersed
conferences. Statewide writing project teachers
in research-based best practices in literacy
arekeyleadersintheschool’swritinginitiatives.
instruction. Twenty teachers on site have
For example, the graduates of this program
participated in this professional development
make up the writing committee at the school
opportunityandreceivedgraduatecredit.Atthe
and offer professional development opportuni-
suggestion of the principal, this reading project
ties for other schools within the district. This
now is held at the case study school. Teachers
committee helps to set writing goals for the
participating in the reading project created a
school, works on curriculum alignment, and
Literacy Action Plan for their classroom or
provides professional development at their
school,implementedtheirplansduringtheyear,
school and throughout the district.
and worked with the university directors who
Another opportunity for professional devel-
providedsupport andcoachingduring sitevisits
opment that has been established is aiding
to each teacher’s classroom.
teachers to become national board-certified
Evidence of the effects of this professional
teachers. Seven teachers on the site are national
development was apparent during data collec-
tion.Forexample,teacherswho hadparticipated board-certified teachers (NBCT) through the
in the reading project developed a Books for a National Board for Professional Teaching Stan-
Buck program in which students could purchase dards. The NBPTS cohort was established as an
books for a dollar. The goal of this program was avenue to foster teacher leadership. When asked
toprovidestudentswithaccesstobooksathome. how being in the NBPTS cohort has prepared
Books for a Buck started as a class assignment in them to be leaders, many group members
the statewide reading project and has continued explained that the process made them cognizant
because of its success. Two teachers who that they were already leaders on an informal
participated in the statewide reading project are level. One teacher said, ‘‘It has helped re-
now master teachers in special intervention emphasizethatwearealreadyleaders.Wealready
classrooms for struggling readers. One of the have leadership positions in the school. I realize
PDS Partnerships 95
morewhatIamdoingbecauseIamwritingabout pre-reading strategies, behavioral interventions,
it. I’m focusing on my impact on students.’’ mathematics strategies related to the Common
Further, teachers and staff have opportuni- Core Standards, and using Reader’s Notebooks.
ties to participate in research activities ranging The aforementioned examples offered opportu-
from collection and analysis of data, writing of nities for teachers to gain professional develop-
research, and presenting research to others. For ment not offered to many other schools. The
example, two fourth grade teachers are collab- teachers then shared what they learned with
orating with local university facultyonthe study other teachers in the building through the
of the effectiveness of an innovative way of Marvelous Mondays and Fun Fridays frame-
teachingvocabulary.Thesetwoteachersarenow work.
providing professional development on vocabu- Marvelous Mondays professional develop-
lary strategies to their colleagues at the school. ment opportunities are offered at least once a
Other projects include fourth grade teachers monthafterschool.FabulousFridaysareheldin
working with faculty and university students on themorningbeforeschoolbegins,andtheytake
a writing resiliency project, studying the effec- place at least once a month. To address gaps in
tiveness of using reading notebooks to improve knowledge, staff target specific professional
comprehension and evaluating the effectiveness development initiatives. Teachers who are
of a mathematics intervention program. experts in specified areas are asked to lead the
professionaldevelopmentseminars.Examplesof
this included teachers modeling the writing
Co-Teaching
process, teaching vocabulary strategies, and
A second theme that emerged was that teachers training colleagues on reading assessments. An
inthecasestudyschoolwereactivelyinvolvedin important aspect of the professional develop-
teaching each other. Most of the professional ment is that following the experience teachers
development in the school was not provided by have the opportunity to go back to their
classrooms and practice. Teachers are directed
the school district or other outside sources, but
to their peers to ask questions and receive
was given by the teachers themselves. Spillane,
support. The literacy coach explained these
Diamond, and Jita (2003) have reported that
processes in the following way:
teachers appreciate and value peers who dem-
onstrate teaching expertise. These teachers are
We do our reading assessment training
valuedasleadersbyworkingwithcolleaguesand where we [instructional coaching team
gaining the respect of their peers. Leadership members] train teachers; they go back and
was gained informally through peer relation- practice the assessment in their classrooms
ships and interactions. and come back with questions. We use
Mondays and Fridays include established [these] as opportunities for teams to meet
times for teachers to share ideas about instruc- together and create assessments that are
teambasedandthatwillworkbestfortheir
tional practices. Specifically, Marvelous Mon-
students’ needs.
days and Fun Fridays aretimes designed for any
teacher to share best instructional practices, Atothertimes,teachershavesoughtoutthe
professional development in writing or reading, principaltoseewhethertheycouldleadPDona
andotherinformationaboutparticularmethods specific strategy, an activity, or an idea that was
working in classrooms. Marvelous Mondays and working in their classroom. Many times this
FunFridayswerebothestablishedoneyearprior might include the teacher’s modeling a strategy
to the start of the PDS. After the PDS was or offering to have other teachers observe the
started, university faculty was utilized to com- strategy or skill. The literacy coach made the
plement the instruction given by classroom followingcommentabouttheeffectthishashad
teachers. For example, university faculty con- onteachers:‘‘Wehaveteacherswhovolunteerto
ducted professional development related to do professional development sessions. I think it
effective ways to teach Guided Reading, using is just building confidence, and I think it is
96 BRITTANYD.CARPENTERANDCHRISTINEE.SHERRETZ
encouraging people to take the initiative when group data. According to Spillane, Diamond,
they have an idea.’’ and Jita (2003), teachers appreciate and value
Marvelous Mondays and Fun Fridays are peerswhoworkwithcolleaguesanddemonstrate
both examples of teachers teaching teachers. teaching expertise. Teachers are valued as leaders
These two examples demonstrated how teachers by working with colleagues and gaining the
were given extensive professional development respectoftheirpeers.AtA.C.Smith,allteachers
because of the resources of the PDS. This are identified as having expertise in a field,
professional development helped teachers to practice, or topic. The principal summarized this
increase their senses of self-efficacy. Instead of idea in the following way:
seeking outside sources for training, the school
Together we assess the needs and gaps in
utilizedthehumanresourcesinthebuildingthat
our faculty knowledge and look for the
was self-actualized through the resources offered
‘‘gold nuggets’’ in folks. When I [the
through the professional development school. principal] do teacher evaluations, I have a
piece on what I would like to encourage
them to be an expert in, because I already
Collective Teacher Efficacy
see the capability and expertise in them.
Athirdthemethatemergedwascollectiveteacher
Furthermore, the Instructional Coaching
efficacy (Bandura, 1997). Specifically, the staff
Committee (ICC) gathers weekly to discuss
expressedthattogethertheyorganizeandexecute
student achievement, leading efforts to support
coursesofactiontheybelievewillpositivelyaffect
the advancement of best instructional practices
students’ educational outcomes—supporting the
and schoolinitiatives.The ICCteamis made up
belief that as teachers they make a difference.
of classroom teachers, the school social worker,
Researchhassubstantiatedlinksbetweenstudent
special area teachers, and the school administra-
achievementandcollectiveteacherefficacywithin
tor. As a team, the committee members analyze
a school (Bandura 1993; Goddard, Hoy, &
information to determine the best next steps for
Woolfolk, 2000). Additionally, Brinson and
individual students. During observations of the
Steiner(2007)reportedcollectiveteacherefficacy
ICC meetings, a school data board was often
linkedtocreatingaworkenvironmentthatbuilds
discussed. During such meetings, committee
teacher commitment to a school. This commit-
members expresseda belief inteacherscollective-
ment to the school in turn fosters teachers’
lyleadingeffortstoimprovestudentreadingand,
eagerness for professional development opportu-
specifically, moving students from a low-perform-
nities, as well as for teaching each other, as
ing to a high-performing level. Content analysis
illustrated in the case study school.
of interviews revealed that the data board was
The majority of the teachers interviewed
used as a tool to promote collective teacher
expressedacollectiveperceptionthatteachersin
efficacy,anideatheliteracycoachhaddiscovered
the school make an educational difference by atanationalReadingFirstConference.Thedata
becoming informal leaders. The staff shares in board was used as a tool to publicly post,
the challenges the school faces and in the tasks celebrate, and diagnose achievement areas for
that must be completed. The family resource growth. Every child’s progress had a place
coordinatorstatedthefollowingtoillustratethis designatedonthedataboardandwasmonitored
point: ‘‘We are all here for the same reason; we consistently. All teachers made reference to the
all believe in the same purpose. We know each data board and assumed responsibility for
child will learn, and it is my responsibility as a posting and analyzing their classroom data, as
leader in doing so [helping each child learn].’’ well as school data. Teachers also used the data
Through a shared sense of learning, the saying, board to determine what professional develop-
‘‘Ittakesavillagetoraiseachild,’’wasevidentin menttheyneededtolearnmoreaboutsuccessful
the teachers’ comments. interventions. Many teachers commented during
The idea of collective teacher efficacy is very interviews that this kind of analysis of student
apparentintheinterview,observation,andfocus work and progress leads to confidence in the
PDS Partnerships 97
informal leaders’ work in helping to attain the manyprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesfor
school’s educational outcomes. teachers and gave teachers opportunities to
Additionally,content analysisof themeeting participate in research and university training.
minuteswascompletedforaweeklyInstructional Theuniversitywas abletoofferhuman resources
Leadership Team Committee. This committee such as faculty to do training, provide research,
meets monthly to determine the school needs in and work side-by-side with teachers on action
regards to curriculum, instruction, and assess- research.Additionally,theuniversityofferedfiscal
ment. The committee is comprised of classroom resources. For example, monies for the National
teachers, the school’s reading specialist, and the Board Cohort were paidby theuniversity. Other
principal. Committee minutes and observational professional development that would normally
notesindicatedanemphasisoncreatinga school cost schools, such as money to pay consultants,
environment where teachers can become leaders was offered free of charge toteachers.
inimprovingskillsandknowledgeincurriculum, Through teacher interviews and observa-
assessment, and instruction. The committee tions, it was revealed that A.C. Smith provides
expressed its commitment to raising and encour- teachers with opportunities to participate in
aging all teachers’ capacities. Whether through seminars, problem-solving groups, reflection,
PD, coaching, or feedback cycles, all teachers inquiry, and skills development activities. For
were provided opportunities to become leaders. example, through observations of the school’s
As a result, teachers in the school began to ‘‘roll Instructional Coaching Team and Instructional
uptheirsleevesandgetthejobdone’’(Schechter LeadershipTeammeetingsallschoolstaffactively
& Tschannen-Moran, 2006, p. 480). As the engaged in the meeting dialogue by asking
family resource coordinator stated, ‘‘We work questions and offering suggestions for school
really hard here, and no one is out on an island. improvement.AtSmith,workingtogetherserved
We work together here.’’ as a tool for learning and knowledge growth. As
expressed by a fourth-grade teacher, ‘‘All of our
Conclusion committeesareintertwined,andwehavetowork
with each other to get things accomplished.’’
Professional development schools are learning- A.C. Smith’s learning environment promot-
centered organizations that support integrated ing teacher leadership was further revealed
learninganddevelopmentofschoolstudentsand through the use of motivational language heard
teachers(Levine,2002;NCATE,2001).Through throughout the school. Specifically, during
PDSpartnerships,newapproachesforexamining repeated observations of the instructional
and improving practices are gained through leadership team, researchers often noted the
integrating partners’ expertise and knowledge of principal’s and teachers’ use of language
practice. As a result, teachers are assuming more creating a community of trust and confidence,
leadership functions in regardsto developing the which was supported through interview data.
schoolasalearningorganization.Thisalignswith Theprincipalwasoftenquotedassayingphrases
PDS partnerships potentially serving as instru- such as ‘‘empower teachers’’ and ‘‘all of us sit at
ments for teacher leadership, as evidenced at the table.’’ More specifically, the principal,
A.C. Smith Elementary. This alignment is a during a follow-up interview observed, ‘‘Teach-
result of the ongoing professional development ers share in our responsibilities, successes, and
and collaborative nature of the college/university failures ... all have input on getting it right.’’
faculty and P-12 faculty, which are two of the Moreover, the schools’ information-sharing
required essentialsofbeing aPDSasreported by process further substantiated the school as a
NAPDS. learning community that supports teachers as
Theideaofteachersbeingleadersatthestudy leaders. For example, every Monday and Friday
sitewasnotperceivedaspurposefullyplannedby there are established times for teachers to share
administrationbutratherappearedtoemanateas ideas about best instructional practices and
the PDS grew and deepened. The PDS offered professional development in writing and/or
98 BRITTANYD.CARPENTERANDCHRISTINEE.SHERRETZ
reading. According to Spillane et al. (2004), this PDSs are also learning organizations in
type of information-sharing supports a commu- which partners share the common goals of
nityofpeercommunicationandbreaksdownthe preparing quality teachers and other school
typical‘‘eggcarton’’structure,ultimatelyfostering personnel through participation in seminars,
teacher leadership practices. In so-called egg problem-solving groups, reflection, inquiry,
carton structures, teachers are traditionally isolat- skills development activities, and college and
ed within their classrooms, eliminating the graduate level classes. Study findings indicated
opportunity to discuss or participate in the such PDS partnership activities encourage
instructional practices within their school. Orga- teachers to assume leadership functions to
nizational structures fostering teacher leadership improve their schools’ teaching and instruction-
were also supported by the data presented in the al strategies for student growth.
currentstudy’sthemeofteachersco-teachingand Accountability for learning in PDS is no
collective teacher efficacy. longerthesoleresponsibilityoftheprincipal.In
Furthermore, teacher leadership at the a learning community, a teacher’s role expands
school is promoted informally through peer from one’s classroom to the entire school.
relationships and interactions emphasizing the Teachers, staff, and administrators can collec-
culture of the teachers working together as a tively work toward a common goal contributing
whole. We argue that without teacher leader- to the schools success as a PDS. NAPDs
ship, Smith would be another example of the essentials3and8contributetothedevelopment
traditional egg carton structure, with leadership of teachers as leaders. Additionally, such a
being offered solely by the principal. context empowers teachers; specifically, teachers
begin to take on more responsibility to mentor
Implications or coach each other and advocate for their
profession and students. The current study
In 2004, NCATE promoted PDS partnerships demonstrated that PDS partnerships potentially
as a way to increase professional development serve as instruments for teachers to become
for teachers that in turn enhanced student leaders. Ultimately, such an approach increases
achievement. Additionally, in 2008, NAPDS the likelihood of enabling higher quality
released nine essentials of what it means to be a teachers, improving students’ achievement, and
PDS.Specifically,PDSpartnershipactivitiescan creating better schools.
give teachers the opportunity to become leaders
in a school community, as evidenced by the
Appendix A
work being done at A.C. Smith Elementary.
Study findings showed that the resources of the Interview Protocol for All School Staff
PDS helped to contribute to teachers gaining
theconfidenceandprofessionaldevelopmentto 1. Can you tell me a little about your role?
beleadersinthebuilding.Forexample,teachers 2. What committees are you involved with?
frequently offer to lead professional develop- 3. Can you tell me a little bit about the
ment for university students and share their Student Support Team & Student Re-
sponse Team?
knowledge and expertise in university classes.
4. In your view, can you speak a little to
Teachers work with university student teachers
leadership practices at your school?
on best reading practices by offering resources,
5. Who in your mind fosters such leadership
modeling strategies, and observing and giving
practices and why?
feedback. The principal also offers his time to
6. I want to you think about the term
meet with pre-service teachers, attend confer-
distributedleadership,whatdoesthatmean
encesandmeetings,andcollaboratewithfaculty
here at Smith Elementary?
on research and program initiatives. Dedicating 7. Who doyou believeare key personnel here
human resources to maintaining the PDS has at the school that foster distributed leader-
been essential to its success. ship or who advocates for it?