About SEHS - School of Education and Human Services

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COMMUNITY Partnerships

Avondale Partnership
An overarching goal of the Avondale/OU Partnership is to create a culture that supports a true community of learners, inspiring children of all abilities to learn and thrive. The partnership, by design, ensures that all participants see themselves as leaders, problem-solvers and critical thinkers. This learning environment is grounded in four key areas:

1. Educational Research Opportunities

We hold true that acknowledging an issue is different from understanding an issue. To that end, together we can better understand key educational questions and seek ways to positively impact success by leveraging Oakland University’s capacity for quality educational research and the opportunity to study Avondale’s real world challenges.

2. Enhanced Teaching Methods

As educational standards and expectations become more rigorous and our student body becomes more diverse, our teachers need more tools in their toolbox. The Avondale/OU Partnership provide our educators with a peer group to expand and enhance new and existing teaching methods. Teachers need additional strategies in their tool box to meet the demands of an ever more complex educational landscape. Helping teachers learn to better identify student needs through assessing educational situations, diagnosing the critical issues involved and applying the best teaching practice for any set of variables becomes crucial to the success of all learners.

3. Improved Student Engagement

Lev Vygotsky once said, “Children grow into the intellectual life of those around them.” The Avondale/OU Partnership School promotes a culture of thinking, where the group’s collective thinking as well as each individual’s thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted as part of the regular day-to-day experience of all group members. As the students are invited into multiple learning opportunities, covering a wide range of content areas, learners of all ages are invited to engage, explore and think deeply about the world around them.

The health and wellness of Avondale’s families and community can be supported and encouraged through additional resources that are available within the Oakland University community. Wrap around services are provided through the SEHS Counseling Center, which provides no-cost personal counseling on Oakland University’s campus.

OUWB School of Medicine provides health and wellness lessons within Avondale’s elementary Schools through the Medical School Student as Educator experiences, as well as a co-teaching model at Avondale High School, where OUWB Medical School students work closely with Biology students to learn more about communicable diseases and immunizations. The lessons and experiences are co-created and intentionally designed to integrate the Michigan Core Science Standards as well as the Michigan Core Health Education standards.

4. Improved Student Performance

To ensure that we are developing high performing young adults, several measurement methods are employed. The results will be used to drive further understanding and improved educational delivery. Teachers work together through job-embedded professional learning opportunities (teacher labs, study groups) to study and analyze data, read professional literature and observe and discuss best practices in instructional delivery, educational research and pedagogy.

Partnership related publications and presentations

National Publications
Carver, C. L., Hudson, M., Abbott, M., Bruha, S., Bugaj, C., Johnson, J. & Stock, S. (2017). Teachers learning together at Auburn Elementary: Supporting classroom teachers as associated teacher educators. In Crawford, C. & Harris, S. (Eds.) Handbook on Classroom Teachers as Associated Teacher Educators. Association of Teacher Educators.

Hudson, M., Childs, L. & Carver, C.L. (2016). Open doors. Open minds. Empowered teachers work and learn shoulder to shoulder. Journal of Staff Development, 37(4), 18-23.

State and National Presentations
Guzniczak, L., Hudson, M., & Campbell, B. (2017). Collaborating for professional learning: Sharing with practice and pre-service teachers. Presented at Michigan Reading Association 61th Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, MI.

Carver, C. L. (2017). Maintaining a clinical practice partnership: The role of difficult conversations. Paper presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, Tampa, FL.

Guzniczak, L., Jang, B.G., McEneaney, J., Liu, Y., Li P., Wu, W., & Blunt, J. (2016). Influences of a university-school partnership project on pre-service teacher's efficacy and pedagogical content knowledge in reading. A Symposium presented at the 66th Annual Literacy Research Association Conference, Nashville, TN.

Carver, C. L. (2016). Defining teacher leadership in context: Lessons from an elementary partnership school. Paper presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the University Council on Educational Leadership, Detroit, MI.

Carver, C. L. (2016). When teachers take the lead: Implications for principal leadership. Paper presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.

Guzniczak, L. & Hudson, M. (2016). Authentic settings of teacher learning and research: School-university partnerships in action. Paper presented at the Association of Teacher Educator’s Conference, Chicago, IL.

Carver, C. L., Hudson, M. & Stock, S. (2016). Improving clinical practice through robust professional learning. Paper presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators, Chicago, IL.

Guzniczak, L., Hudson, M. & Campbell, B. (2016). University-district partnerships: Meeting student needs, integrating resources and services. Presented at Michigan Reading Association’s 60^th Annual Conference, Detroit, MI.

Guzniczak, L., McEneaney, J., Pei, L., Gol, N., Zhou, Y., & Liu, Y. (2015). Capturing pre-service teacher’s knowledge, efficacy, and growth in a literacy class through video data analysis. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Literacy Research Association Conference, Carlsbad, CA.

Guzniczak, L. & Hudson, M. (2015). Avondale/Oakland University Partnership: United Are We. Michigan Reading Association Conference, Grand Rapids, MI. March 29, 2015.

Carver, C. L., Olson, M., Secord, D. & Hudson, M. (2014). Field placement teacher support and development: Lessons learned in a new school/university partnership. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators.