School-University Collaboration for Reform in California: The DELTA Project

From University To School: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers For The Real World

“…Similar observations have been made in the USA, where poor student achievement prompted an urgent call to more closely link university and school experiences, so that student teachers gain a more accurate picture of current classroom conditions, whilst classroom teachers have input into the planning, implementation of programs of undergraduate teacher education (Maxon & Schwartz, 2001). At the local level, Australian research over the past two decades, also produced several reports that recommend more functional partnerships between the university and the school (Luke & Matters, 2002;Ramsay, 2002).…”

“…For several years now, education research has recommended that teacher preparation programs require substantial reconceptualisation to enable closer links to the real world of teachers (Bassett, 1978;Board of Teacher Registration, 1987;Eltis, 1991;Ramsay, 2000;Maxon & Schwartz, 2001). Developments in the United Kingdom since the early 1990"s included the establishment of a government directed Teacher Training Agency that has overseen the restructure of teacher education to a shared responsibility between universities and schools.…”

“…For several years, educational researchers have suggested that the key to the transformation of teacher preparation is in the development and maintenance of authentic partnerships with the school community (Bottey, 1996; Sinclaire, 1997; Cochran - Smith, 1998;Battersby & Ebbutt, 1999;Maxon & Schwartz, 2001). This concept has been taken up in the United Kingdom where, since the early 1990"s school-based teacher education programs have flourished in a climate where teachers are considered equal partners with universities, in the provision of pre-service programs (Board of Teacher Registration, 1994).…”

University/Elementary School Partnerships in Physical Education: Strategies and Benefits

“…During the past decade, numerous university teacher preparation programs have created partnerships with local school districts to provide field-based experiences for future teachers (Ambrose, Natale, Murphey & Schumacher, 1999;Etzel-Wise & Mears, 2004;Glow & Sperhac, 2003;Gottlieb, Keogh, Jonas, Grunbaum, Walters, Fee, Saunders & Baldyga, 1999;Harper& Sadler, 2003;Jenkins, Eman & Black, 2002;Kirkwood, 1999;Maxson & Schwartz, 2001;Rothstein, 2002). In addition to student teaching, these programs have incorporated structured field experiences early in teacher education coursework, often at schools identified as exemplary.…”

Staff-wide Mentoring of Pre-service Teachers: Benefits and Barriers

“…Others noted that the partnerships promoted teacher professionalism, development of mentor teachers (Harriman, 1998), and staff collegiality (Richardson, 1998). Researchers suggest that educational partnerships improve both initial teacher preparation and professional development for veteran teachers (Himel, Hall, Henderson, & Floyd, 2000;Maxson & Schwartz, 2001) and revitalizes veteran teachers by decreasing their isolation (Sandholtz & Dadlez 2000). Factors hindering schoolcollege collaborations were: time commitment (Clarken, 1999), conflicting dual role relationships (Vare, 1997), and lack of support in central administrative governance structures (Hackmann & Berry, 1994).…”