JHEA/RESA Vol. 13, Nos 1&2, 2015, pp. 147-167 © Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa 2015 (ISSN 0851–7762) School–University Partnerships for Professional Development of Teachers: A Case of Lesson Study Intervention in Mathematics Maleho D. Letloenyane* and Loyiso C. Jita** Abstract School–university partnerships for the professional development of teach- ers continue to be used extensively in South Africa to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, especially in mathematics. The success of such partnerships in changing teachers’ classroom practices, however, remains in doubt, in part because very few studies present empirical evidence of the changes. This paper assesses the impact of one such partnership, which resulted in perceived changes in teachers’ instructional practices and curriculum decisions after the intervention. Using retrospective pre- testing design, the study established that there were signifcant differences between teachers’ pre- and post-test scores, which suggests that teachers changed their instructional practices and curriculum decisions after the intervention. The fndings provide some empirical evidence that partner- ships of this nature, between schools and universities, may prove valuable in attempts to improve the teaching of school mathematics, especially in the South African context. * ICT Lab Manager, School of Open Learning, University of the Free State, South Africa. Email: letloenyanemd@ufs.ac.za ** Professor and SANRAL Chair, School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education, University of the Free State, South Africa. Email: jitalc@ufs.ac.za