UNC Partnerships
There has been much interest in school renewal over the past two decades that promotes partnerships between schools and universities where educators work together to address problems and challenges faced by the profession. UNC has been involved with the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER)[internal link] and the Colorado Partnership for Educational Renewal (CoPER)[internal link] for the past fifteen years. Goodlad’s work (1990; 1994) which underpins NNER and CoPER advocates for a simultaneous renewal process for teacher candidates, partner school teachers, and university faculty. Indeed our partnerships and alliances provide arenas that support an inquiry-oriented approach to teaching and learning and provides opportunities to connect theory and practice as both preservice and inservice teachers and faculty solve authentic problems in complex classroom settings. Furthermore, faculty, candidates, and colleagues affirm the worth, dignity, and rights of all learners, as well as the right of all students to competent and caring teachers who work to prepare the future generation for our social and political democracy.
History of UNC School Partnerships
In 1991, after many months of collaboration between the Colleges of Education, Arts and Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, Health and Human Services, and three regional school districts, UNC embraced and implemented a University-Public School Partnership model. The redesign of the elementary and secondary undergraduate licensure programs provided candidates opportunities to begin intensive field experiences in newly formed partner schools during their junior years instead of waiting until the senior student teaching experience. Methods courses were taught on location at the public schools and faculty members were involved in supervising the candidates they were teaching. This new design required the extensive collaboration between the Colleges on campus because the scheduling of content area classes needed effectively interface with the new field experiences. The first pilot elementary partner school project occurred in Thompson School District in Loveland at Mary Blair Elementary.
The pilot project was judged a resounding success by candidates, partner teachers and administrators, and university faculty. Although several refinements still needed to be made, the vision for continued simultaneous renewal to prepare better teachers for better schools prompted university administrators to expand the partnership model to include approximately six partner schools in three school districts.
The College of Education and Behavioral Studies is enjoying continued success with University-school partnerships. The elementary and secondary programs currently work with seven schools districts in northern Colorado and approximately fifty partner and affiliate schools. Approximately 500 placements are made in the pubic school settings very semester.