0.3 Angelle, a., wilson, n., & Mink, g. (april 2011). building  (Page 9/10)

Another challenge was finding practitioner partners who held expertise in specific areas such as school reform, finance, and policy. Conversely, some practitioner partners held expertise in many areas and faculty were cautious about overusing partners, hoping to offer a variety of perspectives to the students. One faculty member recommended, “I don’t think the students should ever have the same practitioner partner in two classes” (UP 4).

Additional recommendations forwarded during the interviews were for faculty to make a concerted effort to increase communication between the partners and the professors. Opportunities to improve curriculum and input from all parties on course objectives was considered paramount. Both professors and practitioners agreed that to offer a program that successfully prepares educators to be effective school leaders, both the university and the school district must commit to the growth and development of school level leaders to their full potential. As a result, continual refinement is needed (DL 1).

Professor perceptions

Professors agreed that by collaborating with practitioners, aspiring leaders were provided the opportunity to gain practical insights into the complex and challenging issues that school leaders face. This partnership supported meaningful information and theory taught by the professor. Professors unanimously responded that information shared by the practitioner partners was valuable and relevant to the curriculum being taught. Timely examples provided by practitioner partners were deemed especially pertinent to conveying how theory is “lived” in the world of schools, noting that “examples have proved valuable in generating connects between concepts we discuss in class and practical conditions they face as leaders in schools” (UP 4).

Professors shared that though they were at one time K-12 educators, the world of schools is rapidly changing; thus, the presence of a practitioner partner who experiences the daily life of schools benefits all. UP 2 stated “I think the experience provided an excellent learning opportunity for both the students and myself.” Perceptions of the various partners associated with the leadership preparation program proved invaluable as the successes and challenges of the program are continually evaluated.

Discussion

The university has entered into partnerships with districts with the goal of preparing leaders to meet the challenges of twenty-first century schools. These partnerships included three distinct groups, including district superintendents of partner LEAs (the steering committee group), district personnel from the largest district served by the university (the district leader group), and the school practitioners who taught with the university professors in the leadership preparation courses (the practitioner partner group). Findings from interviews indicated that all groups were generally pleased with the university partnership, were enthused about collaborating with the university, and had the same objective, that is, high quality and well prepared leaders for K-12 schools.