Impact on Professional Development

Abstract

Professional development schools (PDSs) focus on achieving multiple goals. In addition to positively impacting the learning of P-12 students, as well as the socialization and induction of new teachers into the teaching profession, PDSs have been envisioned as agents of simultaneous reform/renewal of both basic and higher education. A prominent strategy for accomplishing the goal of simultaneous renewal is providing professional development opportunities and experiences that lead to ongoing inquiry, learning, and renewal for all participants within the PDS community. The focus of this chapter is on the evidence to date that documents the impact of PDS engagement on four specific groups of participants: veteran P-12 teachers, university faculty, P-12 school principals , and parents and community members. In reviewing the literature concerning the impact of PDS engagement on these four groups, our primary emphasis was on reviewing studies published in peer-reviewed journals , but our review also included doctoral dissertations, book chapters, and papers presented at national and regional conferences when they