Transformative Partnerships

With all higher education educational endeavors there is a transformative element that enhances the progression forward in terms of academic program development. Teacher education is no exception to this aspect of the evolutionary process. The authors' story of that transformation and the impact of creative endeavors in teacher education offer a sense of moving beyond the traditional to the transformative in teacher education. Carter (1993) offers that the story can offer a perspective on our work and inform teacher education on the directions we might take to bring about improvement in our efforts to prepare educators for the future. The authors' story begins with a strong foundation and commitment to understanding the critical elements of successful partnerships. This foundation has served them for 15 years, and two distinct eras of partnership work that delineate the transformation. The authors explore each era: “The Professional Development School (PDS) Story” followed by “10 Years Later.”

Transformative Partnerships

This chapter provides an overview of a Digital Stories project that was part of a Professional Development School partnership between a faculty member at a university and a nearby elementary school. Following a description of the project, the authors connect this project to reflective practice and different types of knowledge related to teaching.

Exploring Community Partners’ Perspectives of the Nature of Service-Learning Partnerships in Egypt

While some attention has been paid to service-learning partnerships as the unit of analysis, past research on such partnerships focused primarily on the impacts of the collaborations and was based mostly in U.S. contexts. The underrepresentation of community voice in existing literature further complicates the problem. This qualitative study addressed these gaps by exploring community partners’ perspectives on the nature of service-learning relationships in Egypt in light of Enos and Morton’s (2003) framework. Findings indicated current transactional relationships with aspirations for transformation. Community partners’ voices provided lively examples of how transactional and transformative service-learning relationships may become actualized in practice. The outcomes of this study promote an enhanced understanding of the barriers to developing transformative partnerships between university and community partners. Data provided can be used by partners to enhance the design and implementation of service-learning collaborations. The outcomes of this study are especially useful for partners wanting to elevate their partnerships to transformation.