Education

Undergraduate Program

The Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education and Education Department strive to provide students with outstanding programs in teacher preparation. The Master of Arts in Teaching program, one of the fifth-year accelerated degree programs at Clark, qualifies students for the initial teaching license according to Massachusetts state requirements at either the elementary, middle or secondary level. The initial license is the second level of licensure in Massachusetts and qualifies students to teach in Massachusetts and most other states.

Clark programs are a collaborative endeavor, combining the efforts of faculty from the Education Department, Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education, arts and sciences faculty, and teachers from nearby partner schools in Worcester. Partner schools include University Park Campus School, a grades 7-12 school that has become a model of urban school effectiveness, and two secondary schools reconstructed for the same purpose. Clark programs uniquely combine cutting edge school reform and professional learning with teacher education.

Core Values and Commitments

The program is committed to developing teachers who:

• believe that all students can learn;
• foster authentic learning, i.e., try to engage all students in meaningful thinking, reading, writing and speaking activities;
• support all students in learning, with an emphasis on academic literacy, personalization, and equitable “best practice” teaching;
• build learning communities with their children based on values such as respect, mutual support and collaboration, and likewise collaborate with colleagues for the benefit of children;
• continually reflect on and assess their own teaching.

In achieving this goal, the Master of Arts in Teaching program:

• immerses students in cohort groups within a partner school for the full academic year;
• integrates school and University perspectives in required courses, with both teachers from partner schools and University faculty in instructor roles;
• connects school experience and study in all phases of the program;
• provides students with collaborative learning experiences such as “rounds,” a signature practice that brings together students, teachers and University faculty for structured classroom observation and reflection;
• provides students with teaching responsibility for the majority of the academic year.

The Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education
The Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education is a partnership between Clark University and the Worcester Public Schools dedicated to rethinking the challenges and possibilities of contemporary urban schools. The center brings together teachers, administrators, researchers and students to foster innovation and scholarship in education.

Professional Development School Collaborative
Much of the learning in the teacher-education programs takes place in a professional-development school. This is a school uniquely committed to both teacher learning and student learning. Our programs are fully integrated with a set of urban elementary, middle and secondary schools located in or near the south quadrant of Worcester, neighboring Clark. The faculty and administrators at these Worcester public schools work continuously with Clark faculty, undergraduate teacher-preparation students and master’s students. Each school has a teacher coordinating this work full time, and each is an important site for education reform. Each site provides Clark students with an exceptional opportunity to develop as teachers, to understand curriculum and learning, and to support and assess diverse learners.

The professional development-school collaboration with the Worcester Public Schools is a large part of Clark’s efforts to ensure high quality and distinction in its programs and to contribute to education reform. The schools and the Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education are bound together in mutual support, commitment and service.

University Park Campus School
Clark and the Worcester Public Schools have collaborated on the development of the University Park Campus School (UPCS), an exemplary grade 7-12 neighborhood school and the centerpiece of a neighborhood renewal project. The school is infused with a strong sense of purpose, focusing on preparing its students for university-level academic work, plus a spirit of community fostered by the participation of families and Clark students and faculty in all of its programs. Students who graduate from this “school with a promise” are eligible to attend Clark tuition free. “Going to a university has been my one dream,” said a University Park student. UPCS is one of the professional-development schools for middle-and secondary-level students, and it is the single, most important example of our effort to integrate school, university and community renewal.

Education Minor

A Minor in Education is not required in order to apply for the Accelerated Masters in Teaching program.  Any six Education courses can constitute a Minor in Education.  Please contact the Departmental Program Coordinator (mshepard@clarku.edu) for more information.

Special Programs:

Human Services Program
This four-course sequence is designed for students interested in pursuing a career and/or graduate study in education and the helping professions. Students will have course work and field experiences dealing with diverse groups including children, families and the aged in settings which include schools, the court system, mental-health agencies and institutions. Students will acquire skills through a balance of study and applied field work. Work in the Worcester area will serve to integrate material from the sequence. Students receive an official transcript notation documenting the completion of this program.

EDUC155 Education and Social Policy
EDUC194 Field Experience I
EDUC195 Field Experience II
EDUC269 The Skilled Helper

School Psychology Program
This four-unit sequence provides intensive first-level training for students in the junior and senior years considering advanced graduate work in school psychology and related professional fields. Students are required to complete a two-semester placement for 10 hours a week under the supervision of a school counselor, social worker or psychologist. Students receive an official transcript notation documenting the completion of this program.

EDUC266 Analysis of Individual Ability and Style
EDUC268, Sec. 1 Psychoeducational "Practicum and Seminar" Semester I
EDUC268, Sec. 2 Psychoeducational "Practicum and Seminar" Semester II

About Education

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