Public School District Needs at the Crossroads of Professional Development and Public University Partnerships: Superintendents Perceptions and the Potential Alliance between PK-12 and Institutions of Higher Education

The incorporation of professional development (PD) activities for PK-12 teachers has long served to advance competency in the profession. With changes in requirements for continued teacher certification, student performance, and state-level testing, superintendents are faced with maximizing PD opportunities of their faculty. This primary investigation considers these changes, and the perceptions of Michigan PK-12 superintendents in the identified areas of need for faculty development. This study also explores the multiple facets of PD and partnerships/collaboration with Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) in the state. The survey instrument, developed for this study, assesses the views of superintendents across Michigan on the greatest areas of PD need for faculty by subject area and teacher performance. Findings consider the perceived roles and utility of IHEs in providing PD, degree programs, and credentialing of faculty to meet these needs. Communication and finances relating to the support of PD, in addition to district-level data, determine if other factors have an impact on identified needs. More specifically, this study examines multiple factors to establish the level of PD need, and the relationship of predictive factors, through the analysis of latent variables based on survey and demographic data.