Page 11 - 2022-Jour_88-3_FINAL

interns, the mentor teachers, and their shared classes. Teachers collaborated and learned from and with
each other as well as from their interns.
At Park Forest Elementary, we engaged teachers and interns in collaborative inquiries through year-
long professional development. Becci Burns, a PDA (now Dr. Rebecca Burns, a professor at the University
of North Florida) and I collaborated through a PSU graduate course to design professional learning
communities within the school with funding provided through grants that we submitted. Twenty-one of the
22 classroom teachers, 8 interns, 2 special education teachers, and 2 specialty area teachers participated
in the project. We found that the project engaged participants to have stronger relationships and greater
respect and appreciation for all colleagues within the school as we brought them together to learn in more
collaborative ways through inquiry. This also involved thoughtfully questioning long-running practices.
In one instance, teachers embraced inclusive practices where children with special needs spent more time
in classrooms rather than in pull-out settings.
At Park Forest Elementary, university student interns and their mentor teachers often collaborated to
engage in inquiry as regular reflection when they examined classroom practices, explored new pedagogies,
and created innovations within their classrooms. When school personnel take the time to build a school’s
community one question at a time through inquiry, doing so creates a stronger, more responsive, reflective,
innovative, and respectful culture.

Partnerships to Support Collaboration and Shared Decision-making: Goree
Partnerships also give schools and universities powerful access to expertise historically housed outside
of the school district by supporting decision-making and collaboration between and among partners. Our
school-university partnerships have continued to be dedicated to that commitment through the years, and
we strongly believe that if we keep these essentials as our focus, the chances of growing and sustaining
our partnerships increase exponentially—even through the most challenging times.
The Baylor and Waco Independent School-University Partnership was honored to be the partnership
Ribbon Report (2010) for its outstanding governance structure. The
highlighted in the NCATE Blue
governance structure of our partnership (Figure) is not necessarily hierarchical in nature. In fact, many of
its most effective initiatives over the years have come from teachers in the field, university faculty, and
university students who are working
Figure and learning together daily at various

Governance Structure of PDS Oversight Council PDS sites. Everyone involved is

Waco-Baylor University Cochaired by Baylor Partnership Liaison provided the opportunity to participate

Partnership and District Partnership Liaison in the sharing of ideas as well as in the
Responsibility: Policy decision-making processes that are in

Superintendents place. Each of us has the opportunity to
Curriculum Directors

BU deans lead, share our ideas, and support one
BU department chairs another. I believe this has been a main
strength of our 28-year partnership.

PDS Coordinating Council PDS Steering Committee
(School Site)
Cochaired by Baylor Partnership Liaison Responsibility: Campus Goal Setting,
and District Partnership Liaison Problem-Solving, Everyday Operations

Responsibility: Practical

Planning/Implementation Campus Principal (Chair)
BU Liaison

Principals Site-based Coordinator
BU Liaisons Teachers

Site Coordinator Community
BU students
Educators’ Choice 9