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From Contemporary Education
FOR many years, the dichotomy between the "ivory tower" of the university and the "trenches" of the public school has been both an ideological perception and a reality. Although they are natural partners in preparation and professional development of educators, only a limited number of models of successful school/university partnerships were available until recent growth in professional development schools (PDSs).
The University of Houston-Clear Lake, local school districts, business and industry, and community colleges became involved in the PDS movement in 1992 as a response to an initiative from the Texas Educational Agency (TEA) to create Centers for Professional Development and Technology. The resulting project was christened the Teacher Education Advancing Academic Achievement Model.
The TEAM collaborative name represented not only our desired endproduct of a quality teacher-education program, but also the process of collaboration that characterized our association. A social system which incorporates mutual trust and shared goals is rare and precious, and the TEAM collaborative members have been committed to working together within such a structure.
Here we will contrast two schools in the TEAM collaborative from the beginning. In School A, being part of a PDS has been broadly embraced by the teachers; the collaboration has become an integral part of the school climate. In School B, it is viewed as a program for teachers with student teachers assigned but certainly not as a concept permeating the entire school. Despite structural similarities between the two schools, there were significant differences in how each approached the collaborative.
initiative for participating. For School A, the initiative for joining the collaborative came from the building principal, an acknowledged instructional leader in that school. In School B, participation was initiated and strongly encouraged by the district assistant-superintendent.
School-wide representation at the beginning. School A invited one teacher representing each academic team to participate in the initial organization meetings with the clear understanding that each representative was to report back to the team following each meeting. School B selected a group of teachers who were recognized leaders in the school but who did not necessarily represent or report to all of its teachers.
The principal's role. School A's building principal took a central role in development and administration of the collaborative, supporting involvement...