THE PROFESSIONAl DEVElOPMENT SCHOOl IN CANADA: ONE PARTNERSHIP EXPERIENCE

This paper describes a professional development school project in which a faculty of education and a large secondary school cooperate in preservice teacher education. In this case, one university faculty member was incorporated for two units of study into the high school's history department. This approach to improving teaching practice is described, along with its impact on the university faculty member, school staff, students, and curriculum. Sorne conclu­ sions are drawn about the necessary conditions for such projects to achieve success in Canada. Rtsu M t. Cet article rend compte d'un projet de perfectionnement professionnel en milieu scolaire, dans le cadre duquel une faculte de sciences de l'education et une grande ecole secondaire dispensent de concert une formation prealable a des enseignants. Dans le cas present, un professeur d'universite a ete detache aupres du departement d'histoire de l'ecole pour la dutee de deux unites. L'article presente cette approche de perfectionnement de l'intervention pedagogique et en decrit l'effet sur le professeur d'universite et le personnel, les etudiants et le programme de l'ecole. Certaines conclusions sont presentees quant aux condi­ tions necessaires a la bonne realisation de tels projets au Canada. ln its 1990 analysis of American education, the Holmes Group under­ scored the value of close partnerships between faculties of education and community schools in order to improve educational practice. Spe­ cifically, it called for the establishment of "Professional Development Schools" where school personnel would actively participate in preservice teacher education in a university faculty of education, for preservice student teachers to be massed in a single school site, and for the reciprocal involvement of university faculty in the Professional Oevel­ opment School's teaching programmes. It did so, recognizing that the roles of school and university teachers would need to be altered, a process made more difficult by institutional restrictions. The commis­ sioners noted that