The idea of the professional development school (PDS) couples the best of schooling practices with the best of professional development and preparation programs to enhance learning opportunities for children. In the mid-1980s, West Virginia became one of the first states in the country to establish such a school-university partnership through the Benedum Project. PDSs provide a place where public schools and universities integrate professional practice in schools with professional preparation programs in colleges and universities to enhance the quality of both. The PDS concept is based on three central ideas about how public schools and universities work together for the profession:

• They collaborate as sites of experimentation and innovation to create "best practices".
• They work collaboratively to be "centers of inquiry" where research and development on best practice and best professional development and preparation occur.
• They are "empowered communities" where all stakeholders share in decision-making and participate in determining the learning needs and opportunities for students.