Professional Development Schools (PDS) emphasize a strong partnership between K-12 schools and teacher training programs to guarantee a stronger link between the theoretical and practical experiences in teaching (Levine, 2002; Zeichner, 2014). They are seen as an opportunity to be places for responsible, enduring, and innovative education with a goal of enhancing student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Levine, 2002) and to become better places for teachers and teacher candidates to work and learn (Cozza, 2010). In the organization of PDS, there is a strong focus on liaisons, a contact person from the school and the Higher Education Institute to coordinate student teacher placements, community involvement, and aligning school and seminar requirements. Therefore this study aims to investigate the role of school and university liaison in a complex-wide PDS in the State of Hawaiʻi.

In an urban school district in the State of Hawaiʻi seven public schools (five elementary, one intermediate, and one high school) collaborate with a public university’s teacher education programs to form the State’s first complex-wide Professional Development School (PDS). All schools agreed to provide teaching staff to work with teacher candidates and university faculty, engage in pre-service training, professional development, collaborative research, and joint governance in the PDS. Each school has a team of dedicated liaisons, who serve as a person of contact regarding student teacher placement. The school liaison also has the role of a vice principal or curriculum developer, the liaison from the Higher Education Institute is involved with a teacher training program in the role of a coordinator, special assistant, or faculty member.

The purpose of this study is to explore how the liaisons align their institutional requirements and contribute to the complex-wide PDS. This research asked the following questions: How do organizational structures support and impede the development and sustainability of the complex-wide PDS?

Theoretical Perspective

The cultural-historical-activity-theory (CHAT) and the activity system analysis provided the theoretical framework for this study.  Activity theory is used to understand human practices that are located in social interactions (Chaiklin & Lave, 1993; Engeström, Miettinen, & Punamäki, 1999; Yamagata-Lynch, 2010). Activity systems are also used to capture the essence of transformation and change in an organization (Engeström, 1987; Engeström & Glaveanu, 2012). The subjects in this PDS specific activity system are the school and university liaisons in the PDS. The objective is to provide qualified teachers for the complex and the State of Hawaiʻi. The presentation reflects on the tools and activities practiced by the liaisons. Further, the activity system recognizes applied rules, the community, and the division of labor in the interaction of its participants.

Qualitative research is used in the social sciences to study organizations, groups, and individuals to uncover and understand the nature of a phenomenon about which little is yet known (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). A case study is a preferred method to answer ‘how' and ‘why' questions and to focus on a contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context (Yin, 2013). Yamagata-Lynch (2010) stated that “case studies are particularly compatible with the theoretical assertions and analytical intentions involved in activity system analysis” (p.63). Data Sources I obtained Institutional Review Board approval and a Data Sharing Agreement from the Department of Education. According to Merriam (2009), interview partners must be selected from a sample that the most can be learned from; there are seven participating schools and therefore fourteen liaisons. From four of the participating schools, I was able to interview the school and University liaison. Out of the other three schools, I excluded a school without placements during the time of the data collection; at the other two schools I only interviewed the school liaison, the university liaison had changed position or was not available. Liaisons represented positions as school vice-principals (3), School resource teacher (3), University faculty (2), University coordinator (1), and special assistant (1). A total of ten interviews lasted approximately 45-60 minutes conducted in the time period of Spring 2018. Yin (2003) indicated the importance of diverse sources of evidence to address construct validity and reliability; for a triangulation of the data, data included audio recordings from interviews, document analysis, and field notes. All interviews were transcribed and send via email to participants for member check. I followed the guidelines for data analysis provided by Yamagata-Lynch (2010).

Building Community With the beginning of the complex PDS in Fall 2016 schools and the university assigned a liaison, this team was the contact for organizing placements. Every semester all fourteen liaisons met to exchange experiences, discuss roles and expectations, reflected on their work, and set goals for the ongoing collaboration. At each school, the liaison team took their own road of development in organizing their placements. The liaison meetings helped to provide ideas for activities, such as hosting orientation meetings for new student teachers and mentors, involving student teachers in community projects, clarifying university requirements, aligning the requirements with school expectations, and considering schools’ needs. Though the majority valued the meetings, some voices expressed a desire to be more involved in decision-making and to lessen the amount of information transfer. Supportive Leadership Human capital in form of the liaisons was the only resource provided with the beginning of the PDS. The liaison's role at the school and at the university determined access to further resources. The involvement of a vice-principal as a liaison provided support for recruiting mentors and access to resources in form of flexibility in time for mentors. The resource teachers as liaisons focused on instructional development for the teacher candidates and provided support when needed. University liaisons appreciated the flexibility they were given in the collaboration, they felt they were able to form and mold the PDS partnership. Significance This research was conducted in the early stage of the complex-wide PDS. Its focus on the complex and not individual performances of the schools was in line with the systemic approach inherent in this school complex. The activity theory provided the framework to understand participants’ practices and allowed for analyzing activities in their social interaction. This research initiated reflections, discussion, and development in the complex PDS.

Chaiklin, S., & Lave, J. (1993). Understanding practice. Perspectives on activity and context. (S. Chaiklin & J. Lave, Eds.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Cozza, B. (2010). Transforming teaching into a collaborative culture : An attempt to create a professional development school-university partnership. The Educational Forum, 74(3), 227–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2010.483906 Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). Teacher education and the American future. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1-2), 35-47. Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding. An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Orienta-Konsultit Oy. Engeström, Y., & Glaveanu, V. (2012). On third generation activity theory: Interview with Yrjö Engeström. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 8(4), 515–518. https://doi.org/doi:10.5964/ejop.v8i4.555 Engeström, Y., Miettinen, R., & Punamäki, R.-L. (1999). Perspectives on activity theory. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Levine, M. (2002). Why invest in professional development schools. Educational Leadership, 59(6), 65-68. Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation: Revised and expanded from qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and science of the learning organization. New York: Currency Doubleday. Strauss, & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Yamagata-Lynch, L. C. (2010). Activity systems analysis methods: Understanding complex learning environments. Springer Science & Business Media. Yin, R. K. (2013). Case study research. Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. Zeichner, K. (2010). Rethinking the connections between campus courses and field experiences in college- and university-based teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1–2), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487109347671