Moving from Partnerships to Professional Development Schools (PDS) Building Blocks For Success Leslie K. Day PDS Director SUNY Buffalo State

Purposes of Partnerships Often to solve a problem, challenge, or identified need Think about your partnership and why it came together Buffalo State’s Professional Development Schools Consortium originally rose out of the need to teach and work smarter in our teacher candidate field placements

In the Beginning…. Perspective of College Faculty

In the Beginning… Perspective of Teacher Candidate

In the Beginning… Perspective of Mentoring Teachers and School Administrators

In the Beginning… Perspective of Young Learners

Then What? Joy Lots of ideas Excitement Volunteers to participate Renewed energy Enthusiasm by all partners

100% PDS in Elementary Education 100/200 level courses – observing and tutoring at PDS sites 300 level methods courses – taught on site with professor at the PDS two days a week Student Teaching Cohorts- supervisor in residence two days a week

As well as… Some nerves Occasional apprehension A lot of questions!

Roadblocks to Effective Partnerships Lack of clear purpose or vision Inadequate monitoring plans Lack of support from those with power Inequitable balance of decision making Misunderstanding about roles and responsibilities Poor communication

Building Blocks to an Effective PDS Partnership 1.Relationships 2.Common Vision and Mission 3.Institutional Support 4.Communication 5.Frameworks 6.Governance 7.Professional Development Opportunities

1. Relationships: The Cornerstone Start with the partnerships and relationships that are already in place Meet regularly to discuss your goals Build on the familiar and what works Engage in the work of PDS together Value and respect the contributions of all stakeholders Celebrate achievements! Break bread!

In the beginning and in the end, it’s the people that matter!

Enjoy one another! Share meals and stories! Encourage collegiality! Invite all stakeholders to the table!

Genuine Relationships Built on mutual trust High levels of respect Commitment Balanced power Shared credit Work together Seek first to understand, then to be understood (Covey) Use identified strengths to address needs Often fun and rewarding

2. Common Vision, Mission, and Goals: The Blueprint for making the pieces fit together Begin with the end in mind (Covey) What do you want your partnership to look like? How can you develop a feeling of community? How do all stakeholders benefit? How is the whole better than the sum of its parts? What will it take to build a strategic partnership?

SUNY Buffalo State PDS Consortium Mission Statement The Professional Development School (PDS) Partnership between the Teacher Education Unit at SUNY Buffalo State and participating schools and community services is a collaborative effort. The partnership is dedicated to college faculty, school administrators, practicing teachers, and teacher candidates exploring effective practices to: (1) cooperatively mentor teacher candidates and provide close connections to authentic classroom practice; (2) promote shared professional development for all constituents; (3) impact student learning; and (4) research innovative and best educational practices

3. Institutional Support: the Building Warranty for sustainability Buy in by the university Buy in by the school district Buy in by all the stakeholders A win-win situation (Covey) Shared resources

Shared Resources Grocery Stores Laundromats School Partners Local Museums

4. Communication: The Circuitry for getting things done and moving forward Built on mutual respect Frequent and on-going Meaningful for all parties Multi-faceted Build social media connections Connect With Us Facebook Facebook Instagram

Flyers “Snail Mail” s

5. Partnership Frameworks: the Scaffolding to hold your efforts together Frameworks for Effective Partnerships 2001: NCATE Standards for Professional Development Schools 2008: National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Nine Essentials 2010: NCATE Blue Ribbon Report- 10 Design Principles for Clinically Based Preparation

NAPDS: National Association of Professional Development Schools Please see your frameworks handout

6. Governance: The Building Plan for Who, What, Where, When, Why and How Consortium/Network/Consolidation Advisory Council/Board Individual Partnerships (schools and community) Liaison Committees Formal Written Agreements Mission Statement By-Laws Regular Meetings Coordinated communication strategies Roles and Responsibilities Monitoring progress

SUNY Buffalo State Stakeholders PDS Consortium University and College Personnel Elementary and Secondary Schools Teacher Candidates Organizations and Community Involvement

Our Governance Structure Consortium Advisory Council Schools and Organizations Liaison Committees

Partnership Monitoring One of many important roles of the governing bodies Accomplished in many ways… – Self-studies – Meeting and retreat evaluations – Surveys – Goal setting – Discussions – Accreditation process eticket=P2KEH2wR4Xs%3d&tabid=107www.ncate.org/LinkClick.aspx?fil eticket=P2KEH2wR4Xs%3d&tabid=107 Please see partnership monitoring handouts

7. Professional Development Opportunities: the Mortar to grow high and strong Grants Action Research Projects Shared Resources and Shared Practices – Synergy (Covey) PD Events – conferences, retreats, symposia, Consortium Meetings to share best practices Attending state and national conferences

Keynote speakers at conferences Sharing results from action research projects supported by PDS grants Teacher candidate presentations at local, state, and national conferences

No one ever said the journey was easy….

Thank You and Good Luck Strengthening Your Partnerships! Leslie K. Day