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Vol. 1, No. 2, January 2013, pp. 111-120   

 

 
 
 
 
Winthrop University – School Partnership Network 
 
Lisa Johnson and Jennie Rakestraw 
Winthrop University 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We are very excited to be able to partner, share, and learn not only with a university, but also 

with partner schools that will help us reach our potential using the wonderful teachers and 

resources that are available. ~ Partnership Network School Teacher 

  



     L. Johnson and J. Rakestraw 

 

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Winthrop University – School Partnership Network 

 
John Goodlad, in his book A Place Called School (1984), suggested that, in order to 

improve schools and the work of teachers, a relationship had to exist between institutes of public 
education and teacher preparation programs.  Today Goodlad’s message continues to hold 
significant bearing on whether or not all students receive a high quality, equitable education.  
The Agenda for Education in a Democracy, formulated by Goodlad and the National Network 
for Educational Renewal over twenty years ago, promotes simultaneous renewal of P-12 
education and educator preparation, advocating equity in schooling and engagement in nurturing 
pedagogy to meet the diverse needs of students. 

The Winthrop University-School Partnership Network is a dynamic, diverse, and growing 
partnership of educators from nine school districts, thirty schools, and Winthrop University. As a 
Network, we are emulating Goodlad’s vision of shared responsibility for student achievement 
through clinically-based teacher preparation, sustained collaborative professional learning, and 
inquiry and research-based practice. Moving from an “I” to a “we” perspective, our work is a 
model of how to not just blur, but to remove the lines between university and school for the 
purpose of supporting learners. 

 
Partnership Mission 

 
The various participants in our Network have individual missions that differ according to 
contextual factors, affording the partnership wide-ranging perspectives, needs, and inputs.  While 
celebrating each partner’s strengths and contributions, we maintain a shared purpose:  
simultaneous renewal of schools and educator preparation with a focus on P-12 student learning 
through the engagement of collaborative learning communities involving district and university 
students and faculty.  Using the mission as our foundational cornerstone, the Network partners 
collaborate to meet four specific goals: (1) Improve P-12 student learning; (2) Improve 
professional learning for district and university faculty and teacher candidates; (3) Improve 
quality of teacher preparation; and (4) Increase support for new teachers.   
 

Shared Governance through Structured Roles 
 

As with any diverse organization, we have established a system of shared governance in 
the Partnership Network to promote regular, active engagement of all partners. The “nine 
essentials” of a Professional Development School partnership developed by the National 
Association of Professional Development Schools (NAPDS, 2008) informed elements of our 
shared governance model.  A Network Management Team (NMT) guides implementation to meet 
our four shared goals and includes representatives from three colleges at Winthrop University 
(Education, Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts) and the nine participating school 
districts. The NMT oversees the ongoing work of the Partnership Network, conducts needs 
assessments and facilitates professional development activities, informs the redesign and 
continuing improvement of the teacher preparation curriculum, and regularly analyzes 
assessment data to determine impact of Network initiatives.  

The Partnership Advisory Council (PAC) directs the implementation of the Partnership 
Network at the school level. The PAC consists of a School Liaison from each of the 30 school 



        

 

School Partnership Network      113 

sites, nine Winthrop Faculty in Residence (WFIR), and university and district representatives 
from the NMT who meet monthly. Members of the PAC review and select new schools to join 
the Partnership Network and are involved in the selection of Mentor Teachers to support teacher 
preparation and beginning teacher induction.  

School Liaisons and Winthrop Faculty-in-Residence serve as conduits between university 
and school to support collaborative professional development, determine research needs, 
encourage qualified teachers to serve as Mentor Teachers and support their work with teacher 
candidates and beginning teachers, serve as adjunct instructors and guest speakers, facilitate 
work between school and university faculty to ensure alignment between course content and 
sound pedagogical practices, and assist in networking participants. 

 
Partnership Network Structure and Communication 

 
A four-tiered approach to our Partnership Network acknowledges the diverse needs and 

varying perspectives coming to the table. The organizational design of the Partnership Network 
is dynamic and developmentally flexible. Where one school may be poised and ready for a 
significant level of engagement, others that recognize the advantage of the partnership may have 
limited capacity at the time to participate. In true university-school partnership fashion, 
stakeholders from all entities met extensively to construct a network structure that would allow 
for and facilitate public school participation at four differentiated tiers – professional 
development schools, partner schools, content area assemblies, and satellite schools.   

 
Table 1. Four-Tiered Network Structure 

Professional Development School (PDS) 
The primary qualification of a PDS is its high commitment to this collaborative endeavor with 
the majority (2/3) of the school’s teachers committed to the shared mission and willing to 
support teacher candidates. A significant university presence exists at the school with a 
university faculty member serving as a Winthrop Faculty-in-Residence for approximately 50% 
of their workload. PDS faculty members engage in the university through course instruction, 
partnership governance processes, and special events. The PDS has an identified school liaison 
(teacher or school leader) to help facilitate partnership-related activity. 

Partner Schools 
Partner Schools are committed to collaboration; however, there is not necessarily a majority staff 
commitment to the mission. Nevertheless, there is high interest and the school is in the process of 
building capacity or may be in waiting to become a PDS. This school has similar benefits as the 
PDS but will not necessarily have site-based university presence. A university Partnership 
Coordinator serves as liaison to the Partner Schools and helps facilitate the networking of the 
Partner Schools with each other, the Professional Development Schools, and the university. Each 
Partner School has a designated school liaison (teacher or school leader) to help facilitate the 
partnership-related work. 

Content Area Assembly (CAA) 
A CAA consists of faculty within a high school department or faculty representing a P-12 
certification area across schools and districts. This tier of Partnership Network membership 
provides an opportunity for group membership in the Network based specifically on a teaching 
discipline. The Content Area Assembly applies solely to secondary or P-12 certification fields 
that may experience challenges to gaining the necessary commitment of the entire school 



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community required for PDS or Partner School tiers.  
Satellite Schools 

Satellite Schools are sites in a partnering school district where individuals (teachers, school 
leaders) engage in activities related to Partnership Network goals but school-wide commitment 
to the partnership collaboration is not possible for various reasons. This tier of the Partnership 
Network is designed to include individual teachers or school leaders who have a desire to be 
involved, have contributions to make, but are not situated in a school that is ready or able to 
commit to ongoing partnership work. The Partnership Coordinator facilitates communication 
and networking opportunities for individuals in Satellite Schools. 

 
Although the four tiers are distinctive, the intent with this structure is to ensure each remains 
strongly tied to a network of partners versus a singular relationship between one school and the 
university as indicated in the following figure. 
 
 

 
Figure 1. Partnership Network Structure 
 
“Mini-networks” form through shared interests in inquiry-based projects, challenges faced, 
and/or explorations of innovative practices. Professional Development Schools (PDS) form the 
hub of the mini-network because of the significant commitment of the school to the partnership 
and the university faculty member (WFIR) dedicated to the school.  These faculty members 
orchestrate the workings of the mini-network with additional support offered by school and 
university administrators.  Partner Schools and Content Area Assemblies that share similar goals 
and objectives affiliate themselves with a specific PDS.  Satellite Schools, as indicated above, 
can participate in any of the partnerships through opportunities such as professional development 
and teacher induction programs. In order to formalize the relationship between Network partners, 
a tier-specific Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is signed by school, district, and 
university administrators.  The Network Management Team annually examines the MOUs and 
decides if changes are needed.  

Communication between our governing bodies is facilitated through our Partnership 
Network website (https://www2.winthrop.edu/netscope/) that also houses all key information, 
including MOU documents and meeting records. Professional development offered by the 
various schools, school districts, and university is publicized with an online registration portal. 
Details on how to join the Partnership Network and information on becoming a Mentor Teacher, 



        

 

School Partnership Network      115 

available mentor training, and the mentoring process are also on the website.  A quarterly 
newsletter also sustains ongoing communication and the sharing of best practices across 
Partnership sites. 

 
Collaborative Professional Learning 

 
Intensive, high-quality professional development for both new and current classroom 

teachers is shown to be crucial in transforming schools and improving student academic 
achievement (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009). Creating professional learning communities that 
are focused on data-driven, research-based practices for educators is a shared responsibility of 
our Partnership Network.  Working collaboratively, educators in the Network assist each other in 
professional development, incorporating approaches that have been identified as critical in 
ensuring teachers are knowledgeable about student learning, academic content, instructional 
skills, and working with diverse learners, resulting in student learning gains (Yoon, Duncan, Lee, 
Scarloss, and Shapley, 2007).  

Needs assessments of school and university faculty, as well as professional development 
goals within school improvement plans, define the direction and opportunities necessary to 
improve student learning. Facilitation of collaborative learning across the Partnership Network 
occurs through the Professional Learning Opportunities page on the Network website 
(http://www2.winthrop.edu/netscope/professional_learning.htm). When professional 
development is scheduled at a partnering school site or at the university, participation is extended 
to the entire Partnership Network through an online notification and registration system. Sessions 
that have been piloted at individual sites and proven effective in meeting specific challenges are 
often replicated at other sites with additional partners. Participants can also specify needs 
through the online system and prompt new opportunities for all Partnership members. Finally, a 
comprehensive opportunity for sharing successful practices, innovative strategies, and 
collaborative research findings occurs at the annual Partnership Conference for Educational 
Renewal. The conference highlights advancements made through the active engagement of 
administrators, faculty, teachers, and students in the Partnership Network.  

Scientifically-based research and data-driven decision making, foundational to the 
Partnership work, is promoted through a Partnership Network Research and Inquiry Grant 
Program. The grants support collaborative efforts of classroom teachers and university faculty to 
solve teaching/learning problems and investigate educational innovations to improve student 
learning.  Collaboration is mandatory for these grants with options including Winthrop teacher 
candidates as co-investigators, faculty from any of Winthrop’s colleges, or other Network school 
partners. Submitted proposals are reviewed and selected by a subcommittee of the Network 
Management Team using a published rubric. The NMT as a whole monitors and supports the 
project implementation and reviews final data for effectiveness and inclusion in overall 
Partnership Network evaluation. 

Professional learning in our schools and in the university classroom benefits greatly from 
the use of Teachscape Reflect systems, a technology tool that allows Mentor Teachers and 
teacher candidates to capture video of lessons from a 360◦ perspective (providing a unique 
opportunity for teacher reflection on instructional strategies and student engagement). With 15 
systems in place across the Partnership Network sites, Teachscape has proven to be a valuable 
tool for professional learning communities and collaborative action research. According to one 
of our School Liaisons, “Teachscape videos have allowed us to expand reflective practice. 



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Teachers tape common lessons, first in one class and then another; then they reflect individually 
and share reflections. Clips can also be made and shared in departments as teachers seek input on 
how to tweak lessons and improve student learning.” 

 
Transformed Teacher Preparation Curriculum 

  
Since 2009, the Winthrop University-School Partnership Network has been working to 

develop a transformational teacher preparation program that is clinically-based.  The program 
involves a dramatic redesign of the 30 semester credit-hour Education Core Curriculum. The 
purpose of the Core is to provide field-relevant pedagogical content and practical experiences 
that serve as a foundation to all of our teacher education programs, from Early Childhood 
Education to secondary and P-12 certification fields.  The Education Core plays a key role in 
consistently and purposefully developing the competencies that we collectively intend to 
cultivate in all teacher candidates. With clinical experiences beginning in the freshman year and 
occurring each and every semester thereafter, the program culminates in a year-long senior 
internship. The Education Core Curriculum requires extensive time in P-12 schools with diverse 
learners applying concepts learned in coursework. Content of the courses is “wrapped around” a 
sequence of well-designed and targeted clinical experiences that will occur in the school settings 
of our Partnership Network under the tutelage of carefully selected and well-trained Mentor 
Teachers, many of whom were involved in the creation of the curriculum.  Having multiple 
voices and varied perspectives as part of the curriculum development process has proved most 
beneficial as there is a shared understanding and responsibility for educating the next generation 
of teachers.  Our work in transforming Winthrop’s teacher education curriculum is fully aligned 
with the recommendations of NCATE’s Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation 
and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning (NCATE, 2010) that called for the education of 
teachers in the U.S. to be “turned upside down.”  The report challenges universities to move to 
programs that are “fully grounded in clinical practice,” providing “varied and extensive 
opportunities for candidates to connect what they learn with the challenge of using it while under 
the expert tutelage of skilled clinical educators” (p. ii). Because of the complexity and 
importance of the internship experiences, the Partnership Advisory Council crafted a model for 
Mentor Teachers that would not only be better aligned with mentoring for beginning teachers but 
would explicitly outline the guidelines and compensation for working with teacher candidates 
during various levels and experiences. As seen in the model, part of the work of Mentor Teachers 
is the participation in curriculum and benchmark processes. 

 



        

 

School Partnership Network      117 

 
Figure 2. Mentor Teacher Model 

 
Specifically, the year-long internship experience allows candidates to follow the school 

and not the university calendar. As candidates begin the school year with their Mentor Teachers 
in Partnership Network schools, they are afforded a unique opportunity to serve as “junior 
faculty members” for an entire school year alongside master educators. The year-long internship 
is also rewarding for our Mentor Teachers and of real benefit to our Partnership Network schools 
– having two capable adults for an entire year to support diverse learning needs. 
Although sites build a supportive environment in different ways, small acts such as posting the 
candidate’s name on the outside of the classroom door, giving the candidate a school t-shirt to 
wear on spirit days, and providing a district email account  highlight a willing and eager 
approach by the school to embrace their role in teacher preparation.  

We are continuously assessing the year-long experience for its benefit to each partner.  
Survey evaluations and annual focus groups provide an opportunity to share the successes and 
challenges of implementation.  Data are then shared with the Partnership Advisory Council and 
Network Management Team for continuous program improvement. Overall, the experience has 
resulted in overwhelmingly positive feedback.  Additional information on assessing Partnership 
effectiveness is described in the following section. 

 
Measuring Effectiveness and Reflective Practice 

 
The Partnership Network utilizes an annual performance template to measure the effect 

initiatives are having towards achieving the four Network goals. Partnering schools develop 
measurable objectives that address needs within their individual sites that are then collectively 
pooled to measure the impact of the Partnership Network as a whole. At the end of each school 
year, data is reported relative to each goal and objective with supporting analyses regarding how 
to move forward.  

 
 



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Figure 3. Winthrop University – School Partnership: School-Based Goals, Objectives and 
Outcomes 

 
As plans are collected, information on specific “focus areas” is added to the Partnership 

Network website to facilitate communication and collaboration. Partners within the Network can 
identify others working in similar domains and share resources to accomplish common goals. 
University faculty can search sites appropriate for collaborative, field-based research or engage 
in service activities with schools in need of specific expertise. Finally, assistance can be offered 
to schools beginning a new focus that others have been exploring and addressed successfully. 

Other reflective practices include gathering and analyzing internship survey data and 
teacher candidate (interns), Mentor Teacher, and university supervisor focus group feedback. 
The data from these various sources are compiled and used for program improvement through 
the Network Management Team (NMT), Partnership Advisory Council, and university 
committees on which School Liaisons and administrators play a role. Additionally, the NMT 
annually examines achievement data as a reflection on past initiatives and a source of 
information for future work, maintaining a Network focus on P-12 student learning.  

 
Conclusion 

 
From the onset, our desire is to demonstrate the significant value in having multiple 

voices contributing to the conversation with the shared commitment to improving teaching and 
learning in P-12 schools. Whether on the topic of teacher preparation, student achievement, 
mentoring new teachers, or supporting administrators, understanding and embracing diverse 
perspectives results in stronger teachers and, consequently, improved student learning. Although 
difficult at times, moving from an “I” to a “we” mentality has resulted in several noteworthy 
accomplishments and achievements. 

• Transformed teacher preparation curriculum including a year-long internship; 
• 4-tiered Partnership Network structure with shared governance and defined roles; 
• A multi-leveled Mentor Teacher program; 
• Collaborative professional development built upon expertise within the Partnership; 
• Collaborative inquiry to inform educational practice; and 
• An elaborate and ongoing assessment system for determining impact. 



        

 

School Partnership Network      119 

In spring 2012, Winthrop University received national recognition from the National 
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education for work in field and clinical experiences and 
assessment practices. Such acclaim is due in no small part to the work of the Winthrop 
University-School Partnership Network.  And, where the national recognition is invigorating and 
affirming, there is yet another accomplishment of which we are most proud: improved student 
learning. For example, a project-based learning implementation with 251 elementary students 
resulted in 40% gains shown on standards-based pre/post assessments. A reading initiative for 
struggling learners found statistically significant increases in student achievement on 
standardized measures. As a result of implementing the co-teaching model with general and 
special education teachers at a partnering middle school, reading and math standardized test 
scores of co-taught students (including students with disabilities) showed significantly higher 
growth than comparison groups. As the number one shared goal in our Partnership Network, the 
improvements we see in student learning through the dedication and innovation of collaborative 
partnership is the accomplishment of which we are most proud. 

 
  



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References 
 

Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R.C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., Orphanos, S., & The School          

Redesign Network at Stanford University. (2009). Professional learning in the learning 

profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad. 

Dallas, TX: National Staff Development Council. 

Goodlad, J. (1984). A place called school: Prospects for the future. New York, NY: McGraw- 

Hill Book Co. 

National Association for Professional Development Schools. (2008). What it means to be a  

professional development school. Columbia, SC: National Association for Professional 

Development Schools.   

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. (2010). Transforming teacher 

education through clinical practice: A national strategy to prepare effective teachers. 

Washington, DC: National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. 

Yoon, K. S., Duncan, T., Lee, S. W.-Y., Scarloss, B., & Shapley, K. (2007). Reviewing the 

evidence on how teacher professional development affects student achievement (Issues & 

Answers Report, REL 2007–No. 033). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 

Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional 

Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest. Retrieved from 

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs 

 

 


