Reimagining the school-university partnership and the role of the school-based professional experience coordinator: A New South Wales case study

Whilst the notion of school-university partnerships is not new, in locations such as New South Wales (NSW), Australia, there has been a renewed interest in consolidating these partnerships in order to develop sustainable mutually beneficial relationships. In recognition of rising tensions between universities as Initial Teacher Education providers (ITE) and schoolteachers as supervisors of pre-service teachers (PST) whilst on professional experience placements, the NSW Department of Education initiated the HUB schools initiative. The initiative aimed to identify school sites that were actively engaged in the PST supervision process and link them with a partner university to support the codesign and development of more effective boundary crossing projects that met the needs of both stakeholders. The initial iteration of the program provided the opportunity for twenty-four schools across the state to partner with a university with varying levels of engagement and tangible outcomes. This chapter will trace the development of the initiative and then explore the value of the role of the school-based Professional Experience Coordinator (PEXC) as an integral piece in a school and university relationship.