Professional Development School Research Articles

Nonsuicidal self‐injury in elementary schools: School educators' knowledge and professional development needs

AbstractPrevious research suggests that nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI; the intentional destruction of bodily tissue without suicidal intent) occurs among elementary‐aged children. However, it remains unclear to what extent elementary school educators encounter NSSI among students and how they respond. Therefore, this study investigated cross‐national differences in Canadian and Belgian elementary school educators' knowledge of, and experience with NSSI among students. More specifically, elementary school educators' perceived reasons and supportive needs of students who engage in NSSI, as well as their own professional development needs, were explored. In total, 181 elementary school educators across Canada (n = 63) and Belgium (n = 118) were recruited through teacher association listservs and by school administrators who distributed the study information to school staff. Chi‐square tests revealed that Canadian elementary school educators had more often encountered NSSI among their students than Belgian educators, although Canadian and Belgian school educators' similarly reported feeling ill‐equipped to deal with NSSI among students. Thematic analyses revealed that educators believe elementary‐aged students engage in NSSI because of various intrapersonal (e.g., low self‐esteem) and interpersonal stressors (e.g., bullying). Moreover, the majority of educators would like professional development to more effectively respond to students. Implications for schools and future research are discussed.

Lessons learned through interprofessional education: exploring collaboration with elementary education, special education and communication sciences and disorders pre-service professionals

PurposeInterprofessional practice (IPP) is one way to structure collaborations to more effectively meet the complex needs of students in educational settings. This article explores the lessons learned when one research team implemented interprofessional education (IPE) experiences in partnership with a public elementary school and pre-service professionals from elementary education, special education and communication science and disorders.Design/methodology/approachThis reflective article explores the lived experiences of researchers and partners who completed an IPE experience within one professional development school’s site. Researcher anecdotes are included to support the viewpoints shared.FindingsIt was discovered that IPE experiences are essential to facilitate meaningful collaborations for pre-service professionals to learn with and from one another; however, this requires time, preparation and is most effective when teacher mentors and university professors lead with vulnerability and model flexibility. Investment in IPE is challenging but worth the effort when learning outcomes are realized.Originality/valueSpecific details regarding the structure of this experience are shared as well as future directional goals for programs hoping to implement IPE in their professional practice programs.

Research on Primary School Science Teachers' Occupational Well-being and Professional Development: A Survey Based on Primary School Science Teachers in Z City

Research on Primary School Science Teachers' Occupational Well-being and Professional Development: A Survey Based on Primary School Science Teachers in Z City

A growing Noyce Scholarship Program: successes, triumphs and challenges along the way

Purpose The article discusses the development and growth of a newly established Noyce Scholarship Program at a Hispanic Serving Institution and the collaborative efforts of the School of Education (SOE) and its partners during the recruitment and retention process.Design/methodology/approach The author will explore and answer questions: (1) What were the articulated agreements implemented during the recruitment and application process? (2) In what ways did the scholar’s professional growth benefit from the dedicated and shared resources of the SOE’s partners? (3) How did the process of mentoring transform into a collaborative research effort resulting in presentation experiences?Findings The balance of triumphs, challenges and success in the program allows room for growth and reflection. Once scholars were admitted and accepted into the program, various supports were implemented to ensure scholars would be given tools needed to become highly effective educators in high-needs schools. In an informal discussion with scholars, they indicated the program taught them the necessary tools and dispositions needed to effectively teach the curriculum in STEM-based classrooms. However, they believed the issues of the program could be solved through constant communication and consideration of scholar input. Scholars also expressed appreciation for experiences encountered for scholar success.Originality/value The Noyce Scholars Program has provided opportunities for STEM majors to demonstrate hope and vision regarding the teacher shortage, particularly in STEM areas. The story of a professional development school’s unpredictable journey in addressing the teacher pipeline will hopefully be a source of valuable information for other Professional Development School (PDS) partnerships. Recruitment, clinical preparation and continuous support of partners will continue to be integral factors in shaping future efforts to address the STEM teacher shortage creating a better world, locally and globally.

Partners for quality: building professional pathways for diverse adult learners in early childhood education

PurposeThis paper describes the rationale and key aspects of how one school-university partnership leveraged resources to create, implement and refine an innovative professional pathway called the Early Childhood Certificate (ECC) program which reflects the National Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Essential Guideline 4: Reflection and Innovation. The ECC program is an innovative, career-building model that leverages resources between a predominantly white regional state university, a nonprofit organization serving as a Head Start grantee, a large urban school district and community-based education settings across a Midwestern metropolitan region.Design/methodology/approachThis descriptive narrative documents how the ECC program developed as a professional pathway for early childhood educators to scale up their skills for teaching young children while strengthening their capacities and credentials within the early childhood education (ECE) profession pipeline. The narrative includes relevant literature and examples from the field.FindingsThis paper includes a discussion of the benefits and challenges related to the design, implementation and refinement of the professional learning ECC program.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a descriptive narrative. As such, generalizability is lacking. Research is needed to determine the effectiveness and sustainability of innovative teacher education programs.Practical implicationsRelevant research and lessons learned provide guidance for other school–university partnerships to consider how to meet workforce and career needs for educators in the field of ECE.Social implicationsSchool–university partnerships can be change agents and positively impact early childhood educators' career development.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the need for understanding how predominantly white early childhood teacher education programs can partner with schools and agencies and then together leverage resources to support workforce and career development opportunities.

Emphasizing the professional in PDS

PurposeThis article describes an effort to ease the tension between boundary spanning roles for interns participating in a yearlong Professional Development School (PDS) program. In order to do this, the structure of a Social Studies Methods course was revised to mimic a professional learning community (PLC) and assignments were not evaluated for grades.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual paper that relies on self-reflection as well as student reaction, work samples and survey data.FindingsThe findings demonstrate both practices contribute to a collegial and less stressful environment for interns, while not affecting the quality of work submitted.Originality/valueThis paper highlights two of the nine NAPDS essentials, Professional Learning and Leading (3) and Boundary Spanning (8), and describes the ways both are incorporated and addressed in a PDS situated methods course. Describing course revisions, including the implementation of an ungrading practice, provides examples for potential replication.

Advocacy is contagious: the PDS effect

PurposeThis article, written by a multilingual learner program (MLP) specialist, provides a first-hand account of how a professional development school (PDS) (school–university partnership school) promotes teacher advocacy.Design/methodology/approachDue to the subject of the piece, no research methods were necessary.FindingsDue to the subject of the piece, there are no findings.Originality/valueThe teacher details the teacher's educational journey from intern to doctoral candidate.

News from the National Association for Professional Development Schools

PurposeThis piece is a message from the NAPDS/NASUP president to the current and prospective members of the organization.Design/methodology/approachDue to the subject of the piece, no research methods were necessary.FindingsDue to the subject of the piece, there are no findings.Originality/valueThis piece highlights the organization's new name.

Leveraging PDS teacher preparation grants: a majority–minority research university’s approach to increasing the diverse teacher pipeline

PurposeA primary goal of the Collaboration and Resources for Encouraging and Supporting Transformations in Education (CREST-Ed) program was to increase the number of highly qualified, minoritized teachers committed to teaching in minority-serving, high-need school districts. This study's purpose was to evaluate the CREST-Ed program's impact on teacher residency outcomes using multiple sources of program evaluation data collected during the five-year grant.Design/methodology/approachThis study of a federal Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant at Georgia State University (GSU), a minority-serving institution (MSI) and research university, shows teacher residency programs can improve the diverse teacher pipeline. The grant, CREST-Ed, provided professional development schools (PDS) support for four urban and 23 rural school districts through partnerships with GSU, Albany State University (ASU) and Columbus State University (CSU).FindingsThe study findings suggest that teacher preparation grants can be leveraged to recruit traditionally minoritized teachers of color to increase the diverse teacher pipeline and strengthen PDS partnerships.Originality/valueBoth urban and rural PDSs could benefit from teacher residency programs like the CREST-Ed model that catered to the unique needs of each school and partnership district.

Analysis of the Data on School Principals in the TALIS 2018 Country Note Reports in the Context of the PISA 2018 Results

A vast amount of research has been conducted to investigate the effects and roles of educational leaders on school outcomes using data from international studies. To get a better understanding of the relationship between educational leaders and school outcomes, evaluating international studies together may offer more comprehensive suggestions for educational policies. The purpose of this paper was to examine the data on school principals in the TALIS 2018 country note reports in the context of the PISA 2018 results in order to have a broad perspective on the characteristics of school principals as educational leaders. A document analysis was performed on data derived from the TALIS 2018 country note reports of eight OECD countries and Türkiye, and the collected data was subjected to descriptive analysis. At the end of the data analysis, it was revealed that countries that had high success in the PISA results generally had positive values in the TALIS results. It was shown that school principals in the countries ranked high in the PISA have generally more work experience as principals and are more satisfied with their salaries. In addition, their participation in training programs or courses on school management and professional development activities is high. The present study also confirmed previous research, indicating that individuals who have high job satisfaction show high success, thereby ranking high in the PISA results in the context of this study. Our findings indicated that school principals should be encouraged to participate in training to support their professional development.

Policy and practice on school principal recruitment and professional development in South Africa and Poland

This paper aims to compare policy and practice on school principal recruitment and professional development in South Africa and Poland. Common challenges and different responses are discussed, focusing on the following: (i) the requirements to become a school principal; and (ii) preparation and professional development of school principals. The analysis is based on a review of the law in the field of education and accompanying executive regulations in South Africa and Poland and a literature review on school principal education. We focused on the link between school leadership and school principal education. A comparison of national policies on recruitment and education of school principals in these two countries revealed common challenges in the two contexts, which directed our attention to the following questions: (1) How can principals’ professional development be understood on a continuum of static to dynamic practice? (2) What is the influence of context on principals’ professional dilemma of being an isolated practice to allowing for contextual influence? (3) How is a balance struck between individual and collaborative professional development of principals to improve quality education for all learners? Lastly, conclusions – which are of relevance to policy, practice and further research on school principal recruitment and education – are drawn. This study underscores the professionalisation of school principal development.

What it means to be a professional development school: the Nine Essentials

PurposeThe National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) recognizes that there is a tendency for the term “PDS” (Professional Development School) to be used as a catch-all for various relationships that constitute school–university partnership work. The intent of this NAPDS statement is to assert the essentials, or fundamental qualities, of a PDS. NAPDS encourages all those working in school–university relationships to embrace the Nine Essentials of PDSs communicated in this statement. The Essentials are written in tangible, rather than abstract, language and represent practical goals toward which work in a PDS should be directed.Design/methodology/approachPolicy statement.FindingsNAPDS maintains that these Nine Essentials need to be present for a school-university relationship to be called a PDS. Without having all nine, the relationship that exists between a school/district and college/university, albeit however strong, would not be a PDS. How individual PDSs meet these essentials will vary from location to location, but they all need to be in place to justify the use of the term “PDS.”Practical implicationsFor those in established PDSs, some aspects of this document will be confirmed, while other aspects may be identified as needing attention. For those aspiring to establish PDSs, the authors offer this statement as a useful guide for their work. NAPDS invites individuals involved in school–university partnerships to share this statement with colleagues in the spirit of continuous improvement. By coming to terms with the challenges and opportunities inherent in this statement, the study can collectively fulfill the vision of this remarkable and distinct partnership called PDS.Originality/valueThis policy statement articulates how the Nine Essentials are the foundation of PDS work.

Revised Essential 8: the importance of boundary spanning roles

PurposeThis paper aims to provide details around Essential 8 of the Second Edition of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Nine Essentials (NAPDS, 2021), which focuses on boundary spanning roles across university and P-12 school settings.Design/methodology/approachThis paper represents an in-depth look at one element of a policy statement of the NAPDS. The Nine Essentials were reviewed over a 4-year period through meetings, focus groups and symposia with various stakeholder groups. These provided context and information for both the revision of the policy statement and the writing of this article (and the other articles in the series).FindingsThe intention of this series of articles is to provide a deepened understanding of the complexities of P-12 School and University partnerships. Each of the essential elements provides a framework for developing new PDSs and sustaining existing partnerships for the long term.Originality/valueThis is a reprint request.

Essential 2: “clinical practice” is what professional development schools do

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to unpack more deeply Essential 2: Clinical Preparation. This article offers a comparison of the first and second editions of Essential 2 and also provides resources and activities partners can use and engage in to deepen their work on the clinical preparation of teachers.Originality/valueThis article is being resubmitted so that it can be reprinted with the other Nine Essential articles.

Thank you, Ms. Satterwhite

PurposeThis paper aims to celebrate an exceptional PDS (Professional Development School) Leader.Design/methodology/approachDue to the subject of the piece, no research methods were necessary for its creation.FindingsThe principal modeled effective leadership.Originality/valueThe piece celebrates an exceptional leader as defined by PDS.

Expanding on the Revised Essential 7: shared governance structures

PurposeThe study aims to review the Nine Essentials.Design/methodology/approachThe authors worked with groups from different conferences to gather data.FindingsA PDS (Professional Development School) is built upon shared, sustainable governance structures that promote collaboration, foster reflection and honor and value all participants’ voices.Originality/valueNine Essentials are foundational to PDS work.

Is the past prologue? Part 1: a qualitative analysis of PDS dissertation research focused on learning

PurposeThis study provides an analysis of professional development school (PDS) dissertation research that focuses on learning in PDSs. These 103 dissertations written between 1990 and 2020 address an aspect of learning in PDS work, including inquiry as a pedagogical learning tool, student learning PK-12, intern/teacher candidate learning, university teacher educator learning, and inservice teacher learning. From the current exploration of PDS dissertations, most especially from the comparison studies, the authors have learned that there is still no clear path to presenting PDS as having a positive impact when compared with non-PDS experiences..Design/methodology/approachWithin each of these categories, the authors examine the dissertations by methodology and explore common themes among dissertation findings. As the PDS movement enters its third decade of inquiry and builds its efficacy on models of learning, the findings provide insight into the degree to which PDS scholars are building on the past to determine future PDS research agendas around learning.FindingsThe authors examine the dissertations by methodology and explore common themes among dissertation findings. The themes included: intern learning does happen in PDS sites; PDSs provide structures for intern learning; teacher educators can learn from their PDS work; dissertations in the area of student learning overwhelmingly had inconclusive findings, except for research that focused on targeted interventions, which demonstrated student gains.Research limitations/implicationsWith fewer PDS-focused dissertations being written in more recent years, the authors wonder if the complexity of PDS may be a deterrent to the growth and sustainability of this model?Practical implicationsFrom the current exploration of PDS dissertations, most especially from the comparison studies, the authors have learned that the authors still do not have a clear path to presenting PDS as having a positive impact when compared with non-PDS experiences. However, the authors are beginning to understand the types of studies that are needed to move this agenda forward and hope the work will help inform the PDS community of some.Originality/valueThis is the first known study of PDS dissertations across time.

Stakeholders’ Perspectives of Early Childhood Education Language and Literacy Laboratories in the United Arab Emirates

Language and literacy laboratories (LLLs) have been instrumental in the preparation of early childhood education (ECE), as reading is considered pivotal for novice learners. This study focused on the perspectives of pre- and in-service teachers and their instructors on the level of readiness to teach literacy through LLLs using the professional development school model of teacher education. The study employed a pragmatism-driven sequential mixed-methods research design consisting of a self-administered survey of 720 respondents who were randomly selected during the 2021–2022 academic year. In-depth interviews were subsequently conducted with 42 pre- and in-service teachers and their instructors. Following the descriptive analysis of the quantitative data, the qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The three emergent themes were participants’ experiences in the ECE program, their views on the implementation of LLLs, and the effectiveness of literacy strategies. The paper concludes with recommendations for the strategic implementation of LLLs and adoption of multiple language strategies for language teaching and assessment.

Explicating Essential Nine of the Second Edition of the NAPDS Nine Essentials

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to describe the key aspects of and provide examples about Essential Nine of the Second Edition of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Nine Essentials.

Essential 5: what can collaborative research look like in PDSs and school–university partnerships?

Purpose The purpose of this article is to describe the important aspects and provide examples of Essential 5 in the Second Edition of the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Nine Essentials.