Description of PDS

The primary purpose of the Purdue University Calumet Professional Development School (PDS) initiative is to support a cooperative mission of reform in both preservice (university) and inservice (school) education. This mission has three central goals: diversity, quality, and collaboration. PDS members recognize the value of diversity in individual's cultures, instructional styles, and unique needs as life-long learners. The quality of instructional practices and reform efforts is also recognized as essential in effectively meeting diverse needs. In order to develop best quality practices and actualize reform across educational settings, collaboration among all participants is paramount to the PDS mission.

Restructuring PDS

The Professional Development Schools Initiative experienced a year of development and restructuring of Partnerships. The goal was to rejuvenate the initiative through dynamic partnerships that provided 1)effective field experiences for our teacher candidates 2) specific professional development opportunities to meet the needs for the individual schools as they aligned with the NCATE standards.

Several measures were taken to achieve this goal: 1) identifying responsibilities of the PDS Chair, 2) forming a PDS Faculty Committee, 3) sustaining the Partnership Steering Committed, 4) reconsidering school partnerships, 5) restructuring PDS monthly meeting, 6) reorganizing methods courses, and 7) providing professional development opportunities for partnership schools.