The following excerpt from an article in
From the Inside, provides a short historical background on the creation of Professional Development Schools.
The Holmes Group is a national consortium of research universities (96 originally) committed to raising the standards of the academic performance of American students through a more rigorous preparation of teachers. With the creation of the Holmes Group in 1986 came the invention of the idea of the PDS. The Holmes Group makes it clear that although there are similar models, the PDS is unique. "Nothing like the PDS has ever before existed in American education....The PDS contains characteristics that are sui generis" (Holmes Group, 1995, p. 89). Other schools that are similar in purpose to the PDS are called clinical schools and professional practice schools. When schools that are labeled PDS do nothing more than accommodate students for teaching practice, the intentions of the innovation are not realized.
Purposes of the PDS
Three major purposes have been proposed for the PDS:
|
PDSs Are Real and Different
Special emphasis must be placed on the very important fact that PDSs are expected to be real, everyday outstanding schools that are staffed with outstanding teachers and university faculty who, together, will provide a rich learning environment for regular public school children, while fostering expert professional development for novice and veteran teachers. Since each school has specific needs, and since there will be constant assessment and restructuring, PDSs are expected to evolve constantly. This means that although all PDSs should possess certain common characteristics, it is highly unlikely that any two schools will be exactly the same.
The PDS has many faces, yet they all share the common goal of providing for educators greatly improved professional schools, which will in turn result in higher achievement for our students.
References
The Holmes Group. (1995) Tomorrow's Schools of Education: Author.
|