History
USC has one of the largest and longest-standing Professional Development Schools Networks in the nation, with our first USC PDS Network meeting occurring on October 4, 1990. Since that time, the network has grown and remained a critical component of how we prepare educators in the College of Education and support continued teacher education throughout the Midlands and beyond.
Leadership
The USC Professional Development School Coordinating Council consists of stakeholders across all the Professional Development Schools in our USC PDS Network. An integral aspect of our Coordinating Council is the representation of stakeholders from each PDS site comprised of an administrator, the PDS clinical adjunct, and a university liaison. The Coordinating Council, supported by staff from the College of Education, allows for ongoing evaluation, professional learning experiences, and discussion of our ongoing work together.
Co-Chairs are elected from the coordinating council to plan meetings and make executive-level decisions about the direction of the PDS Network. The Coordinating Council meets approximately six times per year. The majority of these sessions are hosted throughout the year to support USC PDS Network initiatives, and another meeting is generally held at the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Conference.
The USC Professional Development Schools Network currently consists of the following school and district partnerships:
- Bridge Creek
- Horrell Hill
- Irmo
- Killian
- Lake Carolina
- Meadowfield
- North Springs
- Oak Pointe
- Pontiac
- Rice Creek
- Catawba Trail
- Cayce
- Lex 4 Early Childhood Center
- Blythewood
- C.E. Williams Middle School 6th Grade Campus
- Fulmer
- Hand
- Irmo
- Sandhills
- Blythewood
- Dreher
- Dutch Fork
- Irmo
- Lower Richland
- School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties
- Lexington School District One
Scholarship
The USC PDS Network cultivates, supports, and celebrates practitioner knowledge. To that end, current or aspiring USC Ed.D. students who work at Professional Development School sites are eligible to apply for a PDS Fellowship.