Clinical Partnership at a Distance: A Design That Transforms Teaching and Leadership

Abstract

In this article we describe a graduate program for practicing teachers at the University of Florida. Offered in a blended format (mostly online but supported by a local faculty member), the program embeds graduate work within school reform efforts in hard to staff schools in partner school districts up to 350 miles away from campus in order to directly address the needs of practicing teachers in their own contexts. The article describes the program, critical design considerations for clinical partnerships at a distance, and presents the results of three completed studies and a description of one ongoing study of program impact.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alyson Adams

Alyson Adams, Ph.D., is a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at the University of Florida. She is also the Chief Learning Officer for the Lastinger Center for Learning, an endowed center at UF.

Dorene D. Ross

Dorene D. Ross, Ed.D., is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida. Her research interests include effective teaching and management in poverty schools, and teacher learning within teacher education programs and in professional development programs.