The Power of School-University Partnerships During a Pandemic

• In Event: Advancing School-University Partnerships and Professional Development Schools Through National Research

Abstract

Beginning in spring 2020, multiple traumatic events deeply impacted the work of SUPs-PDSs communities within one western state (pandemic, BLM, local wildfires). Using a retrospective lens, we describe how our Educator Preparation Program and respective partner schools responded to these events to deliver quality clinical practice. The time spent in the spring and summer of 2020 to socially (re)construct our partnerships and implement new ways of knowing, lead us to view our work in ways we had not yet explored. Our chapter provides a literature base discussing our highly situated context, describes a series of virtual meetings that were held throughout the spring and summer months of 2020, and offers three examples of how the efforts of the summer were operationalized within distinct programs at the EPP. We conclude with a series of lessons learned, followed by our recommendations for future research. Our recommendations are based upon what was learned through experiences as one way to address the teacher shortage while the country slowly evolves toward a post-pandemic world.

Author

• Ann Sebald, Colorado State University