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This monograph critiques professional development schools (PDSs) and their role in the renewal of urban schools. Chapter 1 clarifies what is meant by the PDS model and describes the central goals of PDS initiatives. Chapter 2 critically assesses the value of PDSs to school renewal and the preparation of teachers for effective work in diverse urban schools and communities. It addresses the question of why the PDS framework is insufficient for effective, quality educational practice in diverse urban communities and critically reinterprets the notion of the PDS in light of the critical knowledge required for successful work in diverse urban contexts. A summary of problems related to applying the PDS framework to work in urban schools is included. This includes political status quo regarding problems of urban schooling, people being excluded from the PDS, organization of the PDS, and inadequacy of PDS theory. Chapter 3 explores alternative approaches for collaborative teacher preparation, professional development, and school renewal in diverse urban settings. The monograph concludes with a conceptual framework summarizing the features required for an equity-minded, urban-focused, and diversity-responsive type of collaborative approach to university-school partnerships. (Contains approximately 85 references.) (SM)

Sometimes understood as habits of mind, "dispositions" represents a new concept in teacher education. Conversations about professional dispositions in teaching often touch on issues such as attitudes, values, moral commitment, and social justice. Based on the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education's Task Force on Teaching as a Moral Community, this book addresses the philosophical grounding for the concept of teacher dispositions and examines thoughtful examples of emerging practice. Following a preface and introduction (Mary E. Diez and Peter C. Murrell, Jr.), this book contains nine chapters: (1) Dispositions in Teacher Education--Starting Points for Consideration (Mary E. Diez and Peter C. Murrell, Jr.); (2) A Journey Toward Humanization in Education (Maria del Carmen Salazar, Karen L. Lowenstein, and Andra Brill); (3) Disconnection as a Path to Discovery (Lisa E. Johnson, Rebecca Evers, and Jonatha W. Vare); (4) Moving from Reaction to Reflection (Chester Laine, Anne M. Bauer, Holly Johnson, Stephen D. Kroeger, Karen S. Troup, and Helen Meyer); (5) Learning from Getting It Wrong (Catherine Fallona and Julie Canniff); (6) Putting Dispositions in the Driver's Seat (Robert E. Hollon, Michael W. Kolis, Susan R. McIntyre, J. Todd Stephens, and Rosemary L. Battalio); (7) Finding a Tipping Point (John Fischetti, Scott Imig, Abdou Ndoye, and Robert Smith); (8) Making the Path by Walking (Eleni Katsarou); and (9) Defining, Developing, and Assessing Dispositions: A Cross-Case Analysis (Sharon Feiman-Nemser and Deborah L. Schussler).

This book critically reinterprets several key educational frameworks and recommends integrating the historical, cultural, political, and developmental considerations of the African American experience into a unified system of instruction, highlighting practices that already exist and linking them to contemporary ideas and innovations concerning effective practice in African American communities. It features a case study analysis of a school seeking to incorporate the unified theory and embrace African-centered practice. The book suggests that key educational frameworks, although ineffective with African American children, hold promise if reinterpreted. Ten chapters are: (1) "The Wrong Frames for the Right Problem"; (2) "Traditions of African American Education: A Historical Perspective"; (3) "Culture, Cognition, and the Community of Achievement"; (4) "Overview of the Pedagogical Theory"; (5) "From a Community of Caring to a Community of Achievement"; (6) "Teaching as Assisted Performance in the African American Tradition"; (7) "The Classroom Ecology of Culture and Language"; (8) "Discourse Practices in a Community of Achievement"; (9) "Teaching for Understanding, Learning for Liberation"; and (10) "Appraising My Own Practice: African-Centered Pedagogy in Preparing Teachers." Three appendixes present a book list for African-centered graduate module, video review assessment sheet, and evaluation sheet for curriculum blueprint. (Contains 163 references.) (SM)

This book provides a blueprint for the professional development of urban teachers that fosters new communities of learning, embraces diversity, and prepares teachers through community and collaborative partnerships. It presents a model of a community teacher that embraces the communities where urban youth live. Case studies illustrate the framework in action. The 10 chapters are: (1) "A Crisis of Knowledge-in-Practice in the Age of Teacher Education Reform"; (2) "The Contexts for Improving the Quality of Urban Teaching in Partnership"; (3) "Community Teachers: The New Model of Urban Teacher Preparation"; (4) "The Development of Practice in Community Partnership"; (5) "The Developmental Tasks of Teachers: Developing Accomplished Practice"; (6) "Circles of Practice: The Cultural Context for Improving Teaching"; (7) "Assisting the Performance of Teachers: From Competent Practice to Accomplished Practice"; (8) "Research in Practice: Creating Communities of Inquiry in Diverse Urban Communities"; (9) "Assessing Teacher Performance: Performance-Based Teacher Assessment"; and (10) "Building Institutional Coalitions for Renewal." (Contains 99 references.) (SM)