PDSD: UGA-COE and CCSD

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Professional Development School District: University of Georgia College of Education

and Clarke County School District Partnership

Professors and teachers partnering to create innovative classrooms

Quality Education for All Students Through:

Engagement in learning

Interdisciplinary understanding and problem solving

Critical inquiry and higher order thinking skills

Authentic learning, connected to real world issues

A sense of civic responsibility

The University of Georgia College of Education (UGA COE) and the Clarke County School District (CCSD)have had frequent interactions and meaningful collaborations

for many years. The current partnership began during the

2007-08 academic year with a renewed interest in the

potential of public education and a renewed commitment to

collaboration, mutual support, and the sharing of resources.

During this initial phase, meetings were inclusive, with

participation from OneAthens, a community collaborative,

as well as the school district and university. Conversations

focused on fundamental questions about the nature

of schooling, the needs of the university, schools and

community, and the possibilities inherent in simultaneous

renewal.

In 2008 and 2009, representatives from both the school

district and the college participated in site visits to school-

university partnerships in Illinois, Wisconsin, and South

Professional Development School District (PDSD) – Background

PDSD At-a-Glance

• Over 500 UGA students participate in

courses or fi eld experiences at PDS

schools each year

• Four Model 4 Professional Development

Schools with Professors-in-Residence, on-

site courses and extensive collaboration

• Five Model 3 Professional Development

Schools with on-site courses, as well as

other collaborative projects

• Six faculty work as Professors-in-

Residence

• Eleven faculty teach on-site courses

• Six out of nine COE departments have

faculty involved

“Our relationship with the University of Georgia through the development of a Professional

Development School District has created the needed connections between educational practice

and research - which is required to improve learning experiences for all children. Our

strong working relationships have led to ‘real time’ opportunities for classroom teachers and

university professors to collaborate on providing the most effective classroom instructional

strategies, as well as stronger teacher preparation at the college level.”

Dr. Philip Lanoue, Superintendent, Clarke County School District

Carolina, as well as in Georgia. As a result of these visits,

extensive research, and many wide-ranging discussions,

the group decided to focus their planning on the Professional

Development School (PDS) model.

The Professional Development School District (PDSD) model

began with the opening of J.J. Harris Elementary Charter

School as a PDS in August of 2009. The success of this

school paved the way for continued conversations about

a more comprehensive partnership design. In 2011, the

CCSD and UGA COE expanded their partnership to include

the entire school district. Several different models were

created, based on four different levels of the partnership

(see chart on p. 3). Currently, there are nine schools that are

active PDS sites, with over 500 UGA students participating

in a course or fi eld experience at PDS schools each year.

The partnership has been recognized as a leader in the PDS

fi eld.

A COE Mathematics Education student assists a Clarke Middle Student with his math assignment.

Groups of UGA students are placed

together at the school for student

teaching or fi eld experience

A COE faculty member contracts

for at least 2-3 years to serve as

a Professor-in-Residence at the

school, spending 50% of his or her

time at the school

Model 3 and 4 Professional Development Schools featured in this brochure include:

Early Learning Center ............................page 4

J.J. Harris Elementary Charter School ....page 5

Fowler Drive Elementary School ............page 6

Barrow Elementary School .....................page 7

Clarke Middle School ............................page 8

Hilsman Middle School ..........................page 9

Clarke Central High School ..................page 10

Emerging PDS Sites: Coile Middle

School & Cedar Shoals High School ....page 11

Districtwide Professor-in-Residence .....page 11

Offi ce of School Engagement ..............page 11

The mission of our partnership is to improve the quality of education for all our students through a student-centered approach which fosters:

• Engagement in learning

• Interdisciplinary understanding and problem solving

• Critical inquiry and higher-order thinking skills

• Authentic learning, connected to real-world issues

• A sense of civic responsibility

We will accomplish our mission by:• Engaging in shared inquiry focused on teaching and learning

• Facilitating the professional development of faculty in both institutions

• Providing opportunities for clinically rich experiences in educator preparation

• Sharing our expertise to innovate and to solve problems

• Integrated decision making

PDSD – Mission & Vision

PDSD – Structure

“Our partnership with Clarke County has

led to exciting and innovative approaches

to teacher preparation at UGA. It has

grounded that preparation in the wisdom

of practice and created a wealth of new

learning opportunities for our teacher

candidates. The partnership is one of the

best things that has happened to the college.”

Dr. James Marshall, Associate Dean for Academic Programs,

UGA College of Education

Model 4

Model 3

Model 2

Model 1School leaders work with the

D istrictwide Professor-in-Residence

on teacher evaluation and support

One or more UGA courses are

taught on site at the school

The Early Learning Center (ELC) is part of CCSD’s early

childhood education programs, which include the state

lottery funded Pre-Kindergarten Program, federal Early Head

Start and Head Start, Preschool Special Education, Striving

Readers, and Early Reading First. Through collaboration

among these programs, 1,200 students are served across

the district, with approximately 150 children participating at

the ELC. Approximately 96 percent of the students receive

free and reduced lunch through the federal meal program.

Shelley Goodman is the Director of the Offi ce of Early

Learning and Principal of The Early Learning Center.

PDS activities at the Early Learning Center are wide ranging,

involving four UGA faculty, including Cindy Vail, Bridget Ratajczak, Rebecca Lieberman-Betz, in the COE

PDSD – Early Learning Center

“The PDS model has been instrumental in the development and implementation of

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support for the Early Learning Center. There

has been a remarkable change in teaching practices and the number of children

being removed from class for behavior challenges. PBIS ensures teachers address

social and emotional competencies in the classroom, so children develop appropriate

social behaviors. In addition to social and emotional support, the PDS model enables

our school to offer authentic learning environments for UGA students in the Birth

through Five program. This is a true professional learning community.”

Shelley Goodman, Director, CCSD Offi ce of Early Learning and Principal, Early Learning Center

Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, and Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett, faculty in the COE Department of Educational Psychology. Each

semester, typically 25-30 undergraduate and graduate

students in the Birth through Five Program are placed in

classrooms for practicum and student teaching experiences

and assist with the assessment of ELC students. UGA

courses taught on site cover assessment, curriculum

and development of young children, and allow for the

ELC teachers, staff, and instructional coaches to make

presentations to the classes. UGA students benefi t from a

model preschool classroom in the building. UGA faculty also

provide professional learning and support to ELC teachers on

Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) and social

skills instruction and assist with grant writing.

COE faculty member Cindy Vail reads with students at the Early Learning Center. COE students in the Birth through Five Program lead story time with Early Learning Center students.

J.J. Harris Elementary Charter School opened in August

2009 as the fi rst Professional Development School, resulting

from a collaboration that began in 2007 (see p. 2 for more

background). The school incorporates the principles of the

School-wide Enrichment Model, which encourages teachers

to use gifted strategies with all learners. J.J. Harris serves over

500 children in Pre-k through grade 5. The school population is

approximately 70 percent Latino and over 20 percent African-

American; 92 percent of the children receive free or reduced

lunch. Xernona Thomas has served as the principal since the

school opened.

The collaborative work of J.J. Harris and the COE is coordinated

by Lew Allen, faculty in the COE Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education, who has served as the

Professor-in-Residence since 2009. Allen provided leadership

for the development of the school-wide vision and mission

statement and works closely with the administration to support

all professional learning activities. He supervises 10-15 student

teachers each semester and works with the instructional coach

to align the supervision of student teachers with her coaching

efforts. Allen also attends weekly TATAL (Talking About Teaching

and Learning) team meetings for each grade level, as well as

Instructional Leadership Team meetings.

PDSD – J.J. Harris Elementary Charter School

“Through the PDS partnership with UGA, professional learning at J.J. Harris Elementary is

differentiated by grade level and/or individuals, meeting teachers where desire for improvement

arises or interests exist. Student teachers are offered the same professional learning opportunities

as mentor teachers, and efforts to further align pre-service teacher instruction with classroom

teacher practices continue to evolve through a mutual refl ective process.”

Melanie Bradberry, Instructional Coach, J. J. Harris Elementary Charter School

Approximately 30 UGA students take elementary methods

courses on site at the school each semester, and over 50

students serve as volunteers. Janna Dresden, faculty in the COE Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education and Director of the Offi ce of School Engagement, and Julie Kittleson, faculty in the COE Department of Mathematics and Science Education, teach methods

classes that provide UGA students m any opportunities to

observe and learn from practicing teachers as well as interact

with students from different grade levels.

These classes are coordinated and structured to provide of a

variety of specifi c learning experiences for pre-service teachers.

For example, pre-service teachers learn observation skills

in classrooms by participating in Look and Learn sessions,

observe and then debrief with master teachers during Teaching

Rounds, ask questions of experienced teachers in Talks with

Teachers, and teach small group, inquiry-based science

lessons to elementary school students during Science Centers.

UGA faculty are also collaborating with teachers at each

grade level to develop a school-wide literacy approach. UGA

research at J.J. Harris is ongoing, focused on the nature of

PDS collaborations and the role of the Professor-in-Residence.

Published research can be found in the American Journal of Evaluation and School-University Partnerships.

COE Early Childhood Education students give science lessons to small groups of J. J. Harris

students on Science Center day.

Principal Xernona Thomas (left), Professor-in-Residence Lew Allen (center), and InstructionalCoach Melanie Bradberry (right) work collaboratively at J. J. Harris Elementary Charter School.

Fowler Drive Elementary School re-

opened in January 2011 after an

extensive remodel that created a 21st-

century school with a focus on science,

math, and technology. The physical

environment of the school encourages

learning even in its hallways. Instead of

plain tile fl oors, Fowler students walk on a map of Georgia

and its cities, allowing them to journey from the University of

Georgia Arch in downtown Athens south to River Street in

Savannah. The map extends outside to encompass three

small humps in the landscape, which represent the North

Georgia mountains. The school serves nearly 400 children

in Pre-K through grade 5; nearly half are African-American,

and 44 percent are Hispanic. Over 95 percent of the children

receive free or reduced lunch. Anissa Johnson serves as

the school’s principal.

Since 2011, Beth Tolley, faculty in the COE Department of

PDSD – Fowler Drive Elementary School

“We benefi t tremendously from the reciprocal professional development of the student teachers and interns. Through

their input, we are better able to offer interventions for our students and deliver one-on-one instruction to remediate

and extend the learning environment for our students. This approach provides meaningful professional development

and offers a practical clinical setting for the college students. We believe this hands-on learning structure provides a

positive win-win relationship for the Fowler Drive students, staff, and teachers.”

Anissa Johnson, Principal, Fowler Drive Elementary School

“It has been a phenomenal learning experience for me to be completing my practicum experience at a Professional

Development School, especially Fowler Drive, which embodies a sense of professionalism, dedication, and community.

I am surrounded by teachers who truly care about learning new, innovative ways to teach and engage their students.”

Rachel Glover, Early Childhood Education Student, UGA College of Education

Elementary and Social Studies Education, has served as

the Professor-in-Residence at Fowler Drive. Each semester

she supervises 10-15 student teachers and over 30 fi eld

experience students, teaches an elementary methods course

on site, and collaborates with teachers and administrators.

UGA students benefi t from frequent opportunities to work in

classrooms to observe children and teachers. Teachers at

the school serve as guest lecturers in the on-site classes to

offer insight to pre-service teachers on a variety of educational

practices. Fowler Drive students benefi t from individualized

attention and small group work with UGA students.

An on-site educational psychology course taught by Paula Schwanenfl ugel, faculty in the COE Department of Educational Psychology, also offers 10-15 UGA students

the opportunity to work one-on-one with students twice

a week to strengthen reading and comprehension skills.

Collected data demonstrates growth in reading achievement

for many of the children.

Beth Tolley

A Fowler Drive student practices reading alongside a COE studentwho takes an educational psychology class taught on site at the school.

COE Early Childhood Education students work in small groups in their elementary methods class taught on site at Fowler Drive Elementary School.

PDSD – Barrow Elementary School

“The PDS partnership that Clarke County School District has developed with UGA is the most directly impactful

professional development that I have participated in. By working collaboratively with UGA faculty, I am able to

extend my thinking about teaching and learning, develop innovative strategies and lessons, and incorporate it all

immediately into the classroom with support.”

Glennda Shealey, Third-Grade Teacher, Barrow Elementary School

“I am a strong believer in the PDS program. I have witnessed it strengthen the connection between college students

and classroom teachers: giving both sides a voice in an open dialogue. I love learning new ideas and techniques from

pre-service teachers along with demonstrating strategies I have learned along the way. Fortunately, the real winners

in a PDS relationship are the students, and I am grateful to be a part of it.”

Michelle Hart, First-Grade Teacher, Barrow Elementary School

Barrow Elementary School is one of the leaders in the

district in terms of integrating technology into learning and

was featured on the Georgia Partnership for Education

Excellence bus tour. The school serves nearly 500 children in

Pre-K through grade 5. The population is 39 percent African-

American, 46 percent White, 7 percent Asian, and 5 percent

Hispanic; 51 percent of the children receive free or reduced

lunch. The school’s principal is Ellen Sabatini.

At Barrow, COE faculty and CCSD teachers work together to

co-construct classes that offer powerful learning experiences for

both Pre-K through grade 5 students and UGA undergraduate

students. Under the leadership of Jennifer James, faculty in the COE Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education, UGA courses taught at Barrow have included

First Year Odyssey courses that focus on young children

and reading, social studies methods courses, and a service

learning course related to hunger issues, serving a total of

90 UGA students since 2011. For Barrow students, James

has directly offered two service-learning enrichment clusters,

“Barrow Action Team” and “Neighbors helping Neighbors,”

through which children have grown food for the local food bank,

created a hunger-awareness video, and prepared a meal for a

local homeless shelter. James has fi nancially supported four

additional social studies enrichment clusters through a small

grant from the university’s Offi ce of Service Learning.

In addition to these on-site courses, James has worked with

teachers and teams to integrate social studies content into the

new Common Core Standards for English/Language Arts and

delivered team-level professional learning around integrated

planning and experiential learning in social studies. Along with

two teacher researchers, Glennda Shealey and Rita Foretich,

James is currently leading a two-year study supported by

a grant from the Spencer Foundation to determine what it

means to prepare students for civic participation in a 21st-

century world.

COE faculty member Jennifer James teaches an enrichment cluster class called“Neighbors helping Neighbors” to Barrow Elementary School students. Barrow Elementary School students enjoy extra time to read in the school’s hallway.

Since 2011, Clarke Middle School (CMS) has been an International

Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

candidate school, offering a rigorous

inter-disciplinary curriculum with a

focus on holistic learning, intercultural

awareness, and communication. It

serves nearly 600 students in grades

6-8. The school population is 52

percent African-American, 32 percent

White, and 9 percent Hispanic; nearly

68 percent of the children receive free

or reduced lunch. Tad MacMillan is the

principal of CMS.

PDSD – Clarke Middle School

“Clarke Middle is lucky to have Professor White as our Professor-in-Residence.

She brings her expertise to our content and faculty meetings, her students

work with our students, and in general, we are getting closer to the ideal of

blending theory and practice. It has also been so powerful for our teachers,

administrators, and students to be guest lecturers for her class. The whole

process has been powerful.”

Tad MacMillan, Principal, Clarke Middle School

Since 2011, Dorothy Y. White, faculty in the COE Department of Mathematics and Science Education, has

served as the Professor-in-Residence at CMS. She typically

teaches her secondary mathematics course on site at the

school twice a week each semester. Approximately 20-25

UGA students work with CMS students in small groups

during one class period, spending three weeks at each grade

level (6th, 7th and 8th). The UGA students learn to listen to

students’ mathematical thinking, ask questions, and work with

groups. CMS teachers benefi t from getting additional help for

their students. Teachers and administrators also share their

expertise with UGA students on topics, such as classroom

management, family engagement and assessment. White

actively participates in CMS math team and planning meetings

and supervises student interns and teachers at CMS.

Dorothy Y. White

A COE Mathematics Education student assists Clarke Middle School students in their math class. Clarke Middle School Professor-in-Residence Dorothy Y. White and her COE MathematicsEducation class enjoy working in small groups with Clarke Middle students.

PDSD – Hilsman Middle School

“It has been an honor to learn from the staff and students at Hilsman Middle

School. I can’t explain how wonderful it is to learn from real life situations and

see how teachers handle them. Being able to see how things actually happen,

instead of reading it from a textbook, has been invaluable to me as a future

teacher and as a person.”

Meganne Butler, Middle School Education Major, UGA College of Education

Like Clarke Middle School, Hilsman Middle School is also an International Baccalaureate

Middle Years Programme candidate school,

providing a rigorous inter-disciplinary

curriculum with a focus on holistic learning,

intercultural awareness, and communication.

Hilsman serves over 650 students in grades

6-8. The school population is 60 percent

African-American, 22 percent White, and 8

percent Hispanic; 75 percent of the students

receive free or reduced price lunch. Selena Blankenship serves as the principal.

Since 2011, Kathy Thompson and Gayle Andrews, faculty in the COE Middle Grades Education Program in the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education, have served as co-

Professors-in-Residence at Hilsman. They

co-teach 35-55 UGA students in their

middle school methods course on-site each semester and

supervise interns and student teachers. They collaborate

with Hilsman teachers so that UGA students can observe

many different styles of teaching and create opportunities

for UGA students to assist Hilsman students with projects.

For example, during Extended Learning Time, UGA students

facilitate Hilsman students’ brainstorming for ideas, research

question development, and the research process to help

them with their Social Studies Fair projects.

Thompson and Andrews are also engaged with the School

Improvement Leadership Team and collaborate with teachers

during summer and the academic year, including ongoing

professional learning days so that their work is integrated

into the school community. They recruited the UGA Project

FOCUS program to the school, giving Hilsman students

opportunities to learn hands-on science lessons from UGA

students. Gretchen Thomas, faculty in the COE Learning, Design, and Technology Program, has also begun to

support technology integration efforts at the school.

Gayle Andrews

Kathy Thompson

COE Middle Grades Education students take their middle school methods course on site at Hilsman Middle School, where they benefi t from many interactions with students, teachers, and administrators.

In 2012, Clarke Central High School (CCHS) was named a

Breakthrough School, through a joint program of the MetLife

Foundation and the National Association of Secondary School

Principals (NASSP). The school is one of only ten in the

nation chosen for making gains in academic achievement by

providing rigorous and personalized instruction, with at least

40 percent of students receiving free or reduced lunches.

CCHS serves nearly 1,500 students in grades 9 through 12.

The school population is 56 percent African-American, 21

percent White, and 18 percent Hispanic; nearly 73 percent of

the students receive free or reduced lunch. The school is led

by principal Robbie Hooker.

PDS activities at CCHS are centered in Math Education and

English Education. Each semester, AnnaMarie Conner,

PDSD – Clarke Central High School

faculty in the COE Department of Mathematics and Science Education, teaches a secondary methods class

on site to 20 COE math education students, giving them

opportunities to work one-on-one with high school math

students in three different classrooms. Peg Graham, faculty in the COE Department of Language and Literacy Education, teaches a secondary teaching methods class on

site once a week each semester to approximately 15 English

Education students. Students observe CCHS students and

teachers, work one-on-one with high school writers, learn from

teachers who guest lecture in their class, and conduct inquiry

projects on issues such as technology in the classroom,

effective literacy practices, and the Ninth Grade Academy.

UGA faculty also supervise student teachers at CCHS and

participate in School Improvement meetings.

“Pairing the UGA math education students with our Clarke

Central students for tutoring is benefi cial as individual

student needs can be targeted. The greater gain, however,

seems to be exposing the high school students to people

who are both close to them in age and who deeply feel the

importance of learning math.”

Margaret Trandel, Math Teacher, Clarke Central High School

A COE Mathematics Education student tutors a ClarkeCentral High School student one-on-one in his math class.

Clarke Central High School teacher Margaret Trandel (second from left)and her students welcome COE students in her math classroom.

Cedar Shoals High School

Under the leadership of Principal Tony Price, PDS activities

are getting underway at Cedar Shoals High School with a

focus on social studies education. Sonia Janis and Mardi Schmeichel, both faculty in the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education, are teaching social studies

methods courses on site and are partnering with teachers to

link the pre-service teacher curriculum with the high school

classes.

Districtwide

Professor-in-Residence

PDSD – Emerging Professional Development Schools

Sally Zepeda serves as the Districtwide Professor-in-

Residence for the entire school district. Her work has

centered on the new teacher evaluation system, professional

development for school leaders related to their work with

the evaluation system, and framing key practices from the

research base, most notably the observable classroom

practices that frame the performance standards and their key

elements.

Coile Middle School

Coile Middle School, led by Principal Dwight Manzy, is just

becoming a PDS school with a focus on English Language

Learners and striving readers. Ruth Harman, faculty in the COE’s Department of Language and Literacy Education,

is teaching a graduate-level class on site that will focus on

content and language integration in science, English Language

Arts, and social studies. Approximately seven percent of the

Coile students have a fi rst language other than English.

UGA College of Education

Offi ce of School Engagement

The Offi ce of School Engagement (OSE) serves as a bridge

between the worlds of theory and practice in P-16 public

education to improve the educational experiences of students

and the professional lives of educators.

Erica GilbertsonPublic Service Faculty Representative

and Project Manager,

Offi ce of School Engagement

Janna DresdenDirector, Offi ce of School Engagement,

and Clinical Assistant Professor in the

Department of Elementary and Social

Studies Education

Sally ZepedaProfessor, COE Department of Lifelong

Education, Administration, and Policy, and

a Fellow in the Institute for Interdisciplinary

Research in Education and Human

Development

Several Coile Middle School students take annual trips to the Universityof Georgia to be exposed to higher education opportunities.

Annually, around 80% of Cedar Shoals high school graduates reportthey will attend either a two or four-year college after graduation.

For more information, contact:Dr. Janna Dresden, Director

Offi ce of School EngagementCollege of EducationUniversity of [email protected]/ose

Dr. Noris Price, Deputy Superintendent

Clarke County School [email protected]

VisionThe Clarke

County School

District and the

University of

Georgia College

of Education

Professional

Development

School District

aspires to

transform

education at all

levels through

a systemic,

sustained, and

comprehensive

partnership.

UGA Photos by Dot Paul

PDSD: UGA-COE and CCSD

Documents

Transcript of PDSD: UGA-COE and CCSD