Chapter 7: From Teacher Candidate To Teacher Educator: What It Means to “Grow Up” in a Professional Development School Partnership

The work of the school-based teacher educator is becoming increasingly important as teacher education programs become more clinically based. Clinically based teacher education refers to a program in which

As teacher candidates spend considerable time working with students in classrooms, the role the school-based teacher educator plays in preparing high-quality teachers becomes increasingly important (Burns, Yendol-Hoppey, & Jacobs, 2015; National Association for Professional Development Schools, 2008; National Council for Accreditation of the Teacher Education [NCATE], 2010). Without the expertise and guidance that school-based teacher educators provide in the field, the essential connection between theory and practice is often limited. In many cases, teacher candidates are left to independently find and negotiate the space to practice the skills and strategies they learn in the university classroom from university-based teacher educators. School-based teacher educators provide teacher candidates the essential support needed to successfully link the theory, research, and practice.