Masters Program Prepares New Teachers
Recent education graduates now have a new opportunity to earn a Master’s in Education in Curriculum and Instruction in just one more year — one that focuses on research, education, and the shifting educational landscape.
The program launched this fall with nine members of the Keene State College class of 2014, who are exploring their own interests and the needs of schools with veteran educators Dr. Darrell Hucks and Dr. Dottie Bauer, both of whom also teach undergraduates at Keene State. This first cohort includes recent Keene State alumni who are already certified in elementary, secondary, and early childhood education.
“What motivates me,” says Dr. Hucks, “is thinking about the climate new teachers enter into.” The New Teacher as Leaders program gives students new tools and experiences to hit the ground running. Students explore key issues in the field, and then use their expanded knowledge to conduct research in a local school, following multiple research threads, according to individual students’ interests.
They then put that research into practice, contributing to school-based projects focused on assessment, diagnosis, and evaluation of reading, writing, and mathematics, and the integration and application of these core academic skills across the curriculum.
Asked what drew them to the program, current students talk about the advantage to entering a graduate program right after college, while they’re “still in school mode;” the fact that the program allows for a full-time job while enrolled; the emphasis on leadership; and the research component. Less-expected benefits to these students have included an increased awareness of how many options there are within education and a growing network of educators in the field, as they interact with each other, with teachers and administrators who help with their research, and Keene State faculty members.
The program begins in early July with summer course work and ends with the end of the public school year in June. Current undergraduate students in education who are interested in learning more can find details at the Teacher as Leader site.
