Building effective school-university partnerships for a quality teacher workforce : a Victorian led initiative

‘Building effective school-university partnerships for a quality teacher workforce: A Victorian led initiative’ project, (‘BESUP’), funded by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development from 2010 – 2011, was conducted by the research team from the School of Education, Deakin University in collaboration with key personnel in two ‘clusters’ of schools located in the Maroondah Education Coalition and in Keysborough/Noble Park.

The overall aim of this project was to examine a pilot model of effective school-university partnership that engages pre-service and in-service teachers and researchers in the co-production of professional knowledge and practice. The model of a university-school partnership that was investigated in the research project was developed as part of the Master of Teaching, a 16 credit pre-service postgraduate course in the School of Education that had the first intake of pre-service teachers in March, 2010. In the design and implementation of the Master of Teaching course, the School of Education set out to create a new relationship between key stakeholders in the preparation of the next generation of teachers. A commitment to doing the professional experience component differently was central to the conceptualization of the new course. To this end, three new professional experience curriculum units were designed with the placements ‘embedded’ into the units themselves.

The research questions that shaped the BESUP research project are:
• What are the design features of an effective school-university partnership model?
• What are the features of cross-generational (pre-service, in-service) models of quality supervision, mentoring and support in a school-university partnership model?
• What are the conditions for an effective professional development program for teachers and academic staff to support professional experience within school-university partnerships?

That the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development funded this research is evidence of the system’s awareness of and concern for investigating ways forward that will provide the next generation of teachers with strong links between the learning experiences undertaken in the university component of their pre-service teacher education and the professional experience component located in schools. The report suggests the significance of ongoing professional conversations and new ways of engaging in professional learning among all of the partners.

3.1 Lincoln University Law School

Despite his sudden disappearance, Lloyd Gaines’ impact had a resounding effect in many ways. The successful bridging of the gap from segregation to integration in the United States educational system was initiated because Gaines sought to be treated equally and fairly by the established powers. Much of the credit goes to the NAACP legal team, especially Charles Hamilton Houston’s dedication and expertise. However, without the initial action of Lloyd Gaines applying to the University of Missouri, there would have been no case. Additionally, the Lincoln University School of Law was founded due to the results of the Gaines case. Although it was only in operation for 16 years, it provided opportunities for those who had been denied previously.

Inaugural addresses delivered by the Professors of Law in the University of the City of New-York at the opening of the Law School of that institution /

Mode of access: Internet.

Inaugural addresses : delivered by the professors of law in the University of the City of New York at the opening of the law school of that institution.

Includes bibliographical references.

Law a century of progress, 1835-1935. Contributions in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the School of law of New York University.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Theses and publications of the School of Mineral Sciences, Stanford University, 1951 to 1961, inclusive.

Mode of access: Internet.

Duke University Law School Addition, Durham, North Carolina, 1988-1995

[Early Conceptual Sketch], untitled. Blue ink sketch on tracing paper, 18 x 32 1/4 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Duke University Law School Addition, Durham, North Carolina, 1988-1995

[Early Conceptual Sketch], untitled. Blue ink sketch on tracing paper, 18 x 28 3/4 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Duke University Law School Addition, Durham, North Carolina, 1988-1995

[Conceptual Sketches of Elevation and Cupola], untitled. Blue ink sketches on tracing paper, 12 x 20 1/2 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Duke University Law School Addition, Durham, North Carolina, 1988-1995

[Conceptual Sketches of Cupola], untitled. Ink sketches with gray marker coloring on tracing paper, initialed, 19 1/4 x 18 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Duke University Law School Addition, Durham, North Carolina, 1988-1995

[Conceptual Sketches of Cupola], untitled. Ink sketches with gray marker coloring on tracing paper, 15 3/4 x 18 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Duke University Law School Addition, Durham, North Carolina, 1988-1995

[Conceptual Sketches of Cupola], untitled. Ink sketches with gray and green marker coloring on tracing paper, initialed, 17x12 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Duke University Law School Addition, Durham, North Carolina, 1988-1995

[Conceptual Sketches of Cupola], untitled. Ink sketches with gray marker coloring on tracing paper, 14x12 inches [from photographic copy by Lance Burgharrdt]

Reading Squadron: Crossing borders in literacy experiences for preservice teachers.

Teaching literacy requires accurate and current knowledge in the field (Commonwealth of Australia, 2005). There have been persistent inquiries into what constitutes specialist knowledge and skills for teaching students to be literate. Preservice teacher education is fundamental to literacy development, which includes the approaches universities employ to prepare graduates for teaching literacy. Indeed, preservice teacher programs and literacy education also elicit insatiable media coverage. There is a continued push to improve literacy outcomes for school students across the nation and prepare the literacy knowledge and skills of Australian teachers. This study mainly focuses on 10 final-year preservice teachers attending a regional university campus who volunteered for further experiences to teach students to read traditional texts. These preservice teachers completed three university literacy units before commencing with practical applications. A literacy program, titled Reading Squadron, was developed in partnership between a local primary school and the university. Primary students were identified by the school as requiring literacy support. Preservice teachers attended a whole day training session run by school staff at the university and then visited the school for two one-hour sessions each week over a six-week period. Each preservice teacher was assigned two students and worked with each student for half an hour twice a week. The aim of this small-scale qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of the preservice teachers and school staff as a result of their involvement in the Reading Squadron program. The preservice teachers completed a questionnaire to determine their views of the program and ascertain how it assisted their development. Further data were gathered from the preservice teachers through individual face-to-face interviews. Three school staff involved in the program also completed a questionnaire to determine the value of the program. Results indicated that the preservice teachers made links between theory and practice, and felt they gained knowledge about teaching reading. Three preservice teachers noted it was difficult to work around timetable commitments but gained from the experience and suggested embedding such experiences into university literacy units. Data gathered from school staff indicated that six-weeks was not sufficient time to measure improvements in the school students, however, they were supportive of such a program, particularly for its continuation. Collaborations between schools and universities can provide opportunities for preservice teachers to use theoretical knowledge gained from core university subjects with application to assist primary students’ literacy development in schools. Teachers in this study were supportive of the Reading Squadron program, however, more data needed to be collected to understand the literacy improvement of students. Longitudinal studies are required to ascertain specific knowledge and skills gained by preservice teachers to teach reading and how these programs enhance students’ literacy levels.