Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

Reflections from a 2007-08 Community and Education Partnership

Prior to CAEP Standard 2, Teacher Education Programs, Educator Preparation Programs sought to demonstrate effectiveness in the advancement of field experiences and clinical practice for candidates seeking degree/certification. However, in 2006-07 a community organization in Georgia sought the support of the field director’s support for a partnership to support students after school. This approach led to the experimental placement of selected preservice teachers within a community where they served at the local community center as after school tutors and sequentially at the elementary school for the field experiences. The idea of early field experiences is operationalized in teacher education to provide research findings on the potential impact of the experiences on the preservice teacher. Conversely, this preliminary quasi- longitudinal reflective report will provide the voice of the community organizer and after school program director and parent who served this unique Georgia community through an organization known as Kids with Strong Opinions. The report seeks to provide a reflective view of an intentional effort to develop opportunities for youth from predominately middle class African American kids with working parents and one of the mothers who has maintained contact with many of those who were exposed to this unique partnership that was one of the first of its kind in the revised teacher education program. An effort will be used to inform the educational community of the perspective of a parent and community perspective on a case study analysis and stories of selected students who came through the program and partnership a decade later.