Badiali to Serve as President of National Association of Professional Development Schools

by Joe Savrock (January 2010)

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Bernard Badiali, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, has been named president-elect of the National Association of Professional Development Schools (NAPDS). NAPDS is the premier national organization focused on professional development school (PDS) initiatives.

Badiali’s one-year term as president begins in March. “I am honored to head this organization and look forward to Penn State's College of Education becoming recognized as a national site for exemplary PDS practice,” he said.

PDS collaborations are designed to reduce the gap between teacher preparation programs and the realities of the classroom. They endeavor to marry the wisdom of practice with the wisdom of practitioners. PDS environments emphasize reflective practice, continuous learning, teacher leadership, and schools as learning communities. They develop the skills of preservice teachers through internships in the schools while providing experienced teachers with ongoing professional practice as mentors.

Badiali serves as coordinator of the Central Pennsylvania Holmes Partnership, a PDS collaborative between Penn State’s College of Education and the State College Area School District. The Penn State/State College PDS has won three prominent national awards in the past nine years.

Badiali’s research agenda focuses on the experience of PDS educators throughout their careers. He is an AED Scholar in the Institute for Educational Inquiry in Seattle. He is editor of the peer-reviewed journal Catalyst for Change, which serves the diverse needs of school leaders who have an interest in schools and school improvement.