Best education colleges?

firesoul17 · 10-21-2009, 07:25 PM

Pretty self-explanatory...if I want to be a teacher, what colleges/universities have strong education programs?

firesoul17 · 10-21-2009, 07:28 PM

I want to go into secondary education, probably in English or American history.

WilliamC · 10-22-2009, 02:06 PM

In secondary education you'll need to have a teaching license (usually) in the state where you intend to teach. For new teachers, the most straightforward way to accomplish this is through a university in their home state.

That said, you could start with these:

Rankings - Best Education Schools - Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report

Notice that these are actually graduate schools - in many cases you'll get your undergraduate (BA or BS) in the field you plan to teach, then get an MEd and qualify for your license. Often you can combine the two and get the BA+MEd in 5 years or so.

Finally, be aware that though there is an overall shortage of teachers, jobs in English and American History are not necessarily part of the problem. You should be prepared to teach at least two subjects. Ideally one of them will be a little unusual, for example Latin is in pretty high demand. Some areas need ESL teachers badly, with the students' primary languages varying widely.

There's a lot of information on teaching available online and of course your own teachers (and the HR people at your school district's headquarters) will be excellent sources as well.

Good Luck!

MichaelsMother · 10-30-2009, 08:32 AM

My daughter graduated from Boston University with a degree in Elementary Ed ('08). The program is very much geared towards 'real-world' experience. In some undergraduate education programs students have to wait until their junior year to get classroom experience, which is late in the game if you first find out at that point that you hate it. At BU, students are in real classrooms in their freshman year, getting a taste of what they're in for. This gives them a chance to change their mind before they get too far into the program. I don't know about the secondary education program, but EE was very small and she received an excellent education. She did her student teaching in Brookline, MA, one of the best public school systems in the country, and breezed through her teacher certification exam. I'm happy to say she is now employed as a 1st/2nd grade teacher and her degree from BU paved the way for her. Highly recommend BU if you can afford it.

lkf725 · 10-30-2009, 06:11 PM

MichaelsMother, my daughter is in the process of choosing a college for an education major (secondary math). Can you tell me some of the hallmarks of a good program? I like the idea of getting into the classroom as a freshman. Anything else? How does a student get to do student teaching in an excellent school district?

MichaelsMother · 11-03-2009, 04:44 PM

I would say that things to look for are: size of classes, rate of teacher certification upon graduation, and also keep in mind that she will be certified in the state that her college is in. Many states accept certified teachers from other states, but it turned out that my daughter's teaching certification from MA is not accepted in VT (right next door!), where she is currently working. Go figure. Now she has to take the VT exam. A school in or near a large city will give her the opportunity to try out different socio-economic environments so she can get a feel for what it is like to teach in a city school vs. suburban. I would definitely find out what kind of student teaching placements they have and how likely it is that she will get her first choice. Student teaching experience can have a huge impact both during college and after, when she is applying for jobs. I remember that there was a lot of pressure for her to get a stellar recommendation from the classroom teacher, which is often the determining factor for a new teacher trying to get a first job. Good luck!

lkf725 · 11-03-2009, 05:31 PM

Thanks! I got the impression from others that many first job offers came from the student teaching experience, so it would make sense to ask how likely it is to get the first choice of student teaching placement. It might also matter which public school systems are affiliated with the college?

MichaelsMother · 11-04-2009, 09:34 AM

I would imagine that most if not all colleges with a teacher certification program have strong relationships with the local public school systems. I know that BU sends student teachers into many different local and suburban schools. The downside of student teaching in a school district like Brookline, MA is that permanent teaching positions rarely open up, and when they do the school has so many qualified candidates that the competition can be fierce. I can only speak to the elementary school level - middle/high school may be different. My daughter did not expect to receive a job offer when she finished her student teaching, but she knew that the experience and letter of recommendation would help her get a job elsewhere, and it did.

baked_potato · 11-07-2009, 01:45 PM

I went to BU and know that the eduaction program is great (I had several friends graduate from that program in 2009 and they even have jobs in this market!). BUT... do you really want to spend roughly 50K to get an education degree and make less than what you spent for several years? Here's my opinion. Every state has at least 1 state school that is very strong in education and has connections to local schools. For example, in NJ TCNJ is a state school very well known for education. State schools cost about half of what BU does and are more likely to give scholarship money. Thus, if you have the money and want to go to private school, do that. But there is no reason to turn to a private school to get an education degree because state schools (aka the state government funding these schools and scholarships) put a lot of money into producing teachers for the state.

firesoul17 · 11-07-2009, 03:53 PM

Fortunately I have money for a private school. =) Unfortunately BU is way out of state for me. How important is it to go to school instate? I live in Illinois and other than U of I (where a LOT of people from my school go) and Northwestern, the pickings are a little slim...I would think certification is ten times easier if you stay instate.

MichaelsMother · 11-07-2009, 05:10 PM

I agree that 50K is a lot to spend for any degree and there are certainly more affordable options. Many state schools have graduate programs that lead to certification, but not that many have undergraduate programs that will get you a license to teach. As William mentioned above, you can get a degree in the subject you wish to teach and then go to grad school for a Masters in Education which is the route to teaching for many if not most teachers. My daughter did not want to wait until she had her Masters to find out if teaching was for her - she wanted to get into the classroom as soon as possible and find out, which was why she ultimately chose BU.

I would suggest speaking with your HS college counselor and/or someone at U of I and see what schools they can recommend that aren't as far away from home. Good luck!