Assessing a Professional Development School Approach to Preparing Teachers for Urban Schools Serving Low-Income, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities (1) (Section II: Program Level Assessments of Innovation‪)‬

Some colleges of education and urban school districts have established collaborative Professional Development Schools (PDSs) to prepare teachers across the learning-to-teach continuum (pre-service to in-service to instructional leaders) to address the particular needs of low-income, culturally and linguistically diverse (LI/CLD) students (www.holmesparternship. org/UNITE/). Outcomes, either in regard to K-12 pupils or to pre-service and in-service teachers, have been infrequently examined despite the proliferation of these reforms (Hoffman, Reed, & Rosenbluth, 1997; Johnston, Brosnan, Cramer, & Dove, 2000). Urban PDS experiments encounter many challenges that obstruct efforts to create learning environments that embody the 'engaged pedagogy' necessary for LI/CLD students to succeed (Glass & Wong, 2003). The difficulties within these K-12 classrooms and university programs are exacerbated by and connected to broader social, economic, and political problems that are endemic to these schools' communities, and that afflict their families as they struggle to survive and progress against formidable odds (Anyon, 1997). In contexts marked by these innovations and challenges, assessment becomes a key activity to understand the impact of the reform in relation to its established goals and to identify where the work is falling short so that interventions can be revised. Structured evaluation cycles and opportunities to reflect on practice and build grounded knowledge are critical to sustaining momentum for innovation. Insights gained through assessment processes, even when not positive, increase the kinds of institutional and practitioner understanding of the innovations that are necessary to deepen support.