• Creation of and instructional leadership team in each school

• Decision-making by cluster groups of teachers

• Liaisons to each school made up of retired principals, teacher-consultants, and others

• On-site workshops for teachers

Three years ago, North Carolina established the University-School Teacher Education Partnerships, an initiative that will create “clinical schools” for novice and veteran teachers at all of the 15 public teacher education institutions in that state. Many of these universities also are planning to establish more elaborate Professional Development Schools. These partnerships are operated based on five guiding principles:

1. increased time for preservice teachers to experience earlier, longer, and more intensive field-based placements in the public schools, connected to methods classes and clinical teachers at school sites;

2. jointly-crafted professional development programs for teachers, administrators, and others in the public schools and universities;

3. increased communication between public schools and higher education for the purpose of sharing and disseminating best practices;

4. generation and application of research and new knowledge about teaching and learning;

5. joint involvement of university and school personnel in curriculum planning and program development. (quoted verbatim from Edelfelt, 1999, page 2).

Since September 1996, Ohio has had in place through its association with the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, a “comprehensive new infrastructure for preparing, licensing, and promoting the professional development of teachers.” Within this