School of Education
Dean: Professor Bullock
Associate Dean: Associate Professor Delpish
Chair, Department of Education: Lecturer Winter
Associate Professors: Barnatt, Byrd, Carpenter, Enfield, Knight-McKenna, Rattigan-Rohr, Tomasek
Assistant Professors: Dyce, Hollingsworth, Justice, Morrison, Wery
Lecturers: Hone, Wade
The School of Education at Elon University is committed to the well-being of self and others in mind, body, and spirit. Our mission is to prepare educators who embody the best of what Elon stands for. They approach life and work with optimism, integrity, knowledge, passion, skill, and respect for the diversity of humanity. They are proactive leaders, proficient instructors, advocates for social justice, and ethical decision makers.
The School of Education has both licensure and non-licensure majors, as well as minors. Our minors include: Early Childhood, Teaching and Learning, Coaching, and Wellness and Health Education (see Department of Health and Human Performance). Students interested in pursuing a licensure or non-licensure major in Physical Education and Health, see Department of Health and Human Performance.
Elon’s teacher licensure education program prepares teachers for careers in early childhood, elementary, middle and high school grades. The program emphasizes practical hands-on experience in classrooms as well as educational theory and pedagogy. Field experiences in public school classrooms begin the first year and culminate with a full semester of teaching in the teacher candidate’s licensure area.
Elon offers programs leading to N.C. licensure in early childhood education, elementary education, middle grades education, special education (general curriculum), special subject areas for grades K-12 (physical education and health, Spanish education and music education) and in four areas at the secondary level.
Before being admitted into the teacher education program, the student must apply to the program and be recommended by the appropriate major department. The basic testing requirement for admission to teacher education is the PRAXIS I Core Academic Skills for Educators. PRAXIS CORE is a series of tests in reading, writing, and mathematics with minimum scores as established by the N.C. State Board of Education. Students must also complete Title IX training when being placed in any internship setting.
SAT or ACT scores may be substituted for the PRAXIS I tests as follows:
- Students who score at least 1100 on the SAT (combined verbal and mathematics) or an ACT composite score of 24 are exempt from taking the PRAXIS I examinations.
- If the SAT total is less than 1100 (or less than 24 ACT composite), PRAXIS I exams are required as follows:
- Students who score at least 550 on the math SAT (24 on math ACT) are exempt from the math PRAXIS I. If the math score is less than 550 SAT (24 ACT), students must take the math PRAXIS I exam.
- Students who score at least 550 on the verbal SAT (24 on English ACT) are exempt from both the reading and writing PRAXIS I examinations. If the verbal score is less than 550 SAT (24 ACT), students must take both the reading and writing PRAXIS I examinations.
In addition, all students must demonstrate grammar competency and earn a grade of C- or better in ENG 110 and a grade of C or better in either EDU 211 or SOC 243. In Elementary and Special Education programs, students must have earned a grade of C or better (or appropriate transfer credit) in both MTH 208 and MTH 209 to be eligible to student teach. A student must earn a grade of C or better in PSY 321 before enrollment in a methods class in any of the teacher education programs. Students must earn a grade of C in EDU 241, Grammar for Educators or ENG 205, Grammar, if taken to meet an admissions requirement to the teacher education program. A student must earn a grade of C or better in all Education courses in order to be eligible to student teach.
In all cases, approval for admission to the program is subject to the discretion of the Teacher Education Committee, which bases its decision not only on the above factors, but also on satisfactory command of standard English usage (written and oral) and acceptable dispositions. Students whose dispositions are not acceptable will be interviewed by the department chair and/or a committee of education faculty. Depending on the severity of the problem, a student may be denied admission to the program or admitted with probationary status. In some cases probationary status will require a contract. Students who do not demonstrate acceptable dispositions after admission to the program may be removed by the Teacher Education Committee. All students following their admission to the program are required to attend the Teacher Candidate Induction Ceremony.
Application forms for the teacher education program are available in the office of the School of Education and must be filed immediately prior to beginning their Professional Education coursework. A student must be unconditionally admitted to the program before being permitted to take education methods courses (EDU 310, EDU 311, EDU 312, EDU 410, EDU 411, EDU 412, EDU 421, EDU 422, EDU 424, EDU 425, EDU 428, EDU 441, EDU 442, MUS 461, PEH 425, and EDU 481). Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Director of Teacher of Education and/or Chair of the Department of Education.
To be recommended for teacher licensure, a teacher candidate must meet all academic requirements and have a minimum GPA of 2.7. A teacher candidate must also meet the North Carolina minimum score on the Specialty Area Test (minimum scores for these tests vary with content area) and have a recommendation from the school system in which student teaching was completed.
All students who are education majors or who already hold a bachelor’s degree and are seeking only licensure are subject to the decisions and regulations of the N.C. State Board of Education. These decisions and regulations are binding on the student on the date and time specified by the board. Admission to the Teacher Education program and student teaching does not guarantee recommendation for licensure.
At Elon, the teacher education programs are fully approved by the N.C. State Board of Education. While a student ordinarily may graduate and be licensed under the catalog requirements in effect at the time the student is admitted to the teacher education program, the board may mandate changes in standards of approved teacher education programs. This may include changes in admissions requirements and/or it may require that students modify or add to their original degree programs to be eligible for licensure upon completion of graduation requirements. Students should consult their advisor about current program requirements.