University District Partnership Research Articles

Collaborative Leadership Preparation: A Comparative Study of Partnership and Conventional Programs and Practices

The need for more and better-prepared educational leaders has led to greater program effort to adhere to national leadership standards and form university–district partnerships for improved preparation, particularly in creating better-quality internships and more supportive structures. This article compares 3 leadership preparation programs—2 partnership and 1 conventional— on program attributes and differences in graduates’ reported gains in leadership skill development, career aspirations, and career advancement. Forty-nine program graduates were surveyed from 2 cohorts of a suburban university–partnership program, its conventional program counterpart, and an urban university–partnership program. The findings show that internship scope and quality as well as program structure qualities—more common of the partnership programs—were significantly and positively associated with leadership learning and career outcomes, beyond graduates’ initial commitment. These results suggest that program design and operation are instrumental in participants’ education and their postprogram career aspirations and pursuits. The article offers insights into conceptual methodological considerations for further research on preparation effectiveness.

Comparisons of Traditionally and Alternatively Trained Teachers

In this article, we present findings from a comparative study of 3 teacher preparation prototypes: traditional, university-district partnership, and district add-on programs. Samples of program graduates were observed during their 1st year of teaching using the Praxis III assessment. A larger sample completed a follow-up questionnaire assessing preparedness and efficacy, and a subset of them had principals submit ratings. On the observational measure, all teachers met minimum standards, but graduates of traditional programs outperformed their counterparts on several instructional criteria. By contrast, principals' ratings favored graduates of alternative programs, particularly partnership programs. These findings are discussed in terms of the distinction between formal and procedural knowledge, whereas differences between the 2 alternative pathways hint at the superiority of partnership programs or other alternatives with equally rigorous content.