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MISSION
It is the mission of the Department of
Education to prepare reflective
practitioners for effective schools with
an emphasis on leadership at the
classroom, school, district, and system
levels.
VISION
The Department of Education envisions
that candidates for licensing as initial
educators should be reflective
practitioners committed to student
learning and continuing professional
development in a dynamic world. Students
should bring to their positions an
informed view of the world, a solid
grounding in content for teaching, a
grasp of the principles and conditions
of establishing a positive learning
environment, a functional understanding
of the diverse backgrounds and learning
styles which children and youth
represent, an appreciation of the value
of parental involvement in student
learning, sensitivity to the need for
positive community relations, a
specialized expertise for their level
and area of preparation, and are
assessed under professional quality
standards for initial educators.
PURPOSE AND BELIEFS
Influenced by the concept of a
professional educator as a reflective
practitioner, the Department of
Education has as a central purpose the
preparation of teachers who have a solid
general education, who develop an
awareness and functional understanding
of the methods and content of inquiry in
recognized fields of the arts and
sciences, who acquire effective
professional knowledge and skills, who
receive professionally appropriate
experience for teaching children and
youth, who value a commitment to
service, and who are assessed against
professional standards.
In such a context, the
central purpose of the teacher education
program is based on four core beliefs:
- belief in the intellectual
personal uniqueness and value of
every human person;
- belief in the efficacy of
education as a force in promoting
the dignity, freedom, and
responsibility of each person, and
understanding of the basic unity and
equality of all human persons;
- belief in the liberating
dimension of education through
reflective action and critical
analysis; and
- belief in the potential of
Christian humanism as a dynamic
reality in nurturing qualities of
respect, care, genuineness, and
understanding
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