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The unit is comprised of faculty from the schools of Education and Fine Arts. The School of Education has 83 full- and part-time tenured and tenure track faculty, of whom 99 percent hold the terminal degree. Also counted among those who teach and engage in scholarship are 34 individuals who hold the rank of instructor or lecturer, of whom 69.4 percent hold the terminal degree. In addition to faculty rostered within the School of Education are seven faculty members in the School of Fine Arts who support the teacher education programs in art and music education, all of whom hold the terminal degree. We believe that all individuals appointed to the faculty are representative of the most highly qualified professionals available nationally to support our teaching, service and research missions. Faculty members are recruited from the most respected universities in the nation. The most recent US News and World Report national ranking of professional education programs, in which KU was ranked 15th from among public universities offering graduate education programs and degrees, represents one overall index of the quality of faculty. Faulty vitae are available at http://soe.ku.edu/ncate/faculty-staff/vita/.
Clinical supervisors (K-12 educators who work with candidates) are selected in a process that involves the university and school system personnel. To be selected as a clinical supervisor for initial candidates, individuals must: express an interest and desire to work with the intern and university supervisor; hold a valid, clear and renewable professional license in the field in which the intern is preparing to teach; have at least three years successful teaching experience on a professional license; be recognized for excellence in teaching and the ability to work with others; be recommended by the cooperating school principal; possess effective mentoring and supervisory skills; and have an instructional load that is realistic and reflects an appropriate cross-section of the student population. Clinical supervisors must have teaching responsibilities in the teaching field of the intern.
A recent survey of the unit’s clinical supervisors revealed that 77 percent had received master’s, specialist, or doctoral degrees. They are seasoned educational professionals, with a mean of 18.35 years of teaching experience. They held various leadership roles in their schools in addition to serving as clinical supervisors. These roles included serving as chair of their departments (27.1 percent), professional development committee chair (29.3 percent), first-year teacher mentor (45.8 percent), coach (21.8 percent), and activity sponsor (38.2 percent). These professionals are qualified to assist the unit prepare Educators as Leaders, as they themselves lead. The full results of this survey can be found at http://soe.ku.edu/ncate/exhibits/Clinical-Supervisors-Survey.doc.
Working under the direct supervision of regular faculty, graduate teaching assistants (usually doctoral students) provide much of the direct on-site classroom supervision of students in the various clinical programs. The university supervisor, the clinical supervisor, and the candidate comprise the mentoring team that provides the aspiring teacher the opportunity to develop. The unit also employs university supervisors who are not in graduate school. At least two in three have advanced degrees. They are seasoned educational professionals, with the mean number of years of teaching being 8.5, and the mean number of six years of college teaching. They have supervised pre-service teachers for an average of six years. Advanced program field experiences are supervised by graduate faculty.
The PDS Alliance is a partnership between the unit and partner schools. The partnership is a collaboration among professionals in the public schools, university faculty and staff, and KU students, and is designed to enhance education by working with school personnel to identify educational needs and propose solutions. Dialogue on all levels, research on current educational practice, and continuous questioning and reflection form the basis for the PDS Alliance. Additionally, the partnership allows for supervised experiences for the preparation of prospective teachers and other educational professionals. The Professional Development School provides an environment where research-based instructional practices and programs can be observed and experienced by those preparing for professional careers in education.
The Alliance is committed to collaborating with sites that have a significant number of minority and/or low SES students; support pre-service training, faculty inquiry, and professional development; demonstrate a commitment to the goals of the PDS partnership through the establishment of a faculty council to provide continuous monitoring of on-site PDS work; and focus on increased student achievement. The university provides a faculty liaison who supports pre-service training, inquiry, and professional development at the university and who works with the site faculty council in carrying out PDS activities. Further information about the Alliance can be found in Standard 4 and at http://soe.ku.edu/pds/.
