School-University Partnership

School-University Partnerships (SUP) and ESU

Celebrating 25 Years of Partnership

In 1999, East Stroudsburg University launched its first Professional Development School (PDS) partnerships with regional P–12 schools. What began as a small network of clinically rich sites has grown into a broad School–University Partnership ecosystem that now spans multiple programs and districts.

As we celebrate 25 years of partnership work, we continue to honor our PDS roots while expanding opportunities for teacher candidates, cooperating teachers, and P–12 students. This anniversary marks a quarter-century of shared commitment to high-quality clinical practice, professional learning for all partners, and improved outcomes for young people in our region.

Mission

ESU SUP Mission is to maximize learning at every level through dynamic collaborative partnerships.

From PDS to School–University Partnerships: A National Shift

Nationally, the language around this work has also evolved. In 2005, the National Association of Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) was founded to support PDS partnerships and articulate the original Nine Essentials of exemplary PDS practice. In 2023, members voted to expand the organization’s vision to include a wider range of school–university partnership models and approved a name change to the National Association for School–University Partnerships (NASUP). This shift recognizes that high-quality partnerships can take multiple forms—Professional Development Schools among them—while still centering clinical practice, reciprocal professional learning, and shared inquiry.

At ESU, our move from framing this work solely as “Professional Development Schools” to the broader language of School–University Partnerships (SUP) reflects this national evolution. We remain committed to the PDS tradition and the Nine Essentials, while embracing a more inclusive, flexible framework that captures the full range of collaborations we build with our P–12 partners. This work directly connects to the CAEP Standards and the Nine Essentials.

Based on a teaching hospital model, these partnerships have four functions:

• Clinical preparation of new teachers
• Professional development for all stakeholders
• Inquiry and Practice-based research
• Quality education for P-12 students

ESU School-University Partnership (SUP) School Vision

Nationally recognized collaborative for excellence in teacher education that:

• Models a climate of ongoing professional growth that educates, sustains, and renews all participants.
• Encourages partners to share roles of learner and educator
• Uses action research, inquiry and reflection about our practice to promote and affect authentic learning experiences.
• Creates learning communities within the various layers of the partnership.
• Uses reflective and deliberate decision making to benefit student and adult learning.

The SUP relationship between ESU and our K-12 partners demands a more collaborative, accountable, and comprehensive way of working and thinking about teaching and learning and valuing student success in the K-12 classroom and at the university.

These Relationships Foster

• Collegiality and renewed vitality through dialogue and professional development
• Critical and creative thinking about curriculum, teaching and student learning
• Universal design and an inclusive approach to teaching and learning
• In-depth clinical field experiences and service learning that contextualizes the complexity of classrooms, schools and community
• Standards-based best practices and continuous inquiry into teaching practice
• Co-teaching, differentiated, and integrated learning models to ensure student success

Contact Us