What is a Partner School?

A school-university partnership is a formal agreement between a professional education program at a university and a public school to collaborate on programs and projects that both have a common interest. The major purpose of this partnership is to bring all stakeholders together to improve the quality of teaching and learning for students of all ages. The goals of this collaboration are to improve student learning P-16, to strengthen teacher education, to promote professional development for public schools and university faculty and to strengthen joint research and inquiry. Partnership schools and Arkansas State University agree that the philosophy and concept of renewal are integral to the development of future educators who know and demonstrate best practices. Simultaneous renewal is the collaborative growth between partner schools and higher education institutions to simultaneously create and refine more effective P-16 seamless programs. By pooling our efforts and resources and embarking on simultaneous renewal through inquiry, research, and dissemination, it is our hope to better prepare educators who will in turn improve student learning across all levels and disciplines.

A partnership is based on mutual trust, respect, and is seen as mutually beneficial to all partners as they collaborate. School partners work together over time, building relationships and commitment to their shared goals. In this commitment they develop new strategies, roles and relationships to support their work.

In the daily work of a partnership school, there are several individuals who assume major roles. They are as follows.

1. Clinical adjunct - a public school teacher who serves as liaison with the university. The clinical adjunct performs duties such as facilitating placements, organizing orientations, advocating the partnership, conducting evaluations of university students, and supporting pre-service students and clinical supervisors.

2. University coordinator - a university professor who serves as liaison between the public school and the university. Responsibilities include facilitating the placements of pre-service students at the school, supervising students in the field placements, working collaboratively with the school on projects/initiatives, supporting and collaborating with the clinical adjuncts and teachers in the schools, working with the school principal, and serving on the site forum.

3. Principal - the leader of the school who works collaboratively with the clinical adjunct and the university coordinator.

4. Network Council members - the representatives from each partnership school who serve on the Network Council, the policy making board. The responsibilities of the Network Council are to establish policies and procedures related to partnership schools (except in personnel and budget matters); make recommendations to the Executive Board; review partnership applications; facilitate and foster collaborative activities that lead to renewal; review progress on site action plans; generate ideas for reading, reflection, research, and recreation; disseminate partnership information; identify special interest topics and ad hoc committees to facilitate investigation of topics; facilitate shared professional development activities; and initiate and develop team teaching initiatives.

5. Executive Board members - representative from each school district, the professional education programs director, the associate dean and dean of the college of education. They review and accept or reject actions, or return actions to the Network Council for further study. The major responsibilities are to develop or modify each schools Memorandum of Understanding; approve clinical adjuncts; recommend, approve, and assign university coordinators to partnership schools; and establish and maintain a partnership listserv.

Any school interested in becoming a partnership school should see the Partner Application Process.