Robinson Secondary School Partnership

Through a partnership with Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Va., more than 30 teachers have been trained as clinical faculty and 47 CEHD students have completed internships in English, math, science, or social studies since 2002. The partnership, part of the Professional Development School program, has expanded in size and scope in recent years. Unique to Robinson is a program that provides interns with enriched feedback. "Operation Observation" affords interns an opportunity to be observed by Robinson students. The students observe for 45 to 90 minutes, complete an observation form, and, if requested, meet one-on-one with the intern to discuss their observations. [The feedback interns have received has been detailed, balanced, and honest, while Robinson students have gained a sense of empowerment as they see themselves as valuable contributors to the education field.] In addition, CEHD faculty and teachers in the Social Studies Department at Robinson started an action research project in spring 2004 to examine best practices for teaching and assessing research and writing. This study has been replicated twice and has expanded from four teachers to 12. Interns who have worked with the clinical faculty involved in these studies also have participated in the data collection and analysis.