DEAN’S PERSPECTIVE >> NCEDean@nl.edu
ADVANCING THE INCREDIBLY SATISFYING JOB OF TEACHING Colleges of education are facing some of the same challenges as other higher education institutions. The National College of Education is no different. Robert D. Muller, Ed.D., dean of the NCE, addresses how NCE is working to overcome the obstacles facing educators in an age of uncertainty.
NLU VIEW: We’ve heard and read a lot about the challenges facing higher education today. How do these pressures play out in the National College of Education? RM: The work of preparing educators is closely tied to what is going on in our schools and the needs of students. Our primary challenge is attracting qualified candidates into the teaching profession, and then helping them get into schools and advance through their careers. It is a challenge, but there are also opportunities. Teaching is a tough job, but what we hear from our alumni is that it is also an incredibly satisfying one. If you really want to have a big impact on your community, become a teacher and advance in the education profession. There are lots of options and pathways. Our job is to help today’s and tomorrow’s educators ensure that all our kids have the ability to achieve the promise of a top-notch education. NLU VIEW: What is NCE’s vision? RM: Well, it isn’t going to happen overnight. But we are blessed with an amazing team of faculty, staff, students
and alumni to lead the charge. We believe that every child deserves a great teacher — and to accomplish that goal, we need to provide the leadership that creates high- performing education institutions. We say our work is to inspire, prepare, advance and lead. NLU VIEW: Can you talk about NCE’s teacher preparation model? RM: We’re expanding the lessons from our Adaptive Cycles of Teaching model across our undergraduate and master’s degree education curriculum. We’re shifting our curriculum over time to a practice-based approach to better emphasize not just what candidates know but also what they can do in the field. We’re expanding the clinical experiences our students pursue, reinforcing the roles of those who work as mentors and coaches as our candidates become new teachers. I’m proud to say close to 100% of our teacher preparation candidates have succeeded on the edTPA exam. That’s the goal: licensure and employment.
Inspire, Prepare, Advance and Lead
u Inspire individuals to commit to careers in education. u Prepare exemplary new teachers with a particular focus on high-needs schools and content. u Advance opportunities for educators — novice to master teachers, teacher leaders, principals, superintendents, school psychologists, counselors and others who make schools work — to achieve throughout their career. u Lead not only in the preparation of school and district leaders individually but in the creation of the systems and environments that foster educational excellence.
6
National Louis University VIEW | Spring 2018
Powered by FlippingBook