The Cypress Creek-USF professional development school relationship has challenged the two communities to work together. It has demanded mutal respect, and cooperation. The resulting collegiality and shared vision has been undeniably successful, with both the school children and the preservice teachers benefitting substantially. We have outlined some of the advantages of a PDS relationship below.

The administrator's perspective:

• PDS = lower "teacher" to child ratios. Having an additional "teacher" in the classroom is often beneficial. As long as we are sensitive to "cooperating teacher burnout" the presence of an experienced intern leads to greater teaching options and direct interaction with students.
• PDS = a source of well prepared teachers. The interns at Cypress Creek have become a well prepared pool of teachers for the county. Given the cultural diversity of the school population these interns have gained praactical experiences not necessarily available elsewhere, and are proficient teachers of children from a multitude of socio-cultural backgrounds.
• PDS = professional development. This relationship has allowed a larger number of teachers at Cypress Creek to pursue advanced teaching degrees at very low cost to themselves.
• PDS = the presence of a university faculty. The USF liason has become another resource for teachers. This allows teachers to be familiar with the latest research and data both in terms of general pedagogy and effective content knowledge.
• PDS = the school informs the university. The presence of the university facilitator living the life of teachers on a regular basis provides an information base that can be used to inform teaching practice at the university level. Informing practice is a two-way street!

The USF liason's perspective

• PDS = an enriched experience. Interns at Cypress Creek get a "real world" experience. Working at Cypress Creek nurtures the cultural sensitivities of the novice teacher. Interns truly know what it means to "address individual needs."
• PDS = quality supervision. Because most Cypress Creek teachers have supervisory experience as a cooperating teacher and many have sought further professional qualifications, the intern receives applied preparation via superior classroom modeling from teachers who understand contemporary developments in elementary education.
• PDS = high expectations. Interns at Cypress Creek have university supervision two full days a week. This means that supervisors can, and do, increase expectations. Interns do learn to show initiative, and take responsibility. They are nurtured to recognize their strengths. The resulting classroom behaviors reflect increased confidence, appropriate risk-taking, free-thinking, and a deeper appreciation for the complexities of teaching.
• PDS = shared knowledge. Teachers and the liason are true colleagues. Action research features the marriage of theoretical and applied knowledge. Intern seminars feature teachers as guest speakers. Mutual professional respect is the norm.
• PDS = applied course work. USF teaches course work to some interns on the Cypress Creek campus. This allows interns to get immediate clarification over particular concepts they have experienced, encourages interns to seek answers in the school context rather than vicariously, and allows professors to build course assignments specific to the school site. This is true theory into practice!

Plans for the upcoming year:

In addition to all the PDS activities central to the concepts discussed, further expansion of the relationship is planed. This fall Cypress Creek teachers were given ownership in the writing of the USF intern syllabus. Collaborative grant writing is ongoing. At this time we have recived notice that Publix will support a grant proposal to assist with tutoring reading. In addition, we await word on a substantial federal grant proposal. We expect to intiate additional grants in future months. Finally the Cypress Creek liaison is involved in five national conference presentation proposals. All feature Cypress Creek and Hillsborough County and we have already heard that the first two proposals to national PDS conferences in Arizona and Maryland this fall have been accepted. It is our intention to feature school administrators or teachers whenever possible. What a great way to share the USF/Hillsborough County relationship!

A Closing thought:

At a point in the history of public education when universities and school systems are looking to collaborate in more intricate and mutally beneficial ways, the PDS relationship has proven to be a marvelous vehicle for promoting this mutually inclusive relationship. We are proud of the Cypress Creek/USF PDS relationship and look forward to continued and growing cooperation between the Hillsborough County and University of South Florida.

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