Better Together: Tips for Strengthening the Partnership Connections

Introduction

During my time as a field supervisor, I saw firsthand how powerful strong partnerships between Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs), Local Education Agencies, and school communities can be. The work went beyond assigning placements or checking boxes.  I was able to see how working collaboratively strengthened the quality of support we offered to teachers. My own practice was pushed through the insights I gained from working with partners. The work felt more meaningful because it was about shaping our teacher candidates through intentional, collaborative practice. Great teachers weren’t being made in isolation. Looking back, I’ve found that three strategies made the biggest impact in strengthening these connections: collaborative field experiences, meaningful data sharing, and joint professional development.

Tip 1: Lean into Collaborative Field Experiences

Some of the most impactful coaching moments happened when I was observing with campus leaders. I remember walking into classrooms with deans, managers, and fellow field supervisors to observe teacher candidates together. On occasions, I even invited teacher candidates to observe mentor teachers alongside me. One experience with a dean of instruction stands out. During a co-observation, we offered real-time coaching and shared immediate reflections. The teacher responded with quick adjustments, and we left the room aligned on next steps and energized by the process.

That moment became a turning point in our partnership. From then on, our communication was clearer, our collaboration more frequent, and our support for shared candidates stronger.Working alongside stakeholders allowed us to calibrate and norm on what quality teaching looked like. Our feedback became more consistent, and the vision for teacher growth was more unified. The shared field experience helped build high and aligned expectations while strengthening the trust between myself, the candidate, and the campus team. When the coaching messages increased in alignment, teacher candidates felt more supported and showed growth in clarity and confidence. In the end, candidates received clearer, more coherent support, and accountability naturally followed, increasing investment amongst all parties.

Resources to Initiate Collaborative Field Experiences: 

• Governance Meeting Agenda: The governance meeting agenda, particularly the Upcoming Campus Visits - Collaborative Field Opportunities space, can be used to identify and formally confirm opportunities for campus leaders to participate in a co-observation with field supervisors.

  
  

When we see collaboration in action during fieldwork, it naturally opens the door to conversation around increased partnership work.

Tip 2: Embrace Data Sharing

In my role, I often noticed a gap between what I knew about my teacher candidates and what campus leaders knew. Early on, I was constantly fielding questions about certification progress or reaching out myself to ask about assessment results. Our communication felt reactive and fragmented.That changed once we gained access to shared data portals. With just a few clicks, campus stakeholders could check certification status, and I could see student performance on district assessments. Coaching conversations became more consistent. Instead of asking, “What should I tell them?” campus leaders were saying, “I already talked to them, and they’re on it.” We were moving from updates to strategy.

One major breakthrough came with a shared database to track observation outcomes. Real-time updates grounded our coaching in evidence and allowed us to build on each other’s feedback. When everyone operated from the same data (e.g., student achievement results, certification progress, observation feedback), it created consistency, transparency, and shared ownership.Of course, full access wasn’t always possible. In those cases, I found workarounds: gathering real-time data during visits, asking mentor teachers for informal results, or having candidates share their own student performance. Governance and data meetings helped formalize those exchanges. Even simple insights, like feedback trends or student progress snapshots, helped me better target my support.It's also worth noting that the importance of shared data is only growing. With Texas’ proposed changes to Chapter 229.4 (i.e., including STAAR Annual Growth Points for beginning teachers) this kind of collaboration will become essential. It’s not just a policy update. It’s a shift in how EPPs and districts share responsibility and a strong point of leverage during MOU negotiations.

Tools for Facilitating Data-Sharing: 

• Data Sharing MOU (Memorandum of Understanding); General MOU: An MOU can be used as an agreement outline to formalize terms for what data is shared, how it is used, who has access, and how privacy is protected.

• Teacher Data Reflection: As an alternative method to requesting data sharing, field supervisors can directly request that information through their teacher candidate. The Teacher Data Reflection serves as a tool for candidates to engage in reflective practice and share relevant data, either as data meeting pre-work or an agenda outline during a data-focused post-conference.

This kind of transparency increased our trust and laid the foundation for our next step in learning together.

Tip 3: Engage in Joint Professional Development

One of the biggest turning points in partnership came when I began participating in professional development alongside district and campus leaders. I remember one session in particular, a PD on active monitoring launched by a partner district. Instructional leaders were learning a specific strategy, and because I was in the room, I could reinforce that same message in my coaching. It led to a powerful shift. We were aligned on expectations, using the same language, and presenting a united front to our teacher candidates. The support felt coherent, collaborative, and clear.

Co-attending PDs didn’t just build consistency - it built relationships. That session led to my first opportunity to sit down with campus leaders and co-create a targeted support plan for candidates. From that point forward, it was clear we were on the same team. Trust deepened, communication improved, and we grew more strategic in how we supported teacher growth.

Joining PD with district leaders can demonstrate value for their organizational initiatives and help teacher educators align their support.

Getting in the room took initiative. I often sent simple emails asking to attend PLCs or district-led PDs, and I made use of instructional calendars to coordinate attendance. Governance meetings also proved helpful for surfacing upcoming opportunities. Staying present in those spaces helped me stay aligned with campus priorities and made a meaningful difference for the candidates we served.

Conclusion

Reflecting on my time as a field supervisor, it’s clear that the most successful candidates came from partnerships that were rooted in shared effort. When we committed to collaborating in the field, sharing meaningful data, and learning side-by-side, we were able to prepare and empower our teachers.

If you are someone supporting teachers, I encourage you to embrace these connections. Start small if you need to, but be intentional. Strong partnerships don’t happen by accident. But when they do happen, they make all the difference.

Mai Thoi is Manager of Content Development and Programming at CTAPP. She supports our partner EPPs in implementing quality programming, strategic planning, and governance efforts.