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The Professional Education Unit: The Ruth S. Ammon School of Education
The Ruth S. Ammon School of Education serves as the professional education unit for teachers and "other professional school personnel" at Adelphi University. The School's central importance to the University was chronicled in President Robert A. Scott's State of the University address, delivered at the faculty meeting held on September 6, 2006 (available as Exhibit G-2 and http://administration.adelphi.edu/president/090606.pdf). The unit's programs for preparing individuals to work in P-12 schools (both public and private) are listed in Table D. The program names, degree levels awarded, and program levels are listed, along with the number of candidates. In Spring 2006, 2847 teacher candidates enrolled in the School's programs: 2186 were enrolled in initial teacher programs, and 661 in advanced teacher programs. Based on the specialist professional associations (and not the registration with NYSED), the unit currently houses 12 initial teacher programs and four advanced programs for other professional school personnel. Programs leading to certification have all been approved by the New York Department of Education. Currently three initial programs, Special Education, Childhood Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language, and two advanced programs, Communications Speech Disorders and Educational Leadership and Technology, are taught at our off-site campus in Manhattan.
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Table D: Programs and Enrollments for School of Education--Spring 2006
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Art (K-12)
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BA
MA
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ITP
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66
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Early Childhood Education (B-2)
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MA
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ITP
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90
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Early Childhood Special Education
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MA
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ITP
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80
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STEP Childhood/ *Childhood (1-6)
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BA/BS
MA
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ITP
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700
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Health Education
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MA
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ITP
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86
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STEP English/ English Education (7-12)
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BA
MA
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ITP
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69
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STEP Mathematics/ Math Education (7-12)
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BS
MA
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ITP
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62
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Physical Education
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BS
MA
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ITP
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428
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STEP Science/ Science Education (7-12)
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BS
MA
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ITP
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54
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STEP Social Studies
Social Studies Education (7-12)
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BA
MA
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ITP
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76
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*Special Education (1-6)
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MA
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ITP
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331
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TESOL (K-12)
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ITP
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144
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Literacy
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MA
Ad Cer
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ADV
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334
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School Psychologist
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MA
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ADV
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68
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*Leadership and Technology
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MA
Ad Cer
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ADV
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64
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*Communication Sciences and Disorders
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MS
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ADV
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195
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(1) BA/BS = Bachelor of Arts/Science, MA = Master of Arts, Ad.Cer = Advance Certificate
(2) ITP = Initial Teacher Program, ADV Advance Program for other professional school personnel
* Program currently offered at the off-campus center in Manhattan
The mission of the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education is to prepare candidates majoring in education and allied fields to take teaching, leadership and counseling roles in schools, hospitals, clinics, and other educational and therapeutic settings. Based on the belief that the educational personnel of the 21st century will have to adapt to rapid social, cultural, demographic, and technological changes, our programs mesh a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences to professional preparations that link theory with practice in meaningful ways. To actualize this mission, the unit affirms that:
- All teacher candidates pursuing initial certification programs will have pursued a core of general education courses and a liberal arts major in their undergraduate studies.
- All teacher candidates are prepared with a strong knowledge base of holistic child/adolescent development and instructional and assessment strategies linked to "best practice".
- All teacher candidates are prepared to effectively promote learning through a socially mediated/reflective process that supports the candidate's construction of knowledge.
- All teacher candidates participate in field-based learning in diverse settings to enhance and complement their academic knowledge.
- All teacher candidates are assessed with respect to student learning as a dynamic and on-going process that is used to inform the effectiveness of the "unit" and to strengthen and renew the program(s) it sponsors.
- All teachers pursuing in-service programs have the opportunity to extend their initial professional expertise or develop new expertise in related fields through scholarship, reflective practice, a shared wisdom of how students learn and think, and demonstrable skills and abilities.
A significant series of changes have occurred within the School of Education over the past several years. Below is a listing of major developments since 2003 that will help guide the reader about the report's content as well as to provide some of the context for the efforts to strengthen the School's programs, the connections to the community, and the students' learning.
- A new Dean was hired for the School of Education in 2005.
- A new Associate Dean was hired for the School in 2005.
- The number of tenure track faculty lines for the School grew from 39 in 2003 to 65 in 2006—an increase of 60% in three years.
- With the change to a five-year undergraduate/graduate model (known as Scholar Teacher Education Program, STEP), the enrollments in the undergraduate program doubled necessitating the creation of a STEP office and full-time administrator in 2003 to oversee the program.
- The STEP advisory committee, composed of faculty from all contributing programs, and the STEP steering committee, comprised of unit administrators and representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences, were created in 2004.
- The creation of the unit-wide Leadership Team in 2005-2006, including representatives from all programs/sites and the College of Arts and Sciences, to facilitate communication and policy development.
- A new director for the Office of School and Community Partnerships (OSCP) was hired in 2005 and an assistant director in 2006, enhancing the opportunity for collaborations with schools, districts, and other educational organizations.
- The number of Adelphi Model schools/districts increased to 12 in 2006, the majority of which are serving diverse and/or high-need students, involving teacher candidates in year-long field placements.
- In March 2006, the University received an $8.5 million gift, the largest in Adelphi's history, resulting in the renaming of the School: the Adelphi University Ruth S. Ammon School of Education. The gift was designated by the University to support the upgrading of facilities, student scholarships, and an endowed chair in Childhood Education (in 2007).
The proposal and current review by faculty of the Institute for Teaching, Collaboration, and Policy in Fall 2006, a central coordinating unit that directly would link all academic programs (including STEP), the Office of School and Community Partnerships (see below), other clinical/field offices and may enhance communication with faculty in Arts and Sciences, adjunct faculty, cooperating teachers and school personnel.
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