The PDP university coordinator did not participate in the focus groups. The facilitator was a university faculty member from the Center for Academic Excellence who was not familiar with the details of the PDP program. Participants included two PDP principals, four university School of Education faculty, the Director of Continuing Education and a director of the Portland Educational Network. Collaboration can be defined as working together to meet a common goal and to solve a problem that neither can solve alone. Below we list each feature and then describe the ways our PDP has realized this aspect of collaboration.
Collaboration implies interdependence, an ongoing give and take.
The PDP is a site for the preparation of student teachers. The PDP school is also a site for the development of veteran teachers. On-site presence of the coordinator has encouraged teachers to get advanced degrees. Solutions emerge by dealing constructively with differences. Partners must work beyond stereotypes to rethink views about each other.