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My Philosophy of University-School Partnerships: A Personal Response Shelley Robinson General Observations: What I have found most often (and with feedback from student teachers at the end of their programs), is that the success of university-school partnerships (regardless of how rigorous the university systems are to set-up, facilitate, and assess these practicum experiences) rests predominantly on the dedication of the cooperating/teacher and field instructors efforts to create comprehensive, communicative and positive experiences. As well, the collegial support of student teacher/teacher cohorts on school campuses (either by design, or developed more organically) provides broader mentorship opportunities for the practicum experience. In addition, the clearer the outline-syllabus of the university practicum-field expectations, and how it will be facilitated with all involved, the more successful the practicum experience tends to be as there is adequate scaffolding with which all of the stakeholders can set up their mutual work. Recent Discoveries: I am appreciating more and more the value of the collegial cohort and its prominent place within the student-teaching experience. I often gather teachers and student teachers together around mutual educational themes or case examples through which they can discuss current educational topics or issues. Also having meaningful practice-based research projects (a soft research processes) through which the student teachers and cooperating teachers can develop a guiding research question, gather data (qualitative/quantitative/mixed) and help the student teachers interpret it in closer detail, is very important. For example, I and the student teachers produced a video on the topic of how students felt that they learned best in secondary school (Grades 8 to 12). We presented Students Speak Up at Mark R. Isfeld (http://vimeo.com/66337722, 2013) at a staff meeting near the end of their term. The exchange of ideas at the staff meeting was powerful. Because the student teachers had initiated the dialogue (constructivist practice in action) and the teachers had responded in powerful ways giving feedback as to why students might feel this way and what we might do about it, there was educational impact for everyone involved. It also taught the student teachers about the value of evidencebased practice in a constructivist model of teaching and learning because this is what we want them to have the confidence to do throughout their professional careers. All teachers are researchers as they examine and interpret how to best educate students. Professional Development: There is no one way of engaging successful university-school partnerships, but through creative exemplars such as the above, we can stimulate interesting field experiences for students. Just as we need to differentiate our programs for the students in our classrooms in their formative years, so do we need to do so for our student teachers in their practicum experiences. Instructional leadership by the university and the schools involved, play an important role in all of this innovative mentorship. Therefore, ongoing dialogue around how to stimulate innovative field experiences would be required. Ongoing faculty professional development (sharing ideas internally and with other universities or educational agencies) would be beneficial so that we would be current in our approach to working with schools in progressive ways setting student teachers up with knowledge, skills and attitudes that will help them be competitive when looking for employment when they graduate.