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This paper describes the process and results of teacher-research conducted at Parkside Middle School, a Professional Development School in an Appalachian state. Working together as a team, teachers and a university faculty liaison examined students' perceptions regarding academic and social climate issues. A questionnaire containing Likert-type and open-ended items was designed and administered annually to all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students (n = 360) for 3 years. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed by the team and served as a source of evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of the school's reform efforts and initiatives. Teacher involvement in all aspects of conducting longitudinal research, from designing questionnaires to determining the meaning of results, enabled them to take ownership of the data, stimulated productive and professional dialogue among faculty, and strengthened the collaborative partnership between the school and university.
Parkside Middle School is a public school located in an Appalachian state. It serves approximately 400 students in sixth through eighth grades who represent diverse experiences and backgrounds. Located within two miles of a state land-grant university, Parkside is one of several Professional Development Schools (PDSs) in the Wesley Collaborative1. The Collaborative is a partnership between the nearby university and 21 elementary, middle, and high schools in the surrounding area dedicated to improving the quality of teacher preparation programs and enhancing K through 12 teaching and learning. A goal of the partnership is to develop research collaborations between school and university faculty to investigate issues related to school environment and the teaching and learning process.
Faculty members at Parkside Middle School were involved in an effort in which they became teacher-researchers engaged in systematic inquiry of site-specific issues. Although teachers in Professional Development Schools often have opportunities to participate in research activities, rarely are they involved in a study that has the breadth and depth of the Parkside research. The need for studies that are more systematic, rigorous, and inclusive rather than anecdotal and informal has been suggested by many educators and researchers (e.g., Huberman, 1996; Teitel, 2001). Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe all aspects of the longitudinal research conducted at Parkside. Three years of quantitative and qualitative data were systematically collected and analyzed from all students in the school; and...