PRE-PUBLICATION DRAFT PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE OR CITE Bridging the Gap between Schools and Universities: Networked Technologies Supporting Better Teaching By David Eddy Spicer and Lois Hetland WIDEWorld at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Joanne Krepelka and Joan Soble Cambridge Public Schools Abstract: School districts often turn to outside partners to meet mandates for developing a high-quality teaching workforce. Potentially, universities are strong partners in such endeavors, but their expertise is only valuable when actively used by those who teach students (Lagemann, 2002). Networked technologies promise help for teachers in linking research-based frameworks to the daily decisions of classroom practice, because they offer sustained and flexibly-timed professional development at a reasonable cost. This documentary account describes a small project developed between an urban public school district and a university-based provider of online professional development. This ongoing project has so far resulted in the establishment of a middle management leadership team, the development of a cohort of teacher-leaders, and changes to classroom practice. Moreover, it laid the foundations for a district-wide reform initiative. The account identifies potential resources and pitfalls when developing district-wide relationships to support teacher learning and instructional leadership with networked technologies. I. Introduction State and local policies mandate mentoring, coaching, and peer support to renew veteran teachers and develop instructional leaders (National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, 2003). However, traditional methods of professional development appear inadequate to sustain teachers’ efforts to learn new pedagogical skills while continuing to teach (Choy et al., 1998; NCTB, 1996). Partnerships with universities could support such efforts with pedagogies developed and tested by rigorous research and