About the School of Education

Teacher preparation programs include:

• Early Childhood Education (pre-kindergarten through grade five)

• Middle Childhood Education (grades four through nine)

• Secondary Education (grades 7 through 12)

• Special Education (kindergarten through grade 12)

These programs enable successful graduates to enter the teaching profession with the appropriate State of Ohio licenses.

We also offer courses and a degree program to prepare students who are interested in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies.

Graduate degree programs at the master’s and doctoral level enable professional educators to broaden and refine their knowledge and competencies in both general and specific areas such as:

• Curriculum and Instruction

• Educational Leadership

• Educational Studies

• Literacy

• Special Education

• Urban Educational Leadership

Endorsement programs permit licensed teachers to add to their qualifications in reading, teaching English as a second language, special education and other areas.  Additionally, a birth-to-five non-license program prepares successful graduates to work in Head Start, preschool and child care programs, and family child care programs.

The School of Education features small classes taught by talented, experienced and involved faculty at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Teacher licensure programs provide extensive field-clinical experiences with experienced teacher mentors in area suburban and urban schools.

Program graduates consistently achieve high scores on state-mandated licensure assessments, both written and performance-based. All programs in the School of Education meet rigorous accreditation standards of the State of Ohio and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Transforming Urban Teacher Education

Our goal is to improve outcomes for students in high needs schools by preparing professionals who recognize the moral imperative to teach all children. We prepare educators who are committed to issues of social justice, caring about each individual, and competent in evidence-based practice and data -driven decisions. Instilling 21st century skills information and communication, thinking and problem solving, and interpersonal relationships and self-direction, provides the foundation for our work. We strive to prepare educators who support self-determination, advocacy, and empowerment for the most disenfranchised students.

Indicators of our Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) transformational unit are candidates who (a) have strong general and content knowledge (b) demonstrate effective, content specific pedagogy; (c) collaborate effectively as coteachers in inclusive classrooms; (d) effectively participate as a member of a professional community.

We measure our effectiveness by documenting positive learning outcomes in classrooms from a variety of schools, increasing student engagement, increasing reflecton on behalf of candidates related to student learning and instructional decision making; increased differentiation of services for each student; application of evidence-based instruction across university and P-12 instruction; data driven decisions about the design, implementation, and evaluation of educator preparation experiences and the assessment of candidate performance.

Our strategies include a formative continuum of professional development for our candidates. We support them as members of professional learning communities, placing them with their peers in field and clinical experiences. Pedagogical coursework is integrated with field and clinical experiences, and take place in P-12 settings. Partnerships drive our blending of theory and practice. We utilize a “grand rounds” approach to meet the needs of each student and assess our efforts. We are anchored in inquiry and problem-based learning and reflection.

Consistent with these efforts, the Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellows Program prepares creative, inquisitive, capable professionals whose goals extend to becoming teacher leaders. The Fellows will understand the functioning roles that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) play in 21st century human creativity and innovation. As a member of the Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative (SMTI) we collaborate with schools systems, state governments, and other stakeholders to respond to statewide needs for effective science and mathematics teachers who persist in the field. To improve graduate learning outcomes, research experiences and service learning will be redesigned to integrate new clinical practices and application in urban schools.