'College Is a Good Place to Go to Become What You Want to Become': A Collaboration between Liberal Arts Undergraduates and Urban Middle School Students

Caddo Gap Press. 3145 Geary Boulevard PMB 275, San Francisco, CA 94118. Tel: 415-666-3012; Fax: 415-666-3552; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.caddogap.com

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22

Middle School Students; Charter Schools; Liberal Arts; Urban Schools; College Bound Students; Partnerships in Education; Undergraduate Students; College Preparation; Professional Development Schools; Career Development; Student Attitudes; Minority Group Students; Teacher Education Programs; Program Effectiveness

0737-5328

In the United States, there is a pressing need to bridge the divide between the higher education institutions where teachers are prepared and the school sites where they work with students. Linking the theoretical foundations of teacher education programs with practical experience in K-12 classrooms offers future teachers the fundamental opportunity to learn both in and from practice, developing a stance of inquiry about their teaching. These collaborations are particularly critical for urban classrooms where the cultural backgrounds and communication patterns of students so often differ from the predominantly mono-cultural body of future educators and where schools struggle to retain a stable corps of highly-qualified teachers. This article reports on the development, implementation, and outcomes of a partnership between Garrett College, a highly-selective private liberal arts college, and Worthington Charter School, a public K-8 charter school in Baltimore, Maryland. This partnership, which was initiated in 2007, launched the first of an annual series of College and Career Institutes for middle school students in the spring of 2009. Through research into the experiences of both groups of students, the authors find changed perspectives and strong relationships resulting from participation, each mediated by the individual's background and prior perspectives. They conclude that there is considerable value in bringing together individuals from disparate backgrounds as co-owners in a meaningful and joint educational endeavor. (Contains 3 tables and 2 notes.)

ERIC

53

2012

EJ977358