Department of Teacher Preparation and Special Education

Program Mission
The Elementary Education M.Ed. Program consists of a comprehensive and innovative series of experiences designed to develop the knowledge, skills and qualities essential for initial teaching effectiveness. The mission of the Elementary Education Model Program, grounded in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development’s Bridging Concepts—Research and Scholarship, Reflective Practice, Community Service, and Educational Leadership—is to prepare teachers who are knowledgeable in the research and scholarship of curriculum and methods of instruction; who are reflective practitioners in the integration of theory and practice; who are actively dedicated to teaching and learning in a pluralistic democracy; and who, as leaders, are eager to contribute to the national conversation about the reform of American schools and society.

Conceptual Framework
The Elementary Education Model Program’s mission is further grounded in a conceptual framework that consists of an integrated set of three themes: knowledge, individuality, and social responsibility. These three themes provide a cohesive conceptual framework for the entire program and are reflected in all aspects of program coursework as well as in related clinical experiences.  The relationship of the conceptual framework's three themes is interactive.

Knowledge:
Good teachers know the subject matter they teach; they also understand the process of its construction and the impact of its use in real world settings. This extended view of knowledge establishes a comprehensive base for meaningful classroom instruction in content areas, as teachers help youngsters to understand their own thought processes and the significance of learning in their daily lives.  Good teachers understand these active, underlying principles of knowledge in order to help students effectively think, communicate, and participate in the real world.

Individuality: Today’s youngsters come from a rich array of cultural and experiential backgrounds.  They bring to schools a diverse set of personal, social, and academic expectations. Good teachers are attentive to students as individuals; they are also sensitive to the broader cultural context that gives shape to diversity.  This awareness helps teachers design meaningful programs of study that maximize the development of each student’s potential.

Social Responsibility: Teaching is a socially significant profession that calls for a wider, moral vision extending beyond the narrowness of personal gain and private intellectual development.  The education of today’s youth is connected to many crucial issues confronting the larger social order.  Good teachers recognize and reflect, and actively explore these important connections that link school and society, classroom and community.

Program Delivery Options:

Model Program
The Elementary Education Model Program offers students the opportunity to earn a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in Elementary Education in either one or two years and leads to eligibility for teacher licensure in grades one through six. Graduates will embark on a career that is intellectually serious, personally enriching and socially significant. Students in the Elementary Education M.Ed. Program become part of a diverse community that includes university scholars and practicing professionals interested in the improvement of teaching and learning in elementary schools. Two cohort groups of approximately 20-25 students begin the one-year program on the Wednesday following Memorial Day. The two-year program begins on the first day of the fall semester. Both proceed through a carefully designed sequence of intensive coursework and field experience. There is no spring semester admission.

Mid-Atlantic Teacher Institute (MATI)
GSEHD now partners with the Norwood School in Bethesda, MD, to offer its Elementary Education M.Ed. program on location at Norwood, an independent school. The Institute is designed to prepare teacher candidates for service in both independent and public schools. Learn more on the Norwood web page.

Literacy Cooperative: Communities of Practice
GSEHD recently received a $5 million Title II Teacher Quality Education Partnership Grant from the U.S. Department of Education and $5 million in matching pledges from non-federal partners. Significant scholarship support is available for GSEHD applicants with an interest in urban education and literacy who seek licensure and a Master's degree in elementary education, special education or secondary education (English). For more information, please visit the Literacy Cooperative web site, www.gwu.edu/~litcoop/.


Dr. Sylven Beck discusses the Elementary Education Model Program.

Credit Hours:  39       Program of Study

Teacher Licensure
The Master of Education in Elementary Education leads to eligibility for teacher licensure in grades one through six. This master's program is approved by the State Education Agency-Board of Education of the District of Columbia and is part of the GSEHD unit accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Licensure Prerequisites
In general, students seeking licensure in elementary education are expected by state certification offices to have taken substantial coursework in each of these seven general categories: English composition, literature, history, social sciences, mathematics, science, and interarts and health. Other college-level courses taken at other institutions may be used to fulfill requirements in each category.