Partnerships, especially the Professional Development School (PDS) model, between institutions of higher education (IHE) and public schools (PS), have become, if not commonplace, a successful model for teacher education. PDS teacher education projects in which preservice teachers and higher education faculty participate in school-based instruction have been established as both desirable and effective. However, implementing a PDS model in some settings often fails due to certain insurmountable challenges, most often related to resources and institutional structures. This article presents a documentation of the authors' attempts, as teacher education faculty in a large, public institution, to overcome some of the challenges associated with the PDS model while at the same time developing stable partnerships with local schools. The authors describe a model of college/school collaboration that requires significantly less faculty and financial investment than the PDS model. At the heart of this model are a series of school-based activities that require preservice teachers, early in their teacher preparation courses, to plan and implement small group instruction for elementary school children. This model represents a promising practice in teacher preparation which may have particular relevance for teacher educators in comprehensive colleges, where teacher education faculty have heavy teaching and service loads. This model may also have appeal for schools and districts which are not quite ready or able to commit to the PDS structure, but wish to increase their interaction with local teacher preparation programs. The authors begin by framing their description of this promising practice with a discussion of the outcomes associated with the PDS model.