Abdal-Haqq Teacher Development in PDS

Abdal-Haqq, I. (1998). Professional development schools: Weighing the evidence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Chapter 1: Teacher Development in Professional Development School Settings

Preservice Preparation
- Program Features and Practices
  - Comparison of PDS to traditional programs:
    - "Incorporates earlier, longer, and more structured clinical experiences (Fountain & Evans, 1994; Hecht, Bland, School, & Boschert, 1996; Trachtman, 1996)
    - Involves school-based faculty to a greater degree in the design and implementation of coursework and field experiences (Trachtman, 1996)
    - Is more likely to be a postbaccalaureate program (Lyons, 1996)
    - Provides more frequent and sustained supervision and feedback (Fountain & Evans, 1994; Hayes & Wetherill, 1996)
    - Employs more varied assessment strategies, including portfolios and other performance assessment mechanisms (Houston et al., 1995; Lyons, 1996)
    - Exposes students to more diverse, authentic learning experiences (Rasch & Finch, 1996)
    - Strives to be more supportive, reflective, and empowering (Lieberman & Miller, 1992) (pp. 13-14)."

Preservice Outcomes

Recent Research

The Professional Development School Standards Project

Trachtman (1996): They spend more time in the field than traditional programs.

They are "...more immersed in the daily life of the school."

"These preservice teachers add value to the classroom and the school by providing additional services to students and permitting inservice teachers to engage in alternative professional work (p. 17)."

They are engaged in teacher research.

"Sites reported that graduates appear to begin their professional careers with greater knowledge and more skills than their peers; they have greater understanding of diversity and the nonacademic needs of students; they are more committed and self-confident and are more likely to reach out to others and participate in schoolwide activities (p. 18)."

The Teachers College of Emporia State University

Long (1996): PDS interns have greater self-efficacy.

"...PDS interns generally demonstrated a favorable level of competence and employed classroom management techniques endorsed by both experienced classroom teachers and university faculty (p. 19)."

University of North Carolina - Wilmington

Hayes & Wetherill (1996)

"Findings related to preservice preparation indicate that public school personnel consider program graduates to be better prepared for the role of teacher and teacher leader. Interns perceived themselves to be more capable as a result of the program than they would have been in other programs (p. 20)."

Supervision in a PDS incorporates:

"Skill development by supervisors

A developmental approach to supervision

A more reflective and critical examination of teaching focus

More individualized supervisory strategies (p. 20)."

PDS interns show strengths in: "Strong performance areas included classroom management, knowledge and use of varied classroom strategies, and planning (p. 20)."

They displayed an inquiry stance. (Abdal-Haqq did not use that term to describe Hayes & Wetherill's findings. I applied that term after reading the description.)

According to administrators, graduates of PDSs are "...more positive role models for risk taking and employing innovating strategies; they contributed to a positive collaborative school climate and to the schools' renewal efforts (p. 21)."

Professional Development

Program Features and Practices

"First, teachers themselves participate to a larger degree in the design, focus, and implementation of professional development activities (p. 21)."

"It places teachers at the center of school change and renewal and aims to produce teachers who are not only skilled practitioners but who also have the capacity to function as change agents (Crow et al., 1996)."

Definition of a "boundary spanner": They are both university and school based personnel who "...cross conventional lines of demarcation between school and university cultures and/or between roles within a particular culture (Teitel, 1997b) (p. 22)."

"...clinical educators are exemplary classroom teachers who hold 2-year joint assignments... (p. 23)" with the university and the local school district. Clinical educator = hybrids (in my mind). "Resident clinical faculty (RCFs) are exemplary classroom teachers who also hold 2-year joint university-school district appointments (p. 23)." RCFs = hybrids (in my mind).

Professional Development Outcomes

Impact of a PDS on mentors:

"More willingness to take instructional risks and experiment with new content and approaches (Houston Consortium, 1996)

Being intellectually stimulated and energized by exposure to new ideas; opportunities to conduct school-based research; and collegial interaction with peers, preservice teachers, and university faculty (Trachtman, 1996)

Growth from engaging in nontraditional roles (Collinson et al., 1994; Wiseman & Cooner, 1996)

Less isolation (Ariav & Clinard, 1996; Barba et al., 1993)

Less powerlessness (Crow et al., 1996; Neufeld & McGowan, 1993)

Improvements in their classroom practice (Crow et al., 1996; Houston Consortium, 1996)

A greater feeling of professionalism (Morris & Nunnery, 1993) (p. 24)."

"Professional development schools vary in their attention to the training and support teachers may need to function effectively in these new roles (p. 25)."

"The most common accommodation is providing coursework or seminars on supervision or mentoring (Ariav & Clinard, 1996), although it is not uncommon for teachers to assume these responsibilities with little or no training or orientation (Newman et al., 1996) (pp. 25 - 26)."

"In addition, without an adequate communication infrastructure within the partnership, these teacher leaders may find themselves adrift and floundering (Hecht et al., 1996)." (Our PDS may contradict this statement.)

Recent Research

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee/Milwaukee Public Schools

Jett-Simposon, Pugach, and Whipp (1992): Their study found that the environment created in the schools through a PDS was more receptive to change. The environment was more supportive and more positive.

The Learning-Teaching Collaborative

Boles & Troen (1994): "The eight teachers who were interviewed for the study indicated that PDS nurtured teacher leadership, leadership activities grew naturally out of professional interests and working teams, teaching practices changed significantly, and professional relationships improved (p. 28)."

University of Utah - Salt Lake City

Bullough, Jr. et al., (1997b): "However, reported changes in reflection and teaching practices did not appear to affect teachers' views that teory is of limited value to teacher candidates when compared to the practical experience gained from student teaching. Teachers implicitly advocated the apprenticeship model of teacher education... (p. 29)."

Lacunae

"Although some data and anecdotal information can be found, it is insufficient to buttress claims that PDSs in general produce teachers who are more employable or proficient (p. 29)." This statement contradicts that which is found in the table above. Abdal-Haqq is making a statement then about such studies.

Abdal-Haqq calls for PDS research on student achievement and neglected voices (students, parents, and community members).

Resources:

Abdal-Haqq, I. (in press). Preparing teachers for urban schools: A report on the Teachers for Tomorrow program. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

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Ariav, T., & Clinard, L. M. (1996, July). Does coaching student teachers affect the professional development and teaching of cooperating teachers? A cross-cultural perspective. Paper presented at the Second International Conference of the Mofet Institute, Isreal.

Barba, R., Seideman, I., Schneider, H., & Mera, M. (1993). School of Education Secondary Teacher Education Program. Professional Development Schools Project. Status report. Unpublished manuscript. School of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy. (1986). A nation prepared: Teachers for the 21st century. Washington, DC: Author.

Collinson, V., Hohenbrink, J., Sherrill, J., & Bible, R. (1994). Changing context for changing roles: Teachers as learners and leaders in universities, professional development schools, and school districts. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Chicago.

Crow, N., Stokes, D., Kauchak, D., Hobbs, S., & Bullough, Jr., R. V. (1996, April). Masters cooperative program: An alternative model of teacher development in PDS sites. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York.

Fountain, C., & Evans, D. (1994). Beyond shared rhetoric: A collaborative change model for integrating preservice and inservice urban educational delivery systems. Journal of Teacher Education, 45, 218-228.

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Houston Consortium of Professional Development. 1996, April). ATE Newsletter, p. 7.

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Lieberman, A., & Miller, L. (1992). Teacher development in professional practice schools. In M. Levine (Ed.), Professional practice schools: Linking teacher education and school reform (pp. 105-123). New York: Teachers College Press.

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Rasch, K., & Finch, M. E. (1996). Who are our partners? Reconceptualizing teaching and stewardship. In T. Warren (Ed.), Partnerships in teacher education (pp. 135-142). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

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Trachtman, R. (1996). The NCATE professional development school study: A survey of 28 PDS sites. Unpublished manuscript. (Available from Professional Development School Standards Project, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Washington, DC 20036)

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