Understanding Professional Development Schools as P–20 Partnerships: A Systematic Review of PDS Descriptions, 2008–2022

In literature about P–20 partnerships, Professional Development Schools (PDSs) are a focal point. PDSs play a role in initiatives pertaining to clinically based teacher education and equity in P–12 education. Claims about PDSs’ impacts are widespread. PDS research, however, has been hampered by a conspicuous absence of common frameworks for contextualizing or evaluating evidence regarding PDSs’ effectiveness. In response, the authors of this review synthesized a descriptive framework through a document analysis of PDS descriptions from 223 journal articles published from 2008 to 2022. The framework established three domains of PDS characteristics: startup components, organizational components, and partnership core components. Within-domain analysis suggested that while localized approaches are a hallmark of PDSs, PDSs’ patterned aspects are transferable and can be systematically described. Concluding with implications for PDSs and other partnerships, this article’s key contribution is an intellectual foundation for more systematic future research surrounding PDSs and similar P–20 partnerships.