But simply discussing these options as possibilities will do little to change the low level of collaboration between many schools of education and K-12 schools. Leaders will have to reinforce the importance of such work by word and deed, possibly including the provision of tangible incentives for participation. Some measure of our fathers' success was due to the fact that they never forgot where they came from and continued to honor that tradition throughout their lives. We feel that we and many of our higher education colleagues have forgotten where nearly all of us began our careers. If not forgotten, we have consciously or unconsciously become too disconnected from it.
Education is a highly practical and applied profession.
What we do as faculty members in schools of education should have some bearing on and relevance to real schools, real teachers, and real learners. For that to happen, we need to get and stay connected to schools. There is really no alternative.