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Professional Preparation

The profession of teaching is changing as accountability demands press teachers to assure that student learning occurs. Research clearly indicates that the best predictor of student learning is the quality of the teacher. Teaching is indeed a complex and demanding profession. Teachers make thousands of professional decisions everyday. They must understand issues such as subject area content knowledge, instructional strategies, curriculum design, textbook/instructional material selection, assessment tools, student learning needs, contextual influences, as well as school, district, state and national policies. To these ends, the PK/20 Collaborative supports a variety of professional preparation programs.

Five Year Program:

The Five Year Benedum Collaborative Model of Teacher Education reflects a partnership between the Department of Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy Studies, the Department of Special Education, the Department of Technology, Learning, and Culture, and the Department of Educational Leadership Studies. This program addresses the changing needs of schools and the increasing demands placed on teachers through its innovative design. The program:

is an integrated five-year, dual-degree program in which students simultaneously pursue a Bachelor of Arts or Science (awarded in the subject area in which they plan to teach with the following exceptions: multi-disciplinary studies degree for elementary education and secondary science majors, and interdisciplinary studies degree for secondary social studies majors) and a Master of Arts in Education

has a clear set of research-based program goals and carefully sequenced learning experiences

provides students with more than 1000 hours of experience in public school classrooms

features close collaboration with exemplary local public schools

has selective and rigorous standards for admission and retention of students

includes rigorous performance requirements that are relevant to effective teaching practice

For more information, please visit: http://hre.wvu.edu/academics/undergraduate_programs/benedum_collaborative_5_year_teacher_education

Teacher Leadership Program:

The master’s degree in teacher leadership is set to launch in Fall, 2010 and is designed to prepare individuals who are seeking to strengthen their skills as educators working with children and adults in public schools. With the support of the Benedum Foundation for establishing a strong coaching element within the program, the program prides itself on being a program developed with practitioners, for practitioners.

Teacher leadership is an area of growing interest in West Virginia, nationally, and internationally. Leading the way, Dr. Steven L. Paine, West Virginia State Superintendent of Education, has emphasized the importance of creating professional dialogue among educators if student learning and innovation are to occur.

The program consists of: (1) an introductory course that provides the inquiry-oriented foundation needed to be a responsible teacher leader, (2) three clusters of three courses with a practica at the end of each cluster, and (3) a capstone comprised of providing empirical evidence of the student’s accomplishments. Students will have the opportunity to pursue the degree by completing all three clusters, or may take one cluster at a time and earn a credential upon completion of each cluster. Independent of the multiple pathways described above, each of these clusters would culminate in a West Virginia Board of Education issued West Virginia Advanced Credential. These three credentials include: Credential One: Teacher Leadership for School and Community Culture, Credential Two: Teacher Leadership for Student Learning, and Credential Three: Teacher Leadership for Professional Development.

For more information about the Teacher Leadership Program, please contact Diane Yendol-Hoppey at diane.yendolhoppey@mail.wvu.edu