Partnering for Impact: Reimagining Educator Preparation Through PreK12-Higher Education Partnerships

Abstract

As public education works to adapt to the needs of 21st-century students and society, the next generation of teachers and school leaders play a significant role in the success or failure of our education system and nation. Higher education institutions play a fundamental role in PreK-12 talent pipelines because they provide the initial training for 90% of PreK-12 educators, as well as advanced training and development for more experienced educators through graduate degrees and professional learning. Despite these critical talent pipeline connections between PreK-12 and higher education, the two are often disconnected and face significant challenges in collaborating and partnering. These challenges are due to differences in incentives, goals, capacity, cultures, organizational structures and theories of action. This capstone describes the creation of a partnership between Tulane University, a private research university, and the New Orleans PreK-12 sector with the goal of creating high-quality, educator preparation programs that meet the needs of PreK-12 schools and ultimately benefit both the PreK-12 sector and higher education. I examine the work of engaging stakeholders to: 1) make the case for partnership between the university and PreK-12; 2) develop a partnership model based on the tenets of the Third Space; and 3) pilot the model in the development of a new special education add-on certification pathway. The promising results of the pilot provide support for expanding the partnership model to all educator preparation programs at Tulane, as well as a potential blueprint for PreK-12- higher education partnerships across the sector.