Competing views of teaching in a school–university partnership

doi:10.1016/j.tate.2008.07.001

Teaching and Teacher Education

Volume 25, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 155-165

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.07.001 Get rights and content

Abstract

This case study examines how differing views on the teacher's role in school reform affected the work of a school–university partnership. The school district and the university had a history of partnerships and shared common general goals. Yet, as the partnership progressed, conflicting perspectives about teaching and the purpose of professional development became evident and created dilemmas that influenced the nature of the work. We provide background information about each partner, describe the two views, and examine how the differing perspectives influenced the goals and activities of the partnership. This study highlights the complex issues embedded in school–university collaboration.

Introduction

School–university partnerships hold significant potential to enhance teachers' professional development and thereby foster student learning. Consequently, partnerships are a prevalent element of school reform efforts. However, school–university partnerships encounter numerous challenges related to logistical issues and institutional differences, including institutional responses to reform policies. In this paper, we use a case study approach to examine how differing views of the teacher's role in school reform affected the work of a school–university partnership in the United States. In this case, the school district and the university had a history of partnerships and shared common general goals. Yet, as the partnership progressed, conflicting perspectives about the teacher's role in reform and the purpose of professional development in a particular reform context became evident and created dilemmas that influenced the nature of the partnership's work. While this study is situated in the United States, the focus on the dilemmas produced by overlapping reforms in a school–university partnership has international relevance, particularly as they relate to teachers' work lives and roles in reform.

Section snippets

Perspective

In a climate of high stakes accountability in the United States, teacher professional development is increasingly regarded as a leverage point for school improvement. The National Council on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF), a prominent national non-profit organization that has issued research-based reports and worked with states and school districts to launch initiatives aimed at improving teaching, proposes that the nation appears to have reached “a consensus that well-prepared teachers

Conceptual framework

This study explores the intersection of school–university partnership dynamics, such as the negotiation of logistical and institutional differences, and the impact of accountability reform in US public schools. By conceptualizing the partnership in this way, we examine how competing views of teaching are linked to translations of existing accountability reforms, shaping the perspectives, expectations, and experiences of partnership participants.

Standards and accountability reform become

Background

At the time the school–university partnership began, the school district was in the midst of a standards-based reform effort. Across the United States, there was a wave of reforms promoting curriculum standards that were aligned to standardized tests. In the late 1990s, due to increased pressure from the state of California to enhance student achievement, the district developed and implemented its own standards and criterion-referenced testing system in core curricular areas. Administrators

Method

The partner district is located in a diverse, working class community in the state of California in the US. At the time of this study, the school district included a total of 22 schools: two comprehensive high schools, one continuation high school, three middle schools, and 16 elementary schools. Comprehensive high schools are a typical arrangement in the United States and are designed to enrol and meet the needs of the entire population of students from grades 9 to 12. Continuation high

Differing views of teacher role in reform

Although the district administrators and the university partners appeared to have similar general goals of including teachers in educational reform, each partner's approach revealed differing perspectives about the teachers' role. The differing perspectives are reflected in the terms used to describe teacher involvement. Whereas district administrators referred to staff development, the university partners described the work as professional development. The distinction is important because it

Influence of differing views on school–university partnership

As described above, the university partners and the district administrators held contrasting views about the teachers' role in reform and the purpose of professional development. These contrasting views created dilemmas for the work of the school–university partnership. In the following sections, we examine how the differing perspectives influenced the goals and activities of the school–university partnership.

Conclusion

Collaborative efforts between schools and universities hold the potential to enhance the professional development of teachers and the educational opportunities of their students. However, school–university partnerships inevitably encounter conflicts that arise from the process of linking different institutions in collaborative work. The findings of this study lead to three main conclusions that highlight the complex issues embedded in these shared institutional environments, which we believe

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^☆: A version of this paper was presented at the 2006 meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.

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Competing views of teaching in a school–university partnership☆

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Perspective

Conceptual framework

Background

Method

Differing views of teacher role in reform

Influence of differing views on school–university partnership

Conclusion

Teaching and Teacher Education

Beyond performativity: reflections on activist professionalism and the labour process in further education

Journal of Education Policy

Teachers and researchers in collaboration: reflections on the process

American Educational Research Journal

Achieving successful school–university collaboration

Urban Education

A nation prepared: Teachers for the 21st century. The report of the Task Force on teaching as a profession

School–university relationships: an interpretive review

The teacher research movement: a decade later

Educational Researcher

Managing dilemmas while building professional communities

Educational Researcher

Policy and professionalism

Developing professional development schools: early lessons, challenge and promise

Neo-liberal subjectivities and the limits of social change in university–community partnerships

Asia Pacific Journal of Teacher Education

The personal and professional selves of teachers: stable and unstable identities

British Educational Research Journal

Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education

Standards: here today, here tomorrow

Educational Leadership

School–university partnerships for educational renewal: rationale and concepts

In pursuit of a dual agenda: creating a middle level professional development school

University/school partnerships: exploring tangible and intangible costs and benefits

Teacher–researcher collaborations: resolving the tensions

Educational Leadership

Shaping pathways to higher education

Educational Researcher