Elementary Education (Master's)
Why Elementary Education at GW?
Distinctive Program Benefits to Students:
- Accelerated program options: 12-13.5 months
- Opportunities for reduced tuition or tuition support
- Strong faculty and peer support in program
- Carefully supervised school-based internships
- M.Ed. Advantage: graduates will start salary scale at higher level
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. Each year two cohort groups of approximately 20-25 students begin the Model Program. The one-year program begins on the Wednesday preceding or 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.
Dr. Sylven Beck discusses the Elementary Education Model Program.
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Download the video | MOV | WMV |
Coursework
Coursework is in educational foundations, elementary school curriculum and methodology, and a series of integrated field experiences at different grade levels in public schools. Key features of the program include:
- Coursework in the cultural, historical and social/psychological foundations of education
- Opportunities to design, produce and evaluate research
- Multiple experiences with master teachers in elementary schools, including multiculturally diverse and/or inclusive classroom settings.
- Practice and feedback in using a variety of instructional strategies, including direct instruction, team teaching, inquiry-based instruction, cooperative learning and problem solving.
- Field placements in a variety of select inner-city, urban, urban-fringe and suburban schools designed to provide a graduated, incremental introduction to teaching
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.
Suggested List of General Education Courses
Candidates with more than three courses required for licensure in their undergraduate degree cannot be considered for admission to the one-year program, but may make up the courses while in the two-year program. Prerequisite undergraduate courses required for certification include two college courses in: English composition, literature, history (one U.S. history course), mathematics, science (with a laboratory), social science (one course in geography); one college course in: art, music and health; and three one-hour courses in physical education.
Program Affiliates
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“Teaching photosynthesis through dance; poetry through art; social studies through tableau and drama...I have team taught with National Board Certified teachers and have hosted GW teacher interns in my classroom. My graduate degree opened all of these doors for me and stepping through them has been as rewarding as the day I graduated.” Van Hoffman, |
Elementary School Principals Advisory Group
Cooperating Teachers Advisory Group
GW-Public Schools Affiliates (program graduates)
Elementary School Partners
Alexandria
- George Mason
- Patrick Henry
- Samuel Tucker
Arlington County
- Glebe
- Long Branch
- Science Focus
District of Columbia
- Eaton, NW
- Hyde, NW
- Key, NW
- Lafayette, NW
- Ross, NW
- Watkins, SE
Fairfax County
- Bailey's
- Riverside
- Spring Hill
Falls Church
- Thomas Jefferson
Montgomery County
- Highland
- Somerset
Admission Information for this Degree/Program
One-year programs are summer entry only; two-year programs are fall entry only; specific general education courses required for licensure. Applicants should submit two letters of recommendation, a 1-2 page statement of purpose, official transcripts from all institutions attended, a writing sample (an academic paper written in undergraduate school, a professional paper written after graduation from college or a published academic or professional work with full citation), a resume, and Graduate Record Examination or Miller Analogies Test scores.
To be admitted to the program, degree candidates must meet the admissions criteria established by the University, the School and the program. Candidates must have a college-level general education background (consult program faculty for further details). Applicants who are citizens of countries where English is not an official language are also required to submit TOEFL scores. Initial review of applications for admission begins in January and decisions will be made on a continuing basis during the spring semester and/or until the program is filled. The deadline to apply for admission with financial assistance is January 15th of each year.
Tuition Support Information for this Degree/Program
Fellowships available. GSEHD offers a limited number of tuition fellowships and support from endowment funds for on-campus students. All awards are merit-based. For additional information, contact the Office of Admissions.
Program Location(s)
Main Campus (DC)
Partnership Schools
Contact Information
Sylven S. Beck, Ed.D.
Program Director
(202) 994-9084
fax (202) 994-3365
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