COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Dept of Counseling  |  Dept of Educational Leadership  |  Dept of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education
Dept of Reading and Elementary Education  |  Dept of Special Education and Child Development
Support Offices and Resources

The mission of the College of Education at UNC Charlotte is to prepare excellent professionals who are knowledgeable, effective, reflective, collaborative, and responsive practitioners who are leaders in their fields. This mission is accomplished by working in partnership with schools, communities, and university colleagues and in response to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s commitment to children, families, and schools.

PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES AND VALUES

The College of Education has these undergraduate program responsibilities:

 To develop, deliver, and evaluate high quality undergraduate programs that prepare teachers and other professional personnel for schools and related agencies.
 To operate programs that meet the standards of external governing, licensing, and accrediting agencies.
 To address the culturally diverse educational needs of its particular region.
 To initiate and support activities that enrich the global perspectives of its faculty and students.
 To respond effectively to the problems and needs of children, their families, and professionals in schools and related agencies.

The College of Education holds these program values:

 We are a community of scholars who are committed individually and collectively to creating learning opportunities and environments where we enhance the capacity of our students to have a positive impact on children, youth, communities, families and schools. We are committed to meeting the developmental and educational needs of our students and to maximize the growth, development, and learning of each individual.

 In our programs of study, we are committed to high quality programs that are standards-based, to the ongoing assessment of candidates and programs for the purpose of continuous improvement, to collaboration and outreach, and to the highest standards of professional practice and scholarship. We are committed to international understanding and involvement.

 In fulfilling our professional roles, we are committed to the generation, dissemination, and application of knowledge. We, therefore, expect that faculty will be teacher-scholars and that they will maintain a balanced commitment to teaching, research, and service. We have a strong commitment to academic excellence and exceptional quality in all that we do.

 In our dealings with each other, our students, and our professional colleagues in schools and communities, we are committed to valuing diversity and to speaking out against oppression. We are committed to thoughtfulness, reflection, flexibility, and the exploration of new ideas. We are committed to openness, honesty, forthrightness, and the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior. We strive to be collegial, collaborative, human, and respectful of others, even when we are not in total agreement with their views or with their work, and we are committed to being sensitive to and supportive of others, including students, staff, faculty, and our professional colleagues in the community.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Rising to the Challenge: Preparing Excellent Professionals
Excellent professionals possess a comprehensive knowledge base that is comprised of conceptual knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and reflective knowledge. Conceptual knowledge relates to the individual’s broad knowledge base as well as a more specialized knowledge base in the content field and knowledge of how human beings learn and develop. Pedagogical knowledge entails the understanding of methods of effective teaching: knowledge of how to teach subject matter and knowledge of how to teach the subject matter to specific learners, attention to individual differences, and how to create environments that support learning. Reflective knowledge enables cogent evaluation of teaching practice, including self-appraisal. Excellent professionals understand how to blend these types of knowledge in actuating teaching and learning in positive ways. Excellent professionals make connections between the knowledge base and the uses of this knowledge. Four particular uses of knowledge are emphasized within professional education programs at UNC Charlotte.

1.) To provide effective instruction in order to have a positive impact on P-12 student learning

2.) To respond to the needs of P-12 learners and to provide developmentally appropriate, age appropriate, individually appropriate, and culturally responsive instruction

3.) To collaborate with families, communities, and colleagues to benefit children, youth, and young adults

4.) To provide effective leadership for the improvement of professional practices at a variety of levels for the benefit of children, youth, and young adults.

The UNC Charlotte community charged with the preparation of teachers, including the College of Education, the College of Arts + Architecture, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and their respective departments, contribute to the knowledge base through course instruction and other worthy experiences. In summary, UNC Charlotte develops excellent professionals who are knowledgeable, effective, reflective, responsive to equity and diversity, collaborative, and who are leaders in their profession.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

The College of Education offers the following majors:

• Child and Family Development: (Birth-Kindergarten)
• Elementary Education (grades K-6)
• Middle Grades Education (grades 6-9)
• Special Education: General Curriculum (grades K-12)
• Special Education: Adapted Curriculum (grades K-12)

In collaboration with appropriate departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, it offers the Minor in Secondary Education that can lead to licensure to teach in the following areas of Secondary Education (grades 9-12):

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Comprehensive Science
• Comprehensive Social Studies
• Earth Science
• English
• History
• Mathematics
• Physics

In collaboration with appropriate departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Arts + Architecture, it offers professional education coursework that can lead to licensure to teach in the following areas of K-12 Education:

• Art
• Dance
• Music
• Theatre
• French
• German
• Spanish

All professional education programs in the College of Education are approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), and they have continuing accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

TEACHER EDUCATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Admission to a Teacher Education Program. Students should apply for admission to a specific teacher education program during their sophomore year, and they must complete the admissions process in order to enroll in any professional education courses at the 3000 level or higher.

Minimum requirements for admission to all teacher education programs at UNC Charlotte include:

1.) An overall GPA of at least 2.5 in a minimum of 45 semester hours in University courses
2.) A grade of C or higher in both EDUC 2100 and SPED 2100 (or approved program-specific requirements such as MDSK 2100 for the Minor in Secondary Education)
3.) Passing scores on the Praxis I: Academic Skills Assessments in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics; or an acceptable substitute score on the SAT or ACT
4.) Approval of the Chair (or his or her designee) of the Department that offers the program

Some teacher education programs have additional requirements for admission (e.g., references, an interview, additional tests, discipline-specific coursework). Information about these additional requirements and about procedures for applying for admission to a teacher education program can be obtained in the Office of Teacher Education Advising and Licensure (TEAL) in the College of Education. Students in Art, Music, Dance, or Theatre especially should check for specific admission requirements in their major department.

Retention in a Teacher Education Program. There are two minimum requirements for retention in a teacher education program:

1.) A grade of C or higher (a) in all professional education courses and (b) in all courses in the student's area of teaching specialization
2.) GPA of 2.5 or higher (a) overall, (b) in all professional education courses, and (c) in the student's area of teaching specialization

Some teacher education programs have additional or higher requirements for retention. Information about these additional requirements can be obtained in the program’s home department. Note: Requirements for admission to student teaching are higher than requirements for retention in the program.

Admission to Year-Long Internship and Student Teaching. Most teacher education programs incorporate student teaching in a year-long internship that spans a student's senior year. The year-long internship consists of one semester of intensive clinical work in the classroom while completing coursework on campus. This clinical semester is followed by a full semester of student teaching, usually completed in the same classroom.

Students must apply and be formally admitted to a year-long internship two semesters prior to the start of student teaching, which is usually in the second semester of the junior year. In addition, during the first semester of their year-long internship, students are screened for eligibility for student teaching. The minimum requirements for admission to student teaching are higher than the requirements for retention, as shown below:

1.) Senior status
2.) Completion of all other course work in a student's program of study
3.) An overall GPA of 2.50 or higher in the student’s total program of study
4.) Grades of C or higher in all professional education courses and a GPA of 2.75 or higher in those courses
5.) Grades of C or higher in all courses in the student's area of teaching specialization and a GPA of 2.75 or higher in those courses
6.) Prior admission to a teacher education program
7.) A recommendation from the student's faculty advisor(s) certifying readiness to student teach

Some teacher education programs have additional requirements for admission to the year-long internship and student teaching. Information about those requirements can be obtained from the program’s home department. Information about procedures and deadlines for applying for year-long internships and student teaching in all programs can be obtained in the Office of Field Experiences in COED 139 or on the web at http://education.uncc.edu/ofe. 

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