Partnering on Prep

A Toolkit for Building Strong District-Teacher Preparation Partnerships that Support a Diverse Workforce

 

Ensure District Needs Drive Change

RECOMMENDATION 10. Partners should ensure that district needs drive shifts in teacher preparation programs’ pipelines, structures and systems

Ultimately, partnership work is in service of teachers and students and strong partners recognize this fact as they identify changes to make. To keep the focus on students and teachers, teacher preparation programs must adopt an attitude of service, listening well to district needs and taking strategic action whenever possible. Districts, too, must be open to feedback from teacher preparation program partners and make changes to strengthen the pipeline.

Steps You Can Take

  • Listen well and act on feedback. Partners must take the time to listen to one another, especially at the start of every new effort.
  • Redefine relevancy and viability in terms of serving districts. While both partners will have to change, much of the onus is on teacher preparation programs to make the adjustments necessary for a partnership to take a student- and teacher-centered approach. This can take some hard conversations at the faculty level.
  • Consider sustainability. For partners to continue serving the needs of districts, they must consider how to sustain their work for the long term.

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