Includes a chapter by John I. Goodlad Dick Clark presents a comprehensive and vital view of the role that professional development schools bring to today’s educational renewal efforts. He offers valuable insights and thoughtful perceptions about the realistic potential that a quality professional development school can bring to learning at many levels. -Richard C. Kunkel, Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and dean, College of Education, Auburn University; executive director, The Holmes Partnership This book draws on years of watching the development of professional development schools and provides tools, critical lenses, and models for our consideration. It will help all of us involved reach toward the full potential promised by these schools. -Patricia A. Wasley, dean, Graduate School of Education, Bank Street College of Education This book balances advocacy and skepticism and offers an excellent walk-through of the most important issues facing professional development schools.
-Lee Teitel, co-facilitator, Massachusetts PDS Network This volume in the Agenda for Education in a Democracy series explores the expanding popularity of professional development schools and their role in educating teachers and promoting school improvement. Effective Professional Development Schools describes the criteria for establishing quality professional development schools, the policies and financial arrangements needed to sustain them, and ways to evaluate their progress. In addition to thirty years’ experience as a teacher and administrator in public schools, Richard W. Clark has fifteen years’ experience working with school-university partnerships and professional development schools. He offers numerous case studies and examples of successful professional development schools, as well as school selection standards, sample joint agreements, checklists, and other valuable tools. Along with Clark’s insights regarding professional development schools, this book includes a new essay from John I. Goodlad addressing the challenges of school-university partnerships. The book is a practical guide for teacher educators and school administrators who want to develop joint programs on teacher professional development. Beyond this practical advice, Effective Professional Development Schools explores some of the key concepts that need to be considered by school and university-based educators as they work together in professional development school settings.