The Impact of a Professional Development School on Preservice Teacher Preparation, Inservice Teachers' Professionalism, and Children's Achievement: Perceptions of Inservice Teachers

Abstract

Abstract Much attention has been given to the topic of professional development schools; yet, there has been a scarcity of research which measures the effectiveness of these collaborative ventures. The purpose of this article was to present findings and conclusions from a survey administered to 35 inservice teachers in an elementary professional development school in Texas at the conclusion of the third and fourth years of implementation. The survey was designed to ascertain the perceptions of the teachers with respect to six categories of PDS effectiveness. Conclusions from findings were that the inservice teachers' attitudes toward the professional development school initiative were positive and their perceptions of its impact favorable, with a trend toward more positive attitudes from year three to year four.