Education Core Curriculum

The Education Core curriculum is informed by empirically based practices and scientifically valid research that addresses key aspects of teacher quality and the development of effective teaching skills. Example sources of this research base include the National Research Council (NRC), Alliance for Excellent Education, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ), Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE); peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership; as well as specific works such as Darling-Hammond’s Powerful Learning (2008), Powerful Teacher Education (2006), and Preparing Teachers for a Changing World (2005).

Specifically, a clinically-based approach to teacher preparation is supported by the NCR report, Preparing Teachers: Building Evidence for Sound Policy (2010), which identifies clinical preparation in partnership with schools as one of the major aspects of teacher preparation that are likely to have the highest potential for positive effects on student learning.  Boyd, Grossman, Lankford, Loeb, and Wyckoff (2008) found that teachers with stronger pre-baccalaureate preparation in day-to-day classroom issues are more successful and rated as more effective in their first year.  A national expert panel convened by NCATE and composed of education experts and critics published the Blue Ribbon Panel Report on Clinical Preparation and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning (2010) that called for teacher education to be "turned upside down" by revamping programs to place clinical practice at the center of teacher preparation. This new vision of preparation requires the development of partnerships with school districts in which teacher education becomes a shared responsibility between P-12 schools and higher education.

The goals of the redesigned Education Core stem from the following Unit Standards:

• Diverse Needs of Learners - The teacher candidate plans and implements differentiated instructional strategies for diverse learners (including, but not limited to, English language learners, learners who are living in poverty, learners with disabilities, gifted and talented learners, and other exceptional needs in general education settings) to achieve learning outcomes.

• Learning Environment - The teacher candidate creates a positive, safe, and caring environment that promotes learning through active engagement and respect for individual differences.

• Technology - The teacher candidate plans and implements meaningful learning opportunities that engage learners in the ethical and appropriate use of technology to meet learning outcomes.

• Assessment - The teacher candidate designs, selects, and implements multiple assessments and systematically uses data to make instructional decisions that support, monitor, and promote learning. 

• Instruction and Learners Engagement - The teacher candidate uses developmental and pedagogical content knowledge to independently and collaboratively plan and implement learning experiences that are relevant, appropriately challenging, and aligned with curriculum goals and standards.

• Literacy - The teacher candidate implements essential components of literacy instruction (reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visual representation) within the discipline(s) to enhance opportunities for learning.

• Professional Learning and Ethical Practice - The teacher candidate participates in ongoing professional learning and critical reflection, upholds ethical and legal standards, and articulates the impact of social, legal, and political contexts on American schooling. 

These goals are achieved through 13 Education Core courses that are developmental sequenced to transition the teacher candidate from student to professional. Click on the course name to learn more about the field components, content, and assessments.

EDUC 101. Developmenting Observation and Analysis Skills

EDUC 200. Developmental Sciences and the Context of Poverty