Tom Davis, principal at Holt High School in Holt, Michigan, talks about the advantages
of a Professional Development School in creating a professional adult learning
community that studies exemplary teaching practices. Excerpted from the video
series Collaborations in Education: Creating a Professional Development School
(NCREL, 1993).
"The things that I'm most excited about with PBS is to see the power of multiple thinkers in the setting to solve complex problems. The power the university in our setting to help us solve these complex problems. The power of the business community in our setting and community members, parents and so on. I think that aspect of it has been very gratifying. For a long time, we've known in our business we don't have the answers and those answers are going to come in a very difficult time consuming way, with lots of hard work and sweat and labor and they aren't going to come in isolation with educators. I think we're facing huge issues today that help prepare our kids for a future that's evolving so fast we can't even keep pace with it, and to do that we're going to need this joint effort."
This Critical Issue was researched and written by Cathy J. Cook, Mathematics Education and Professional Development Specialist, Midwest Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education and North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, and Carole Fine, Director of Professional Development, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, Oak Brook, Illinois, in collaboration with the National Staff Development Council, Dennis Sparks, Executive Director, and Stephanie Hirsch, Associate Executive Director.
Date posted: 1996