Impact through a culture of belonging: creating a symbiotic relationship between teacher candidates, universities and schools: George Mason University and Centreville Elementary School PDS partnership

Abstract

Purpose – This article presents a professional development partnership which has grown together through collaboration resulting in increased capacity to engage mentor teachers (MTs), nurture teacher candidates (TCs), partner in university coursework and professional development, innovate teacher preparation practices and place new teachers with a strong sense of autonomy into surrounding school districts. Design/methodology/approach – This is a descriptive paper of a Professional Development Schools (PDS) partnership. Findings – This paper describes characteristics of a PDS partnership. Originality/value – This paper describes the characteristics and activities of a PDS partnership that was a recipient of the 2024 NASUP Exemplary PDS Partnership Award.

Keywords

• Teacher education
• Partnership
• Professional development
• Professional learning
• Professional learning communities
• School culture