U.S Professional Development School Research

Professional Development Schools of teachers were produced in 1980s in the United States, it is a new teachers-training model which was proposed by teachers education reformer. American Professional Development School is a typical example in the cooperation between universities and schools. Professional Development School will be targeted in three areas:First, to provide a model for the pre-education teachers. Second, to provide professional development education for in-service teachers. Third, to provide collaborative research opportunities for the participating schools and universities. Professional development school constructs a new type of professional life and new way of learning which consist of education and teaching, research and learning for the professional development of teachers. At present, China's teacher education draws on the model of professional development school, which will promote the reform of teachers education and development.First, this study describes the background and development process of Teachers Professional Development Schools. Professional Development Schools don't come out of nowhere, and they are in line with the requirements of education reform, and also the results of teachers professionalization movement. The essential characteristics of professional development schools is cooperation, the core is the cooperation between primary and secondary schools and universities. It is the partnership's derivation and development between primary and secondary schools with Universities in the education reform history of American. Initially it went through the 10-member committee, experimental schools and teachers started schools and failed, but at last, professional development schools became realities from ideas. Secondly, the study discusses the theoretical basis and guiding principles of Teachers Professional Development Schools. Teachers Professional Development Schools is inseparable from the theory of professional development, the theory of reflective practice, the concept of cooperation and the theory of support system. Professional Development School was established to follow the following guidelines:teaching for understanding; learning organization; giving an equal education to every child; all those professional adults involved in professional development schools role models for students; to be a research or reflective teacher, improving teachers qualities must be placed in teaching environment to realize. Thirdly, the study makes an in-depth analysis on the history, background, management and operation mode of Teachers Professional Development Schools by doing a case study of the Wells Middle School, and enable readers to get a deeper understanding about the model of combination educational theories with practice, at the same time it sums up the experience of Wells Middle School, and leads readers to think some problems deeply. Moreover, the study discusses the characteristics, effectiveness, difficulties and problems of Teachers Professional Development Schools, and makes genetic analysis, at last, makes an attempt to explore some coping strategies for the problems:to make participating in Professional Development Schools be a voluntary activity; to utilize partnership's internal resources and external resources to maintain the financial operation; to have access to time for professional development activities in Teachers Professional Development schools; to establish trust and friendship between the partners in the form of informal meetings and gatherings; to formalize organization structure of Professional Development Schools; at the beginning in partnership, to take the time to build a vision of Professional Development Schools. Finally, considering the U.S. experience of Professional Development Schools, the study makes a reasonable proposal for our country's teachers development aiming at China teachers education reform and the status of China Teachers Professional Development Schools school.