Accountability in many and varied forms is being required of teacher preparation programs. Weiner (2000) explores the dichotomy of the belief that meaningful learning needs to be situated versus policy that demands educational outcomes be standardized. This contradiction demands urgent analysis as we look for appropriate measures of accountability for both teachers and students. The George Washington University Urban Initiative Professional Development School (UI-PDS) partnership engaged in interview, survey, focus group, and observational research during the 2004-2005 school year to study the effectiveness of the Urban Initiative (UI) in preparing teachers for urban schools. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory stresses the important role of authenticity and context in understanding Professional Development school (PDS) work (Muuss, 1996). When evaluating PDS effectiveness, it becomes necessary to take into account the interrelatedness of context and school. The research presented here contextualizes the study within a well established PDS partnership in a high poverty urban setting that prepares preservice teachers to teach students with low literacy levels. The research, conducted with preservice teachers in the UI-PDS and graduates of the UI-PDS in their first year of teaching, indicates teachers prepared within a PDS model are well equipped to meet the challenges of urban settings. They plan and implement lessons relative to students' diverse backgrounds, interests, and skills while simultaneously engaging in advocacy and collaboration to advance their students' achievement. This research also indicates components of the UI-PDS program that best supported preservice and novice participants' learning to teach that they specified through interviews and surveys. Components included taking responsibility for teaching students, daily on-site support, collaborative practice, and personal attributes of participants. (Contains 3 tables.)