The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the DePaul University School of Education have entered into an agreement to establish Professional Development Schools (PDS), a novel educational concept designed to enhance prekindergarten-12 education while providing a creative environment for teacher training and professional faculty development.

The central goals of the partnership are to improve student performance; prepare new teachers and other school-based educators; provide professional development for beginning and experienced teachers and allow faculty at DePaul and at the CPS schools to work together to develop effective teaching practices. Schools involved in the program are Lincoln Park High School, 2001 N. Orchard St., and three elementary schools: Alcott, 2625 N. Orchard St.; Oscar Mayer, 2250 N. Clifton Ave; and Prescott, 1632 W. Wrightwood Ave.—all located in the Lincoln Park community.

“Professional development schools build relationships that sanction new work around improving student achievement and ensure no child is left behind in the participating schools,” said Clara Jennings, dean of DePaul’s School of Education. “We have partnered with schools where we can learn hand in hand—teachers, professors and students.”

Jennings made the establishment of a professional development partnership one of her top priorities when she began her tenure as dean in 2002. To that end, she immediately began to discuss the project with CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan and Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins.

“The expertise that DePaul’s faculty brings to these schools is invaluable, and the participation of the DePaul students will also be an important addition,” Eason-Watkins said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for all of us to help and learn from each other.”

Schools selected for the CPS/DePaul partnership, which was officially launched last month, were chosen partly because of their close proximity to DePaul, which facilitates easy collaboration access for both DePaul and the participating schools. The unique program also offers benefits to everyone involved.

CPS faculty members at the schools become adjunct professors and clinical faculty at DePaul. DePaul faculty members become teachers-in-residence and conduct research in the schools. DePaul students acquire hands-on teaching experience through work in classrooms with CPS teachers, and CPS students profit from a team of educators studying how they learn to guarantee that the teaching methods being employed best meet their educational needs.

“We just got started with the first part of the program, and we’re really excited,” Prescott Principal Avelino Martinez said, adding that DePaul School of Education students have been working as student teachers since September. “We’re looking forward to having the DePaul faculty come in and lead workshops for our teachers.”

The CPS/DePaul PDS partnership is one of several that have been established around the country. According to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the latest national survey of professional development schools conducted in 1994-95 documented more than 600 PDSs nationwide. The study charted more than 84 partnerships, which include 96 colleges and universities and 344 prekindergarten-12 schools.

The Chicago Public Schools is the nation’s third-largest school district and the second-largest employer in Illinois, with more than 46,000 employees. The school system operates 600 schools and serves 438,000 students.

The School of Education, which was established by DePaul in 1962, offers undergraduate and graduate level programs. Central to its community commitment is the preparation of dedicated professionals for teaching assignments in urban and multicultural environments.