




































Smith (2019) Proof Final 


Educational Renaissance Vol. 8  (2019)

The Im pact  of  Program  Redesign on Par t nerships and 
Clin ical Pract ice
Linda Gray Sm it h, PhD. Northwest Missouri State University

     email: lsmith@nwmissouri.edu

Sue Wood, EdD. Northwest Missouri State University

     email: suewood@nwmissouri.edu

Greg Rich, EdD. Northwest Missouri State University

     email: grich@nwmissouri.edu

Everet t  Singlet on, PhD. Northwest Missouri State University

     email: esingleton@nwmissouri.edu

Tim ot hy Jason Wall, EdD. Northwest Missouri State University

     email: timwall@nwmissouri.edu

Feature Article

Int roduct ion

The School of Education program at Northwest 
Missouri State University did not reflect current 
best practices; in fact, many courses had not been 
revised in 20 years. The curriculum offerings were 
outdated and the State Department of Education 
had recently changed compendium requirements 
that the School of Education must offer students 
to meet requirements for licensure/certification. 
The program changes required were significant, 
including additional experiences and credit hours 

in assessment, literacy, and language-acquisition 
coursework. Simultaneously, university 
administrators at Northwest Missouri State 
University were experiencing state and federal 
pressure to decrease students? time to degree. 
State funding had declined over the previous 20 
years from 70% to 30% of university costs, 
resulting in increased pressure to attract students 
for the cost of attendance. The School of 
Education was particularly impacted because 
fewer in-state students aspired to become PK?12 

Abst ract  

This study investigated the ability of a redesigned teacher preparation program to effectively meet the 
needs of teacher candidates and partner school districts. The study examined the effects of the 
redesigned school of education program on perceptions of teacher candidates, administrators, 
teachers in partner districts, and faculty members. Findings from school-partnership districts and the 
school of education were explored. The goal was to use best practices to meet the needs of teacher 
candidates and provide rich theoretical and clinical experiences in diverse school settings. Findings 
indicated a change in perceptions of teacher candidates in understanding the importance of equity in 
the teaching process and of the connection between theory presented in the classroom and 
application in settings of diverse learners. Teachers and principals indicated an appreciation for 
renewal through the collaborative experience with teacher candidates during field experiences.

mailto:lsmith@nwmissouri.edu
mailto:suewood@nwmissouri.edu
mailto:grich@nwmissouri.edu
mailto:esingleton@nwmissouri.edu
mailto:timwall@nwmissouri.edu


SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

teachers (Katnik, 2016). In response to the 
compendium change, many universities in the 
state were adding hours to the degree. In 
response to these changes, the Dean of the School 
of Education challenged the faculty, many of 
whom were new to the university, to think 
creatively to initiate a redesigned program that 
would meet the requirements of the State 
Department of Education but not raise the 
number of credit hours.   Faculty accepted the 
challenge and began a comprehensive redesign of 
coursework using a collaborative approach. 

Collaborative inquiry is among the most promising 
strategies for strengthening teaching and learning 
(David, 2008). At the same time, collaboration may 
be one of the most difficult to implement. Faculty 
collaboration does not occur naturally; it evades 
prevailing norms of teacher isolation and 
individualistic approaches to teaching. Essential 
elements of effective collaboration are ensuring 
adequate time to collaborate and adhering to a set 
of norms fostering a positive culture (David, 2008). 
The institution possessed both qualities.

Using the collaborative principles espoused in 
David (2008), the intensive work of redesign began 
with 5 retreat days in which faculty members came 
together to begin the journey to redesign and 
reinvent the curriculum for the School of 
Education. All faculty from the elementary and 
early childhood programs, middle and secondary 
education programs, the Assistant Director of 
Teacher Education, and the chair of the 
Department of Professional Education agreed the 
redesign needed to be grounded in research on 
effective teacher-education programs, aligned with 
the State Teacher Standards. Further, the new 
design had to be responsive to the needs of PK?12 
schools in the four-state area from which most 
teacher candidates are recruited. With an 
emphasis on collaboration in the School of 
Education, content faculty members from the 
campus-wide Professional Education Unit also 
needed to be included. Best practice, including a 
report on clinical practice commissioned by the 
American Association of Colleges for Teacher 

Education (AACTE, 2018), indicated that students 
should be involved in multiple clinical field 
experiences in a variety of locations to support the 
application of theory to PK?12 classrooms.

In the fall of 2018, the university placed 537 first- 
and second-year education majors in local 
community districts for clinical observation and 
early-level field experiences. Faculty liaisons 
collaborated with PK?12 teachers in the field 
experience sites to design experiences aligned 
with the coursework delivered in the university 
educator-preparation program. The university 
placed first-year education majors in school 
districts in the first 7 weeks of their program and 
provided opportunities to observe and work with 
PK?12 students in well-coordinated, 
carefully-constructed, scaffolded experiences 
designed by the PK?12 teacher-partner and 
university faculty liaison. Not only did the teacher 
candidates participate in field experiences within 
the 35-mile radius in a rural setting, but they also 
took part in an additional set of clinical-practice 
opportunities during their 3rd and 4th years to 
work in an urban school district, with strong 
results (Linda Smith, Farnan, Seeger, Wall, & Kiene, 
2017). This urban clinical experience featured the 
chance to work with students from marginalized, 
underrepresented populations of individuals from 
diverse ethnicities, students living in systemic or 
concentrated poverty, and many English-language 
learners. Best practices, informed by theory, 
guided the redesign.

Theoret ical Fram ework

Multiple theoretical constructs inspired this study. 
Change theory informs the process used in the 
redesign of the School of Education coursework 
and field experiences. Fullan (2006) defined seven 
core premises undergirding effective change. 
These include a focus on motivation over a period 
of time and the building of knowledge and skills to 
create the change. Meaningful change requires 
purposeful thinking and change is messy; change 
takes persistence and comfort with ambiguity. 
Systems seek stability; creative tension arises 
when the vision is different from the reality (Senge, 

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

1990). The reality of increased requirements 
established by the State Department at the same 
time as the effort to decrease the numbers of 
hours to obtain a degree undergirded the move 
toward change. An adaptive culture is needed for 
change to occur (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009). 
Shared responsibility, development of leadership 
capacity, and the institutionalization of reflection 
and continuous learning characterize an adaptive 
culture (Heifetz et al., 2009, p. 165).

Another framework informing this study is the role 
of partnerships with PK?12 schools in meeting the 
educational needs of teacher candidates. In the 
Missouri, the Department of Education requires 
155 hours of field experiences for teacher 
candidates in their content area or area of 
emphasis. Teacher candidates need partnerships 
with PK?12 schools to enable them to work in 
school districts, learn from practicing teachers, and 
apply the knowledge collected in the classroom to 
reality. Multiple sources support the guiding 
principles of rich clinical practice including the 
AACTE (2018) report on clinical practice. State 
education requirements and emphasis from 
national accreditors? the Association for 
Advancing Quality in Education (AAQEP, 2019) and 
the Council for the Accreditation of Education 
Preparation (CAEP, 2013)? aided in developing 
mutually beneficial partnerships. Principles and 
expertise from traditionally excellent education 
programs that are members of The Renaissance 
Group (2018) informed the imperative for mutually 
beneficial strong partnerships between college 
and school systems. These principles became 
driving forces in developing the curricular 
redesign. Specifically, the redesign focused on The 
Renaissance Group Principle 3: ?The education of 
teachers incorporates extensive and sequenced 
field and clinical experiences in various settings 
with effective supervision.? Similarly, Principle 7 
was influential in our redesign. It called for the 
continuing professional development of teachers 
through shared responsibility of the individual 
candidate, other professional educators (such as 
partner districts), and university faculty (The 
Renaissance Group, 2018).

This study was informed by multiple theoretical 
constructs on equity and student development. 
Using ecological-systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 
1979), teacher candidates are introduced to the 
systematic ways learners develop as social and 
cultural beings. During the first semester, a Phase I 
course titled, Ecology of Teaching, provides 
candidates with the opportunity to explore six 
bioecological layers that influence the 
developmental context of learners. A critical 
social-justice lens supports the bioecological layers 
to enhance understanding of the impact of 
development on teaching and learning. The five 
systemic layers of relationships that influence a 
child?s development are (a) the microsystem and 
relationships in direct contact with the child; 
(b) the mesosystem and the connection between 
relationships in the child?s microsystem; (c) the 
exosystem and those structures in which the child 
does not have direct contact; (d) the macrosystem 
and larger cultural contexts, attitudes, beliefs, 
developing and industrialized countries, 
socioeconomic status, poverty, and ethnicity; and 
(e) the chronosystem representing changes in time 
(Bronfenbrenner, 1979).

Candidates then transition to another Phase I 
course titled, Developmental Foundations, that 
delves into the tension between constructivism 
and behaviorism while providing exposure to 
culturally responsive teaching language and 
practices (as in Gay, 2000). This field 
experience-based course introduces students to 
methods of observation and noticing of 
developmental constructs in educational settings. 
Students learn about educational theorists such as 
Pavlov, Skinner, Bandura, Gesell, Bayley, and 
Chomsky. Through intentionally designed field 
work and guided discussion, candidates learn to 
interpret their observations and attention from the 
lens of developmental and learning theories. 
Relying on the work of Chappuis and Stiggins 
(2017), candidates learn strategies for developing 
and implementing formative and summative 
assessments and analyze the resulting 
student-level data. Dweck?s (2006), research on 
growth mindsets? connection to classroom culture 

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

and the relationships between verbal and 
nonverbal communication and their impact on 
teacher relationships (see Keith, Tornatzky, & 
Pettigrew, 2015) were influential in coursework 
development.

Purpose of  St udy

The purpose of this study was to examine the 
redesign of the School of Education program to 
meet the needs of teacher candidates, the 
Educator Preparation Program (EPP), and the 
partner districts of the EPP. We evaluated two 
other constructs in the study: (a) the effects of the 
redesigned School of Education program based on 
the perceptions of teacher candidates, and (b) the 
effects of the redesigned School of Education 
program based on the perceptions of 
administrators and teachers in the partner 
districts.

Research Quest ions

1. How can the educator-preparation program 
be redesigned using best practices to meet 
the needs of teacher candidates, the EPP, 
and partner districts?

2. What is the impact of the redesigned 
education program on teacher candidates, 
the EPP, and partner districts?

Change Theory

Critical to any major change in an organization is a 
thorough knowledge of the change process. 
Without change knowledge, the reform will fail 
(Fullan, Cuttress, & Kilcher, 2005). When examining 
the literature on the topic of change, the voice of 
Lewin is clear (Burnes & Bargal, 2017). Lewin was 
committed to making a better world that provided 
the motivation for all work on social change. Lewin 
defined change as a process including three 
stages: unfreezing, moving, and freezing. 
Unfreezing means rethinking the status quo and 
breaking from the current traditions and ways of 
performing. In this stage, most resistance can 
occur. In the moving stage, change begins to 
occur; in the freezing stage, the change is 
institutionalized and slowly becomes the status 
quo. According to Lewin, during these stages of 

change, the change agent continually thinks about 
the mechanism to change the current state to the 
desired state (Burnes & Bargal, 2017).

Par t nerships

The guiding conceptual model of the AACTE clinical 
practice brief (2018) places an imperative on 
high-quality clinical practice supporting quality 
partnerships. Such partnerships are mutually 
beneficial to classrooms in the partner districts 
and to classrooms in the university, which is a 
requirement of national accreditation (AAQEP, 
2019; CAEP, 2013). If each partner does not gain 
from the experience, the partnership will not 
continue (Stephens & Boldt, 2004). Partnerships 
between schools and universities where teachers 
and teacher candidates keep learning benefit both 
institutions (Nobles, Dredger, & Gerheart, 2012). 
Teacher-education programs benefit from 
collaboration with professional-development 
school partners as educators revise curriculum to 
meet the needs of partner schools (Holen & Yunk, 
2014). The combination of research, theory, and 
practice benefits the full and equal participation of 
partner schools (Holen & Yunk, 2014, p. 4). 
Although reflective practice underlies the renewal 
of teaching and learning in PK?12 and university 
classrooms, partnerships between PK?12 schools 
and universities require ongoing care to ensure 
sustainability. The CAEP (2013) and AAQEP (2019) 
standards support such partnerships for 
educator-preparation national accreditation, 
addressing collaboration, clinical partnerships, and 
practice as a way to support the learning of 
teacher candidates and all PK?12 students. Having 
the university and the school district involved in 
the planning of clinical field experiences allows the 
needs of both entities to be met (Reischl, 
Khasnabis, & Karr, 2017). For a partnership 
between an EPP and a school district to continue, 
it must become part of the culture of both 
institutions, rather than an isolated event 
(Zeichner, Payne, & Brayko, 2015). Another facet of 
the redesign was an intentional emphasis on 
socially just practices.

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

Equit y

As the unique student demographics of schools 
change, requiring culturally responsive teaching 
pedagogy, candidates must be prepared to teach 
in districts with racial and ethnic diversity. Social 
justice is a philosophical belief that, along with 
personal actions, centers on treating individuals 
with ?fairness, respect, dignity, and generosity? 
(Nieto & Bode, 2012, p. 12). Candidates 
understand the importance of using students? 
cultural experiences and backgrounds to help 
inform their teaching and learning. Candidates 
gain a deeper understanding of various contextual 
dimensions such as race, culture, and 
socioeconomics, and their impact on motivation, 
ability, and achievement in the classroom. 
Understanding the unique context of students also 
helps candidates gain better insight into how 
teachers can use students? cultural experiences to 
inform learning, teaching, and instruction 
(Ladson-Billings, 2001; Eckert, 2011; Rivlin & 
Robinson, 1968). A deeper awareness and 
understanding of the unique demographics of 
various schools and communities that impact 
them helps candidates adjust their biases and 
assumptions, and any preconceived notions about 
teaching. Teacher candidates are able to better 
understand the larger global implications of 
teaching students from various backgrounds. 
Exposure to rural, urban, and suburban settings 
provides an opportunity for candidates to 
immerse themselves in a variety of school settings 
(Merryfield, 2000; Ukpokodu, 2010). Further, 
candidates become equity advocates who 
understand the correlation and connection to 
student achievement. They understand teaching 
beyond books and recognize the value of 
experience in the learning and teaching process. 
Last, they understand the commitment necessary 
to become an effective teacher and to continue in 
the field of education.

Field experiences in urban areas can change the 
perceptions of teacher candidates who participate 
in them. Involvement in field experiences 
produced significant changes in how teacher 

candidates viewed their ability to make a 
difference and in their beliefs about diversity 
(Smith, Farnan, Seeger, Wall,& Kiene, 2017) . After 
a clinical experience in an urban setting, developed 
by the rurally based EPP and district leaders to 
promote exchange of ideas and encourage 
appreciation and promotion of diversity, the 
findings were apparent:

After the urban field experiences candidates were: 
1) more likely to use curricular materials and 
instructional practices fostering diversity, 2) more 
aware of (K-12) students? experiences and cultural 
backgrounds, and 3) noted diverse schools were 
?very different? than those they attended (Smith et 
al., 2018, p. 6).

Leaders in the EPP and the PK?12 school systems 
have seen the impact of strong clinical practice, 
and wanted to build more opportunities to blend 
theory and practice for candidates.

Met hodology

This study used a nested-case-study approach with 
concurrent analysis of qualitative and quantitative 
data sources. The researchers examined one 
redesigned educator-preparation program to 
determine how it met stakeholder needs and 
determine its impact on partnerships and clinical 
practice. A case study is an in-depth description 
and analysis of a bounded system (Merriam, 
2009). The ?what? is a bounded system, a single 
entity or unit around which boundaries exist 
(Smith, 1978). In this case study, the EPP was the 
bounded system. Using the case-study approach, 
three main data sources were synthesized. First, 
we drew on multiple measures of 
teacher-candidate perceptions. Next, we analyzed 
principal and mentor-teacher feedback, as their 
voices were paramount because the focus of the 
study involved partnerships and expanded clinical 
placements in schools at earlier points in the 
program. Finally, we determined how faculty 
perceived the redesign and development of new 
partnerships. Analysis of teacher-candidate 
reflections assisted in the search for 
contextualized meaning, understanding of the 

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

impact of redesigning the program, and how the 
redesign impacted partnerships. When 
considering methodology, the researchers used 
Merriam?s (2009) technique of purposeful 
sampling. Purposeful sampling builds on the 
assumption that the investigator wants to 
discover, understand, and gain insight and 
therefore must select a sample from which they 
can learn the most. We triangulated data until it 
reached saturation, when themes emerged to 
enable us to clearly depict the impact of the 
redesign for candidates and the EPP, and on 
partnership development and clinical practice.

Par t icipant s and Set t ing

Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, 
MO has an enrollment of 6,000 undergraduates,  
and is located in a very rural, geographically 
remote, isolated area. Maryville, MO  has a 
population of 11,972. The moderately selective 
university enrolls approximately 1,025 students 
with education majors comprising 658 elementary 
teacher candidates and 367 secondary teacher 
candidates, primarily from a four-state region; 
each state is within 50 miles of the university. Each 
year, approximately 23% of the teacher candidates 
are Pell Grant eligible. In addition, 96% of teacher 
candidates identify as White with 2% Latin(x) and 
2% Multiracial.  Finally, 36% of teacher candidates 
are the first in their family to attend college. Of the 
21 faculty members of the School of Education, 15 
were women. Only two individuals of color were 
on the faculty when the study took place.

The School of Education partners with 12 PK?12 
school districts within a 35-mile radius of the 
university. Teacher candidates provided/arranged 
their own transportation when attending local 
early and midlevel field experiences. During the 
2017?2018 school year, approximately 531 
freshmen and sophomore teacher candidates 
participated in field experiences with 12 partner 
school districts. In addition to rural field 
experiences, teacher candidates took part in two 
early and midlevel field experiences in urban 
school districts using university-sponsored bus 
transportation.

Table 1 depicts the socioeconomic status of 
partner districts based on the percentage of 
students who were eligible for free or 
reduced-price lunch, the racial demographics of 
the districts, and the total district enrollment.

Table 1
PK?12 Demographics Where Educator Preparation 
Program Clinical Field Placements Take Place.

*  Indicates the number/percent has been suppressed due to a 
potential small sample size.

Realizing that one of the major forces that leads to 
successful implementation of change efforts 
(Fullan et al., 2005) is developing a culture of 
evaluation, education faculty members met to 
design a quantitative/qualitative survey that would 
speak to the extent to which the objectives set 
forth in the redesigned program had been met in 
the first year of implementation. In the spring of 
2018, researchers administered the survey to all 
256 students who had participated in Phase I 

District % F/R Race:        
% White

Race:             
% non-White

Total

Maryville 33.2 91.9 * 1,401

Jefferson 32.2 * * 125

NE Nodaway 45.8 * * 205

W Nodaway 54.4 * * 232

Nodaway Holt 46.3 * * 199

S Nodaway 47.9 * * 175

N Nodaway 45.4 * * 205

Albany 59.3 * * 398

Bedford 42.36 95.69 * 465

Savannah 32.2 94.1 * 2,306

Clarinda 38.34 90.72 * 1,063

N Andrew 39.5 * * 356

Independence 71.4 56.6 41.1 14,321

St. Joseph 71.4 73.6 3.0 11,256

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

courses during the 2017?2018 school year: 77 
students responded to the survey.

The data collection consisted of (a) surveys of 
feedback from first-year students on experience in 
the new program and (b) feedback from students, 
faculty, and PK?12 mentor teachers and principals. 
All survey questions were identical. As a 
component of the coursework, we collected and 
analyzed reflective narratives for themes from 
each of the 256 students. We electronically 
provided narrative surveys with identical questions 
to 264 PK?12 mentor teachers and principals in 
the districts within the 35-mile radius who hosted 
the field experiences, with 26 responses returned 
and analyzed for themes. We analyzed narrative 
responses from the surveys using axial coding. We 
coded open-ended questions to identify themes. 
We worked independently, identifying important 
phrases and consistent themes with open coding, 
using the themes as the designation for data 
categories. See Table 2 for the three data sources 
we analyzed to obtain our results.

Table 2
Data Sources Used

Result s by Research Quest ion

RQ1. How can the educator preparation program 
be redesigned using best practice to meet the 
needs of teacher candidates, the EPP, and partner 
districts?

The process used in the redesign of the education 
program included faculty work to create a vision of 
what the program could look like, advisory-council 
meetings including faculty groups of PK?12 
teachers and administrators, and local business 
professionals answering the following question: 
?What are the graduates of the School of 
Education doing well and what do the graduates of 
the School of Education need to do better to serve 
the needs of the students in the PK?12 schools?? 
Using a backwards-design model of curriculum 
design based on the work of Wiggins and McTighe 
(2005), the faculty collaboratively worked to fully 
understand the state professional standards and 
the state governing rules of EPPs. Site visits of 
other teacher-education programs built faculty 
knowledge of extended student-teaching 
experiences. Faculty made connections with 
university content professors and with community 
colleges for the seamless matriculation of 
students. Ultimately, the university implemented 
courses, followed by annual reviews.

An additional impetus for programmatic and 
clinical practice change came from suggestions 
made by a team of administrators and teachers on 
the School of Education advisory council. As a 
result of the advisory council?s input, there was a 
significant increase in the number and diversity of 
opportunities for clinical field experiences.   Field 
experiences start in the first term of teacher 
candidates? first on-campus year, to make 
candidates more aware of their chosen career and 
augment a sense of commitment to the craft at a 
much earlier point in the program. An increased 
emphasis on assessment and data literacy 
emerged, accompanied by strategies to assist 
PK?12 learners who had experienced trauma in 
their lives. The advisory council advised additional 
pedagogy (supporting content while focusing on 
teaching tools) for secondary candidates.

The education of teachers became an all-campus 
responsibility, undertaken in collaboration with 
PK?12 school personnel, as described in Principle 
1 of The Renaissance Group (2018). Course 
descriptions were approved through the 

Population Method

University 
students

Quantitative and Qualitative feedback

Surveys were electronically distributed.   The 
survey consisted of 13 quantitative and 
qualitative questions.

PK?12 teacher 
and administrator

Narrative feedback

Narrative surveys were electronically   
distributed consisting of 5 open-ended 
questions.

University faculty Narrative feedback

Narrative feedback forms consisting of   5 
questions was electronically distributed at 
the end of the term.

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

committee structure of the university. Educators 
identified competencies for the courses, and 
collaborative teams developed the classes. 
Participants identified field-experience sites and 
built course plans.

Table 3 shows the sequence of the redesign 
process. The planning was completed in Year 1, 
course writing in Year 2, and implementation of 
the redesigned courses in Year 3.

Table 3
Process of Redesigning the Educator Preparation 
Program Based on the Dean?s Challenge

RQ2: What is the impact of the redesigned 
education program on teacher candidates, the 
EPPs, and partner districts?

The quantitative data revealed the most impactful 
experiences of the redesigned program. We 
extracted two themes from qualitative data in the 
teacher-candidate responses: (a) change in 
perceptions of the role of a teacher, and (b) 
understanding of the application of theories 
learned in the classroom.

Im pact  of  t he Redesign on Teacher  Candidat es

The result of the electronic survey revealed 
teacher candidates ranked the impact of the 
clinical field experiences as good or excellent. 
Teacher candidates rated experiences in the large 
urban/suburban districts as most impactful. 
Participants found experiences during the 
coursework to be second most impactful, including 
the poverty simulation facilitated by the Children 
and Family Center of the local county seat, where 
participants assumed a role and acted through 
situations they might encounter in adverse 
situations of poverty. This experience improved 
teacher-candidate understanding of the PK?12 
students? unique contexts. The experiences, in 
addition to the revamped curriculum, were highly 
impactful, especially for candidates? sense of 
preparation, professionalism, and diversity. As one 
candidate explained, the newly designed program 
achieved its goals of changing candidates? 
perceptions while preparing them to teach with 
culturally relevant approaches.

I was not completely aware that teachers had to 
take into consideration so many different things 
about their students including where they came 
from, what kind of experiences they had, their 
dispositions, and what type of learning style 
they have. I also learned that to be a good 
teacher you have to be prepared to adapt to 
anything, use your students? experiences to 
help you teach, and be culturally responsive 
based on their needs and experiences. 
(Candidate 1)

Teacher candidates made meaning of their field 
experiences by recounting specific observations 
during school visits and the feelings associated 
with those events. By reflecting on and giving voice 

Year and day Process

Year 1 Advisory Council input sought

Day 1 Five days? release time for faculty to   work 
(established norms and a monthly time to 
collaborate)

Envisioned redesigned program

Established advisory council

Ongoing literature review

Day 2 Worked to fully understand the state   
professional standards for teacher candidates

Worked to fully understand the state   
compendium of the governing rules for 
Educator Preparation Programs

Day 3 Benchmark review of Northwest   Missouri State 
University regarding student teaching

Day 4 Designed the phase model

Day 5 Involved university secondary partners   in 
reflection on the redesign proposal

Year 2 Connections with community colleges for   
seamless matriculation of students

Course development and objective   writing

Advisory Council feedback solicited on   the 
model

Year 3 Courses implemented

Redesigned program implemented

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

to their experiences, early teacher candidates were 
able to gain a better understanding of the unique 
demographics and context of rural, urban, and 
suburban schools, and to provide a glimpse into 
those schools? worlds. Teacher candidates used 
professional-learning communities (DuFour, 2004) 
and written narratives to reflect on instructional 
content and field experiences. Candidates could 
then adjust their perceptions about teaching and 
recognize the value of experience as a tool for 
learning and teaching.

I believe that I personally learned a lot about 
teaching and the different pieces that combine 
to make a great teacher. Before taking the 
education courses Ecology of Teaching and 
Developmental Foundations this semester, I 
had not thought of teaching much past 
someone in the front of the room simply 
presenting information to all of the students, 
but I now realize that there is more to it than 
that. (Candidate 2)

It became evident, through analysis of the data, 
that candidates could apply the knowledge gained 
when observing in PK?12 classroom settings. 
Evidence from candidate statements included their 
narrative reflections, recounting their requirement 
to process the clinical experiences reflectively and 
deeply. The process required candidates to bridge 
theoretical constructs to real-life experiences in 
school environments. Participants achieved a 
more holistic view of teaching by observing, 
reflecting, discussing, questioning, and connecting 
classroom learning with various field 
opportunities. Candidates shared their thoughts 
on school and classroom culture, climate, 
structure, appearance, assets, deficits, and 
incidents seen in the PK?12 classrooms.

There is a lot a teacher can learn even from 
students.  A life where you never stop learning 
sounds very exciting to me.  Throughout my 
experiences in the Kindergarten class I have 
learned being a teacher is the best possible job 
a person can have.  (Candidate 3)

Comments provided by teachers hosting and 

collaborating with candidates in clinical practice 
settings also reflected the impact of the 
redesigned School of Education program. Of 
teachers who hosted field-experience students for 
5 hours each of the first 2 semesters, all but one 
teacher expressed willingness to host and learn 
with candidates in clinical field experiences in the 
future. This part of the new process was 
considerably more successful than previous 
placements, as clinical faculty engaged in a true 
partnership, built on a foundation of partnership, 
theory, and best practices in the preparation and 
development of future teachers. The process 
aligned with expectations from the CAEP (2013) 
and AAQEP (2019) in support of national 
accreditation and the state?s expectations and 
directives while honoring the expertise of the 
teachers: ?I welcome observation, especially if the 
observer is willing to lend me their perspective. I 
would love to learn with these students and us 
their feedback from my own reflection? 
(representative teacher comment in survey data).

Yet teachers and candidates were not the only 
beneficiaries of the redesigned programs. 
Administrators immediately saw improvement in 
the preparation of future teachers (current 
candidates) aligned with the survey data. 
Principals of PK?12 that hosted students in the 
first 10 hours of clinical field experience cited 
refreshing and renewing concepts for PK?12 
teachers (Shroyer, Yahnke, Bennett, & Dunn, 2007). 
During the first year on campus, principals 
indicated appreciation of the teacher candidates in 
their classrooms because of the collaborative 
engagement with their classroom teachers and the 
fresh ideas evidenced in the interaction: ?We 
appreciate students talking to teachers, seeing 
what they are trying to do. It makes our teachers 
try to implement new things because students are 
there? (Principals? perception). In addition to 
teacher candidates, teachers, and administrators, 
another group was profoundly impacted by the 
effort to redesign our programs and practices. Our 
faculty found great meaning in the work, the 
change, and the results.

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

Facult y Percept ions of  Im pact

Several faculty members who responded to the 
narrative survey spoke of the impact of the 
redesign. Responses cited the application of 
education theory to real-life educational 
environments. By Week 9 of their first on-campus 
year, teacher candidates were in buildings much 
different from those from which they graduated 
and witnessed the effect of caring teachers and 
structured classrooms. Through students? 
reflection narratives, evidence emerged of their 
change in sense of agency to impact positive 
change related to socially just practices and the 
importance of equity. Candidates revealed an 
increase in awareness of poverty, race, and 
gender. One faculty member described, in detail, 
an impactful clinical experience that achieved 
several goals while assisting teacher candidates to 
move beyond mere exposure to diversity into an 
infusion of socially just practice in their lessons, 
after participating in a field experience in a diverse 
setting:

The overall experience of the field trip was 
eye-opening for the students. They had the 
opportunity to observe many things that will 
impact their future teaching and help develop 
their own pedagogy. Students were able to 
observe a wide range of disruptive behaviors 
with the middle school and high school 
students and how teachers and administrators 
responded to the disrespect and defiant 
behaviors in the classrooms. They were able to 
see what a school impacted with extreme 
poverty, 100% free and reduced, and high 
trauma looked like first hand. The students 
were able to observe a large variety of 
pedagogies, environments, personalities, and 
instruction between the three schools. This 
opportunity allowed students to be culturally 
aware of populations they may not have had 
exposure to in their schools, which aids in their 
understanding the complexities of teaching. 
(Faculty Member 1)

Another faculty member found great value in 
developing effective partnerships:

I personally thought the opportunity for 
students to see that building trusting 
relationships with your students is a critical 
component of teaching was powerful. The 
co-teaching model at the elementary school 
seemed to be of a big interest for many 
students as they had never observed teaching 
in a non-traditional classroom prior to this 
experience and how they responded to whether 
or not they themselves could be an effective 
teacher working in a co-teaching model. The 
field experiences resulted in students reflecting 
on their own assumptions and biases. Overall, I 
believe the field trip was a monumental 
moment for these future educators. (Faculty 
Member 2)

Discussion

The EPP now includes a minimum of 555 hours of 
clinical field experiences beginning in the first 
on-campus year. Candidates observe actual PK?12 
classrooms by the 7th week of their first year on 
campus. Field experiences occur in multiple 
placements in small rural districts, urban schools 
with elevated levels of racial and socioeconomic 
diversity, and suburban districts.

All education majors take coursework in the same 
sections of the basic freshmen and sophomore 
classes, allowing them to learn from each other 
regarding teaching young children, secondary 
students, and special-education students. Each 
phase of coursework includes a 
professional-learning community, guiding students 
through conversations and reflections based on 
field experiences where they observe actual 
practices they have studied in the classroom.

The student-teaching experience will be expanded 
in 2020 to a full-year experience for elementary 
and special-education majors; middle school, 
secondary, and K?12 majors will spend 45 hours of 
field experience in the location where they will 
student teach prior to the student-teaching 
semester. Students will attend an education 
capstone class while student teaching with a focus 
on a delivery system near the locations where they 

13



SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

are working, as well as a return to campus for 
additional professional development.

Changes to the School of Education program 
occurred in a planned process over a 3-year 
period. Collaborators sought and used input in the 
design from school partners and from faculty 
members across campus. An organization must be 
unfrozen for change to occur (Lewin, as cited in 
Burnes & Bargal, 2017), and the redesign process 
attests to the malleable nature of the institutions 
that are frequently regarded as static: PK?12 
school districts and university programs.

Partnerships with PK?12 schools created an 
environment where teacher candidates and 
teachers learned, evidenced by the results of 
teacher candidate, teacher, principal, and faculty 
surveys. Teacher candidates learned teaching skills 
by observing in PK?12 classrooms and practicing 
teachers learned through reflective conversations 
and collaborative tasks with teacher candidates. 
Through field experiences, candidates were able to 
understand the concept of equity through poverty 
simulations, school board meetings, and school 
visits; candidates were made aware of the unique 
challenges faced by schools working to meet the 
needs of all learners. This experience helped 
students become more culturally aware of the 
need to become equity advocates for youth in 
schools.

Using rich clinical field experiences, candidates 
began to bridge theoretical constructs in practice 
to real-life experiences in school environments. 
Educators helped students achieve a more holistic 
view of teaching by creating a space for candidates 
to observe, reflect, discuss, question, and connect 
classroom learning with various field 
opportunities, thereby democratizing teacher 
education through rich conversation and 
experiences (aligned with Zeichner et al., 2015). 
Results from surveys of candidates, teachers, 
principals, and faculty revealed that, as a result of 
the redesigned curriculum and clinical 
experiences, candidates found language to 
understand, then share their thoughts on school 
and classroom culture, climate, structure, 

appearance, assets, deficits, and incidents seen in 
the PK?12 classrooms.

Partnerships with PK?12 districts are the 
foundation of the redesigned EPP.  With heavy 
emphasis on clinical field experiences, where 
teacher candidates experience numerous 
classrooms in settings that may be different from 
those they attended, candidates gain exposure to 
more opportunities to reach diverse PK?12 
learners than the program was able to offer 
previously. Each candidate experienced field 
experiences in early childhood, elementary, middle 
school, and high school PK?12 settings. As a result, 
some candidates changed their teaching 
preference and some changed their major from 
education to other fields. Although the literature 
written on university partnerships with P?12 
schools generally begins from formal agreements 
put into place with the signature of the 
superintendent of schools and university provosts 
(Holen & Yunk, 2014), this EPP partnerships largely 
formed through conversations. The EPP and its 
school-district partners shared a recognition that 
each is responsible for the creation of the next 
generation of teachers, requiring mutual trust 
between partner districts and the university. This 
collaboration creates strong bonds to effectively 
prepare educators with deep clinical experience, 
grounded in ongoing, multilayered reflective 
practice, and with PK?12 partners committed to 
sharing their best practices. Table 4 illustrates the 
impact of the redesign in changes to partnerships, 
culture, clinical practice, institutional commitment, 
energy, and outcomes.

Table 4
Before and After Education Redesign

Before Redesign After Redesign

Partnerships: modest, limited, 
transactional partnerships with   
limited school systems, usually in 
rural Missouri and usually 
benefitting northwest   more than 
other school districts

Partnerships: thriving, 
multi-faceted, mutually 
beneficial   partnerships 
with numerous school 
systems

Partnerships: predominantly rural 
for most teacher candidates

Partnerships: rural, urban, 
and suburban for all 
teacher candidates

14



SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

Table 4 (continued).

Note. AASCU = American Association of State Colleges and 
Universities

The changes presented in Table 4 represent a shift 
in practices to effectively address the needs of 
students in PK?12 schools. As programs evolve 
and begin to solicit, then embrace effective 
partnerships, faculty and PK?12 partner 
instructional relationships improve. In-depth 
clinical experiences enable teacher candidates to 
thrive. A partnership shift, from modest and 
limited collaborations, to more robust clinical 
experiences, was a key feature in the program 
redesign and consistent with AAQEP (2019) and 
CAEP (2013) expectations for evidence of quality 
EPPs. Redesigned coursework and curriculum 
grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy and rich 
clinical practices aligned with the AACTE (2018) 
model did indeed create a pivot in our program: 
teacher candidates were able to gain hundreds of 
hours of successful, partner-based clinical 
experiences with PK?12 students in urban, 
suburban, and rural schools. The purpose was to 
provide a greater understanding of how to teach 
with equity and effectiveness, in any setting. A 
significant expenditure of scarce financial and 
personnel resources enabled the institution to 
fully support education redesign.

Lim it at ions of  St udy

A limitation of this study is the length of time the 
redesigned education program has been in place. 
The School of Education was only 3 semesters (just 
over a year and half) into the redesigned program. 
We considered only 1 year of data in survey 
responses of teacher candidates, of partner 
district mentor teachers, and of principals. The 
response rate to the survey of PK?12 teachers and 

Before Redesign After Redesign

Culture: limited faculty 
collaboration with many silos

Culture: faculty collaboration with 
no silos

Culture: full and associate 
professors drove the 
conversation   and held most 
leadership roles

Culture: all faculty levels, including 
instructors and assistant   
professors, held leadership roles

Culture: curriculum change 
occurred predominantly 
through   the official 
program coordinator

Culture: curriculum change 
occurred bottom-up, by the 
teachers   and professors in 
concert with coordinators

Clinical practices: limited 
clinical practice with some 
variation   in cooperating 
teacher commitment and 
quality. Uncertain exposure 
to the strongest   pedagogy 
and evidence-based practice

Clinical practices: robust clinical 
practices, reduced variance   in 
candidate exposure to strong 
pedagogy; masterful cooperating 
teachers using   evidenced-based 
instructional practices

Clinical practices: sequenced, 
but less focused on the 
developmental   continuum 
of PK?12 learning

Clinical practices: expanded, 
clarified, and sequenced to impact   
candidates? knowledge of the 
developmental continuum of 
PK?12 learning

Institutional commitment: 
limited commitment of 
human and fiscal   resources

Institutional commitment: 
strengthened, with additional 
human   and fiscal resources 
slated in upcoming years to 
support clinical practice

Faculty energy: comfortable, 
but not innovative

Faculty energy: strong innovative 
thread with a notable sense   of 
energy permeating the climate 
and culture

Outcomes: strong evidence 
of high-quality educator 
preparation;   gaps in 
candidate exposure to 
diversity

Outcomes: strong evidence of 
high-quality educator preparation;   
reduced gaps in candidate use of 
strategies and skills to promote 
and enhance   diversity

Outcomes: state recognition 
of effective 
educator-preparation   
programs with some 
evidence of impact on PK?12 
learners

Outcomes: state and national 
recognition for 
educator-preparation-program   
quality and evidence of positive 
impact on PK?12 learning; 
received the 2018 AASCU   Christa 
McAuliffe Award for Excellence in 
Innovation in Teacher Education

Outcomes: courses taught by 
content experts in separate 
content   areas

Outcomes: courses taught   by 
content experts from different 
content areas as 1 integrated 
methods course,   across several 
departments and university 
schools.

Before Redesign After Redesign

Outcomes: secondary 
teacher candidates loved 
their content   but did not 
value education courses. 
Teacher candidates went 
through the program   in 
silos with litt le interaction 
across majors/teaching 
levels.

Outcomes: teacher candidates 
from elementary, middle, early   
childhood, K?12, and secondary 
disciplines move throughout the 
first 3 semesters   as a cohort, 
leading to shared appreciation for 
students, teaching, and learning   
regardless of content or level.

15



SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

administrators was limited to those who returned 
the survey and may not represent all views from all 
partners. Adjustments in course logistics and 
structure are ongoing, as with any new program 
initiative. As of yet, no one has graduated from the 
program so no evaluation results are available of 
graduates teaching in classrooms or survey results 
completed by building principals on the 
effectiveness of candidates in PK?12 classrooms.

Conclusions

This study holds significance because educators at 
Northwest Missouri State University had not 
significantly revised the previous course of study 
to meet/exceed state requirements in several 
years. Because of the state Annual Performance 
Report and the impact of performance results, 
partner districts were previously hesitant to accept 
student teachers during the state testing window 
and some expressed the view that candidates 
were not sufficiently prepared to teach as PK?12 
educators. This lack was noticeable in districts and 
buildings where many PK?12 students were not 
from White middle-class backgrounds.  The 
process used to develop this study was designed 
to adjust the perceptions of teacher candidates 
and enhance their knowledge of teaching in 
locations different than their home schools.  
Additionally, the process made a difference in 
partner districts? willingness to have teacher 
candidates in their buildings throughout the 
school year. Teacher candidates are now in high 
demand, even in the first year on campus, despite 
their relative inexperience. Other Schools of 
Education can emulate the collaborative process 
used by Northwest Missouri State University to 
meet the needs of teacher candidates, partner 
schools, and the School of Education. The process 
begins and ends with a spark of inquiry, a desire to 
engage in real partnership development, an 
openness to change, and a relentless drive to 
continually improve the experiences of teacher 
candidates so they, in turn, can be the teachers 
needed by increasingly diverse PK?12 students.

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Appendix A: St udent  Survey

Please rate your agreement with the following 
statements (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, 
Strongly Disagree)

- The value of being immersed in education 
courses in the first semester was good.

- I established positive relationships with 
education faculty

- The course workload was manageable.
- The clinical field experiences was important 

to my learning.
- I established positive relationships with 

other education majors.
- The course work was engaging.
- The course work was relevant to my future 

career as a teacher.
- The course sequence was effective.
- Professional Learning Communities are 

important.
- The courses are rigorous and challenging.

Rank the following aspects of the redesigned 
program with 1 being the most impactful and 6 
being the least impactful.

1. Observations make in P12 schools.
2. Field experiences in urban/suburban 

districts
3. Participation in Poverty Simulation
4. Pretention by John Antonetti, author in 

student engagement
5. Observation of parent-teacher conference
6. Attendance at a school board meeting

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SMITH, WOOD, RICH, SINGLETON, & WALL|  THE IMPACT OF PROGRAM REDESIGN ON PARTNERSHIPS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

Appendix B: Teacher  and Adm inist rat or  Survey

1. The School of Education promotes 
professionalism for our teacher candidates. 
Please comment on whether or not the 
students met your expectations, What, if 
any, changes would you like to see?

2. We know that scheduling the observations 
was challenging, What suggestions do you 
have for efficient scheduling of 
observations?

3. Please comment on how well prepared 
students were for the observations.

4. Would you be willing to host a student 
again in the 2018-19 school year?

5. If you could be more involved in our 
teacher preparation program, in what ways 
would you like to contribute to the 
education of teacher candidates?

Appendix C: Survey dist r ibut ed t o Facult y

Considering the components of the redesigned 
program, what do you believe was the most 
impactful aspect of the program?

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