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Kings Trail Elementary has the proud distinction of being a Professional Development School as part of the partnership between the University of North Florida and the Duval County School Board. This program has been the proud recipient of multiple national awards from many Teacher Preparation Organizations.

As such, Kings Trail serves as a model and training ground for the “future teachers of our generation”. We cover the entire continuum of exposure and practice beginning with our students enrolled in the Introduction to the Teaching Profession course where they observe nine hours in an assigned classroom. Then we host TESOL students where they have the opportunity to work one-on-one or in small groups one day a week with our children who speak English as their second language. Pre-Interns who actually shadow a teacher and his/her class weekly and plan and teach several lessons throughout the semester is another segment of the program.

Following these experiences brings us to our Internship Program, where we host 9-12 students per semester where they are fully immersed in the class, faculty and assume all responsibilities of a teacher.  This experience lasts 15 weeks and at the conclusion after having satisfied all requirements and having passed the state teacher certification exams, they graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree and are ready to accept a position as a teacher.

As part of this program, we also have a Resident Clinical Faculty member, Mr. Dwyane Kohn, who is a part of our faculty as he coordinates the PDS Program, supervises the interns, and provides administrative, instructional, and professional development support for Kings Trail Elementary. He also serves as our business partner liaison, SAC chairperson, and numerous other capacities, as well.

As you can well imagine, we are very proud and excited to have been chosen as a Professional Development School and take our responsibility and commitment very seriously. The program is truly a win-win for all stakeholders. It allows us additional personnel  in working with our students,  additional resources for knowledge and strategies for our teachers, and another perspective in dealing with educational issues. We look forward to being an active participant in the PDS Program for many years to come.