Using research-based practices a principal preparation program located in Texas restructured its practicum activities. Funded by a research grant, sponsored by Academic Partnerships, three coherently sequenced field activities, were developed and mandated as part of the practicum. These activities were performed by principal preparation candidates…

The 21st century and its many challenges (invasion of digital technology, climate change, health crises, political crises, etc.) alert us that we need new educational responses, led by new education professionals. Research has shown that for these professionals to change in a substantial and profound way, they must change their identity, that is,…

This article draws on qualitative data collected in New Zealand over a 6-month period to examine how participants in and involved with TeachFirst New Zealand (TFNZ) rely on notions of grit and resilience to explain the underachievement of their Maori and Pasifika students. I aim to illustrate that participants face pressure not only to instill…

The task of guiding the development of scholar-practitioners as leaders for social justice is inherently challenging. The dissertation journey, unlike any other journey practitioner-based doctoral students face in urban school settings, provides a steep learning curve as they transition from practitioner to scholar-practitioner. This journey…

Background/Context: The challenges documented in the literature on research-practice partnerships and similar school-university collaborations are outlined in the literature review in this issue. Yet only a collaboration among multiple educational and community organizations could create a synergy powerful enough to achieve the multifaceted goals…

This case explores the first two years of the Lorreltag Partnership Initiative (LPI), an urban, community-5 school-university partnership. It provides a history of the community and elucidates key factors influencing partnership development. The case relies on the perspectives of a community leader, a university faculty member, a new principal,…

The focus of this chapter is on the evidence to date that documents the impact of PDS engagement on four specific groups of participants: veteran P-12 teachers, university faculty, P-12 school principals, and parents and community members. In reviewing the literature concerning the impact of PDS engagement on these four groups, the authors'…

In this article we investigate educational leadership as a site of practice, utilising the notion of "practice architectures" as our lens. The latter shifts Etienne Wenger's more individualising notion of 'learning architectures' to a broader study of the systems and organisations that prefigure educational practices and potentially,…

This study will be presented to university education programs, Professional Development Schools, cooperating teachers, preservice teachers, and administrators who are part of the practicum experience. This study concentrated on looking at the perceptions of cooperating teachers about the practicum in preparing preservice teachers to meet the needs…

This collection of eight essays focus on the role of caring and nurturance in elementary, secondary, and higher education. They include: (1) "From Caretaker to Caregiving: Divergent Perspectives Upon Teachers of the Handicapped" (Doris M. Kendrick); (2) "Conceptions of Caring in a Fourth-Grade Classroom" (Dwight L. Rogers); (3)…

Based on research studies of effective staff development and rural education, the Inservice Leadership Team (ILT) was designed to identify key teachers in school buildings, team them with principals and central office staff, and train the team to design, deliver, and evaluate staff development at the school level. Rural Pennsylvania school staff,…

These 19 papers present the voices of researchers and their work on Professional Development Schools: (1) "The Status of Early Theories of Professional Development School Potential" (C. Mantle-Bromley); (2) "Implementing and Researching Teacher Education Programs in PDSs: A Focus on Authenticity" (Gay Goodman); (3)…

A discussion of partnerships between schools and colleges to improve education focuses on the roles of college presidents and school superintendents, governing bodies, school administrators, faculty, parents, business and community leaders, students, consultants, and advisory committees in successful cooperative efforts. Parallels with industrial…