Mission

Central to the liberal arts tradition is its particular commitment to exploring the interconnected nature of knowledge and the resulting passion for learning that it generates and sustains. The intellectual skills of critical thinking, assimilation, integration, and creative problem solving are core competencies of a liberally educated person. They are also the hallmarks of effective teaching. To advance the liberal arts tradition as the best foundation for teacher preparation, Albion College has established the Fritz Shurmur Education Institute (EdI).

The mission of EdI is to equip students seeking teacher certification and professional preparation with a distinctive and relevant undergraduate education that combines the following qualities: (1) the depth of a major in a discipline; (2) the breadth and interdisciplinary focus of an innovative core curriculum rooted in the liberal arts tradition; (3) an array of practical skills as a classroom teacher; (4) a thorough understanding of and engagement with broad issues impacting education; and (5) the ethics of civic responsibility and affirming diversity. Teacher candidates will become superior teachers, firmly grounded in the content of their subject areas and well-versed in traditional and innovative teaching methodologies. Moreover, their commitment to learning and their understanding of the place of education in American culture will enable them to serve as effective change agents for educational reform, within the classroom and in the public policy arena.

The study of the most successful practices in the profession, the development and testing of innovative ideas and educational technologies, and the insights and principles learned in internships, research, and travel will collectively provide a competitive advantage to teacher education graduates in securing an initial teaching position and in sustaining a meaningful career in education. Moreover, the Ferguson Center for Technology-Aided Teaching, in collaboration with the Division of Information Technology, will familiarize teacher candidates with best practice in the integration of technology into teaching and learning.

First year students in the teacher certification program will be admitted competitively in order to attract the brightest students into the teaching profession. Strongly qualified students may also be admitted after the first year. EdI will offer speakers, co-curricular activities, mentorship opportunities, and a sense of place that will create a special community of learners dedicated to having a significant positive impact on the teaching profession. The emphasis in the liberal arts tradition on superior teaching, coupled with the magic that occurs in the interaction between Albion College faculty and students, provide teacher candidates with models for intellectually stimulating and individually responsive styles of teaching.

Nationally, intelligent young people seeking careers in education are choosing well-respected liberal arts colleges. Consequently, EdI will build upon Albion's strong education program to make the College a leader for teacher preparation in the context of the liberal arts. EdI will offer the unique opportunity to merge broad-based, logical, imaginative, and humane thinking with a major in a discipline and the study of teaching and learning in order to develop its students into outstanding educators.

Goals

1. Prepare talented teachers who will influence the learning and personal development of their students and make significant contributions to the teaching profession.
2. Pioneer innovative programs to enhance teaching and that foster intentional connections between the liberal arts tradition and pedagogy or educational methodology.
3. Address, through ongoing forums and the use of web-based technology, public policy issues (Internet Explorer 5 and higher) concerning and affecting K-12 education.
4. Enable students to explore and develop effective use of technology in the service of teaching and learning.
5. Provide outreach to schools in our community and region through in-service and summer programs, learning technologies, collaborative research studies, and service projects.
6. Provide and support opportunities for teacher candidates to participate in educational/behavioral research in collaboration with faculty, community schools/teachers and Albion College Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (FURSCA).
7. Incorporate a summer program to enable students to complete the requirements for a strong major in a discipline, the new core, sufficient Education courses, off-campus study if desired, and student teaching and still graduate in four years.
8. Increase enrollment from 150 to 200 dedicated students (50 students/class) by 2003.

Impact on Students

1. Teacher candidates will have a greater awareness of the teaching profession as an honored profession that has a strong tie to the liberal arts tradition of continuous learning.
2. Teacher candidates will develop the habit of reflecting on the purpose of schooling, the relationship between school and society, their role and commitment to educating students, and their own classroom practice. Students will become reflective scholars, democratic community builders, and learning-centered curriculum builders whose conduct and commitment to teaching exhibits authenticity and integrity.
3. Teacher candidates will have a strong sense of civic responsibility and will be leaders in educational reform initiatives at the local, state, and national level. Teacher candidates will be role models of outstanding classroom teachers and intentional agents of change.
4. Teacher candidates will acquire and wield substantive "habits of mind" in the use of educational technology, which will allow them to thoughtfully influence how technology is used in diverse school settings. Each student will complete digital presentation portfolios by the time they graduate, and apply for the Michigan Consortium for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching with Technology (MCOATT) for excellence in teaching with technology.
5. Teacher candidates will develop a research and scholarship agenda that will address issues of public policy in Education, as well as serve as a competitive advantage in their professional development and advancement.

Programs

1. Certification Program: Administer the interdisciplinary elementary, secondary, and K-12 certification programs for undergraduates in Teacher Education.  Albion College's teacher candidates have a 100% pass-rate on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.
2. Technology Studies: Enhance Ferguson Center in articulating the appropriate role for I.T. in improving teaching and learning. Develop research pilot projects that explore the effective use of information technology in teaching and learning. Establish an educational freeware site. Offer a Symposium or other structured study on the impact of computers on teaching and learning.
3. Partnering with graduate schools who have research grants that explore educational issues in order to expand research opportunities for teacher candidates.
4. Student Scholarship, Research, and Travel: Support student research agendas and send students to state educational meetings and conferences. Instill within teacher candidates the value of scholarship and professional development and inspire them to do research. A special focus for the research should be the distinctive elements of education in the Albion community.
5. Endowed Lectureship: Host an EdI week on campus in collaboration with the Elkin Isaac Symposium, bringing in one major public "keynote" speaker, who would also spend a few days on campus and provide seminars for faculty, visit classes, and have conversations with teacher candidates on public policy issues and on current research initiatives in K-12 teaching.
6. Alumni Outreach/Alumni Expert-in-Residence: Alumni teachers speak to students from a practical viewpoint, visit campus, give presentations, and interact with AC students on an informal basis. Create a newsletter or web site focused on EdI alumni.
7. Summer Programs: Offer superb program for summer camps for elementary and secondary students. Provide teacher candidates with appropriate housing to enable them to work with these camps.
8. Summer seminars and programs: Revive the training program for High School AP Class teachers and allow EdI students to be mentored by these master teachers.
9. Research skills seminar will be offered to teacher candidates and for current teachers in the Albion area and throughout Calhoun County.
10. Round Table Discussions: EdI will coordinate campus-wide resources, speakers, common reading experience texts, that are related to Education and sponsor round table discussions.

As requested by the Michigan Department of Education to release information on institutional reports for teacher tests, we are reporting that Albion College students who completed the Education program for certification during the academic year 1999-2000 had a 100% passing rate for the Basic Skills test and the Elementary Education test.  Because only a few students take other required subject area tests, Albion's pass rates for these tests are not included by the State in this reporting period.