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NEWS RELEASE
Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
11/16/2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES- More demands are being placed on classroom teachers and the university programs which prepare them for careers in education. Over the past three years Northwestern State University's College of Education has restructured curriculums and courses to meet the changing demands on the Louisiana teacher. A redesign of the undergraduate programs has been completed while work on redesigning graduate level programs is continuing.
According to Director of University Recruiting Jana Lucky, the College of Education has positioned itself as the leader in teacher preparation and continued professional development in north and central Louisiana.
"The success of the College is reflected in the quality of graduates who enter the workforce and those teachers in our region who return to gain an advanced degree, certification, or endorsement," said Lucky.
As faculty in the College of Education continue their focus
on quality teaching, instruction, and other scholarly activity,
the College is prepared to grow. College of Education faculty
made significant gains as compared to other institutions in Louisiana
in the delivery and number of online courses offered for graduate
degree or non-degree credit.
"Those certified teachers seeking college credit in order
to obtain highly qualified status, improve professional skills,
gain an add-on certification or endorsement, or earn their master
or specialist degree have a multitude of online course offerings
from which they may select at NSU," explains Dr. Vickie Gentry,
acting dean of the College of Education. "We accept students
each semester into our programs with classes beginning for the
spring 2005 semester on January 10, 2005."
Northwestern has three graduate degree programs in education offered exclusively online the Master of Arts in Adult Education, the Master of Education with a concentration in Educational Technology, and the Specialist of Education with a concentration in Educational Technology. Additionally, other degree programs have a significant amount of the coursework delivered online including special education, gifted/talented, educational leadership, and early childhood education.
While the College of Education is committed to the delivery of online courses, Gentry said NSU has maintained traditional delivery of courses in key service areas.
"We offer traditional course rotation of the Educational Leadership and School Counseling programs through NSU's CENLA, Natchitoches and Leesville/Fort Polk campuses," said Gentry.
Northwestern will receive approximately $450,000 over the next five years under a Transition to Teaching Grant, which is an extension of the New Teacher Project Act. NSU has already been successful in recruiting and training teachers in critical needs areas such as math and science through their alternative certification program. The problem the university will focus on is retaining those teachers placed in schools where support, motivation and leadership may be lacking.
Gentry plans to increase retention by making a mentor available to counsel new teachers. The individual will stay in contact with each new teacher, an experienced teacher who works with the new teacher, and principal, and provide a means to discuss challenges the new teacher faces in the classroom.
The Transition to Teaching grant is designed to help increases the number of certified teachers in Louisiana by recruiting mid-career professionals and recent college graduates to become teachers. The recruits are trained through an alternative certification program to be placed in high-needs schools.
The College of Education plans to introduce a new Master of Education degree program with a focus in curriculum and instruction during the 2005-2006 academic year. Those teachers interested in continuing their education through the College of Education at Northwestern may request information by calling (318) 357-6000 or via e-mail at enrollment@nsula.edu. Applications are being accepted now for the 2005 spring semester.