Chapter 6: Echoes Down the Rabbit Hole: Voices Heard and Lost in the Land of Professional Development Schools

Under the guise of educational reform, Professional Development Schools (PDSs) were created to further the professionalization of teaching and to broaden the interactions of educators responsible for preparing pre-service teachers. In theory, PDS relationships were meant to break down barriers between higher education, school systems, and classroom teachers. Notably, university-based teacher educators shifted their roles from that of ‘expert’ to one of ‘partner’ and ‘collaborator’ by bridging theoretical best practice and classroom realities. In practice, this change has most benefitted classroom teachers through greater leadership development (Darling-Hammond, Bullmaster, & Cobb, 1995) and enhanced reflective practice, specific to their individual teaching (Pinkston, 2007). However, what happens to university faculty within these partnerships? How does a university faculty member’s voice fit into these new conversations, especially if no longer as an “expert”? Does crossing into a PDS require a new identity?