Professional Development School Network
Institute for PDS Studies
Purpose
of the Institute for Professional Development School Studies
Chaired
by Dr. Jane Neapolitan, the purpose of the Institute for
Professional Development School Studies at Towson University is to
provide a means for supporting and sustaining improvement-oriented
inquiry that studies both the process (What are we doing?) and the
product (How do we know we're doing it?) of PDS activity in the
College of Education. The
Institute collaboratively and reflectively examines the impacts of
PDS activity on PreK-12 students, interns, practicing PreK-12
teachers, IHE faculty, relationships between or among stakeholder
groups, organizational change, and parents and communities.
The NCATE Standards for Professional Development Schools and
the Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools provide
field-based frameworks for examining PDS impacts and for keeping
whole-school reform at the forefront of the institute's work.
By connecting the work of the Institute for PDS Studies with
that of the Center for Leadership in Education at Towson University,
a new "lever for change" is created for the examination of
PDS impacts on PreK-12 students.
Functions
of the Institute for Professional Development School
Studies
- The functions of the Institute for Professional
Development School Studies at Towson University are threefold:
- History.
The institute documents, preserves, and celebrates the
history of the development of Professional Development Schools and
PDS Networks at Towson University.
- Education.
The institute educates its members and the broader
community about the processes and products of PDSs as related to
teacher preparation, continuing professional development, research
and inquiry, and student achievement.
- Inquiry.
The institute collaboratively designs, implements,
assesses, and reflects on improvement-oriented inquiry that
contributes to whole-school reform and to sustaining PDS work for
all its members.
Background
In his article on
"How Professional Development Schools Make a Difference: A Review of Research" (ATE
Newsletter, February/March 2001), Lee Teitel of the University
of Massachusetts spotlights research that represents a current wave
of studies which "point to the beginnings of a knowledge base
around PDS impacts." These
studies "represent important next steps in helping us answer
the question of whether professional development schools are
starting to have the desired impact on students, teachers and
others."
Teitel describes, with some detail, the study
of the effectiveness of PDS preservice teachers conducted by Towson
COE's Gloria Neubert and Jim Binko (1998).
He cites it as one of rigor that "goes beyond using
self-report data." He
applauds this comparative study for using qualitative data
"that fleshes out the findings," and concludes that it is
"a powerful, albeit small, piece of evidence on the
effectiveness of PDS preparation."
The Holmes Group report, Tomorrow's
Schools of Education (1995), emphasizes improvement-oriented
inquiry as one of the basic commitments by schools of education
in establishing PDSs. Schools
of education "should (1) integrate faculty from schools, school
districts, and other educational settings into the research and
development activities of the school of education;
(2) create opportunities for faculty research in a variety of
field settings affiliated with the school of education;
and (3) create
opportunities for faculty research in collaboration with field-based
practitioners"(p. 82).
In 1999-2001, the Towson University/Owings
Mills Professional Development School gained notoriety for its
participation in the nationwide PDS Standards Field Test Project
conducted by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education (NCATE). An
inquiry project at the Owings Mills PDS titled, Performance-Based Assessment: Tying
Together Teacher Education and Student Achievement, demonstrated
Towson's commitment to engage in improvement-oriented inquiry.
Members from all facets of the partnership worked together to
design, implement, and assess the inquiry project.
The resources of time, space, people, and money (see
recommendations by National Commission on Teaching and America's
Future, 1996) were provided by the partnership in order to carry out
improvement-oriented inquiry that was in-depth, meaningful to all
its members, and related to whole-school reform.
Towson University's participation in the NCATE
PDS Standards Field Test Project has made a strong contribution not
only to the development of National
Standards for Professional Development Schools (NCATE, 2001) but
also to the development of Standards
for Maryland Professional Development Schools (MSDE, 2001).
Towson University has distinguished itself as a leader in
creating new, boundary-spanning roles for educators, such as PDS
facilitators and clinical instructors, that integrate the PDS
functions of Teacher Preparation and Continuing Professional
Development (MSDE, 2001).
Based on this record of commitment,
improvement-oriented inquiry, and leadership in the PDS movement, it
is proposed that Towson University establish the Institute for
Professional Development Schools Studies as its "important next
step" as a leader on the national scene.
The purpose and functions of the Institute for PDS Studies
reflect the themes in the COE's Vision Statement and provides a
focused context for the COE's Mission as it is experienced in the
real world of educational practice.
The Institute for PDS Studies brings together all those who,
in the words of Michael Fullan (Change
Forces, 1993), have dedicated themselves to the moral purpose of
making a difference and to becoming agents of change.
Three-Year
Plan for the Institute
2001-2002
The first year of the Institute for PDS Studies provided
groundwork for developing the purpose and functions of the
institute. The
Institute's Steering Committee is comprised of
stakeholders from school systems, Maryland State Department
of Education, Maryland Higher Education Commission, University
System of Maryland, and Towson University.
The
Institute also developed a collaborative agenda which enabled it to
obtain initial external funding to support its work, and
identified its first research project and PDS Research Fellows.
2002-2003
In year two, the Institute will support and expand the work
of the PDS Research Fellows, prepare and submit proposals for
funding to targeted external funders, continue to disseminate
information about the institute's work through newsletters,
brochures and other publications, and submit for publication an
edited book on the history and development of PDS at Towson
University.
2003-2004
Year three goals include launching the Institute for PDS
Studies as a national leader in the PDS movement through obtaining
funding to support and sustain a substantive agenda of
improvement-oriented inquiry, establishing a Teacher
Researcher-in-Residence Program, and hosting a National PDS Research
Conference.
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