University-school partnership in education as a context for teacher professional development

Teachers’ professional development is widely recognized as essential for instructional improvement (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, & Gardner, 2017), teacher retention (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011), and student learning (Kennedy, 2016). University–school partnerships provide a key structure for supporting not only pre-service teacher education (Zeichner, 2010) but also ongoing professional development across teachers’ careers (Grossman, Wineburg, & Woolworth, 2001). Yet little research has examined how the contextual factors and conditions that shape university–school partnerships influence these professional-development opportunities. This qualitative study examined how participation in a research-focused university-school partnership promoted teachers’ professional development and growth. We conceptualize the partnership as a research-practice partnership, emphasizing the centrality of collaborative, research-driven inquiry into pedagogy within the university-school partnership framework. Aligning with research on effective professional development, the study highlights university-school partnership as a supportive environment for teacher learning. Qualitative thematic analysis of data from interviews with 25 teachers and 14 school principals, meetings documentation, and reflective summaries of teachers and school principals’ experiences, yielded three themes: enhanced pedagogical practice, personal-professional growth, and school culture of learning through research. The findings underscore the significant role of research-focused university-school partnership as a framework for teachers' professional learning, and emphasize its potential outcomes across individual and organizational dimensions in schools. We conclude that these partnerships position teachers as equal collaborators in the co-construction of knowledge, thus empowering them as professionals and fostering the sustainability of educational innovations.