The Professional Development Schools (PDS) Partnership at Fairmont State University has been built on the premise that educators from public schools and higher education institutions must work together to impact school reform. This work is based on the premise that if change is to occur and programs are to be revitalized for the 21^st century, a set of mutually agreed upon goals must be used to stimulate simultaneous renewal for students and faculty at all levels.

These goals of this Partnership are straightforward and include bringing all parties together to share the responsibilities for the preparation of new teachers, the professional development of experienced faculty and the support of research based improvement of practice to enhance student learning.

The FSU/PDS Partnership includes faculty from the School of Education Health and Human Performance, the Arts and Sciences and 40 public schools from six surrounding counties. Since the work of the partnership began, all involved have recognized that this type of collaboration and commitment are critical to all aspects of education at both levels.

Our PDS’s offer students a unique opportunity to engage in best practice with their host teachers while being mentored by their PDS liaison. Together they offer a realistic view of what public education really is and ways to create learning communities among themselves and within their own classrooms.

Although our Partnership is still young, it is becoming increasingly evident that this collaborative model has had and will continue to have a significant impact on the way we prepare our teacher candidates and develop and maintain professional relationships of sharing with one anther.

It is the realization of all involved in the Partnership work, that this journey must be taken together, because as educators our ultimate and common goal is to focus on improving student learning.