Education

Faculty

Dona Bauman, Ph.D.
Arthur Chambers, M.Ed.
Jennifer Cutsforth, Ph.D.
Darryl DeMarzio, Ph.D.
Patricia A. Gross, Ed.D.
M. Sandra Lamanna, M.Ed.
Sehba Mahmood, Ph.D.
Tata J. Mbugua, Ph.D.
Maria Oreshkina, Ph.D.
Vanessa Silla, Ed.D.
Gloria T. Wenze, Ph.D.

Mission

The Education Department endeavors to contribute to the improvement of education by preparing informed, inquiring, and skilled professionals who, as scholars and decision-makers, are prepared for positions in the educational community. More specifically, the department aims to provide persons with a breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding in their specialized areas of professional practice and to provide training to ensure competence in the specific area of functioning. To this end, individual program competencies have been developed. Additionally, the department endeavors to offer opportunities for continued professional growth to practicing educators, to assist in the educational growth and development of the community served by the University, and to foster the advancement of knowledge through research in education.

Programs

The Education Department offers degrees in Early and Primary Education, Middle Level Education, and Secondary Education, each leading to state teacher certification. Secondary Education Concentrations include:

	Biology	General Science
	Chemistry	German
	Citizenship	Latin
	Communication	Mathematics
	English	Physics
	French	Spanish

Dual majors or the equivalent of a dual major are part of all secondary programs at the University.

Student Teaching

The Education Department ordinarily does not permit students to take courses concurrently with the student-teaching sequence. Students seeking deviations from this policy must complete a form requiring the approvals of the advisor, the appropriate program director, the department chairperson, and the dean. Student teaching requires application, which must be submitted to the appropriate advisor and approved by the program director, prior to registration for the student teaching semester. Completed Act 34 forms, Child Abuse History Clearance forms and FBI fingerprint clearances indicating “no record” are required previous to receiving a field assignment. Students must comply with field and student teaching application deadlines.

Accreditation

The Department’s programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). The University’s Professional Education Unit is also accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Accreditation and interstate agreements between Pennsylvania and selected states assure that courses taken will be considered for certification in most states. Praxis Series I & II tests are required for Pennsylvania Teacher Certification.

Clearances & TB Test Results

In order to enter Pennsylvania schools or be placed at any field experience site that would place students in direct contact with children, including any and all University of Scranton clinics or tutoring sessions, all students must have a valid Criminal History Clearance (Act 34), Child Abuse Clearance (Act 151), FBI Fingerprint Clearance (Act 114), and TB test results on file with the Education Department. Any citation on the Act 34, Act 151, or Act 114 will prevent students from participating in field experiences and student teaching, or admission into Teacher Education Programs. In no case will a student be provided with placement information previous to the instructor’s acknowledgment of current clearances or TB test results.

Semi-Annual Review of Student Dispositions

Education majors are evaluated regularly at a meeting of the Education Department faculty to assess each individual student’s continuing potential to become a teacher. This determination is based on professional behaviors as outlined in The Education Student Handbook (available from the Education Department Web site). Students whose professional behaviors are unsatisfactory are subject to departmental probation and may be recommended to the dean of the college for dismissal from the Education program. The department’s probation policy and other information are presented in the Education Student Handbook.

Service Learning

The Panuska College of Professional Studies embraces a service learning experience to better prepare its students for professional careers that are service oriented. Education majors are required to perform 10 hours of service per academic year. Service is aligned with designated courses throughout the program of studies and is related to the content of the courses. The service learning hours for senior education majors are performed as part of the students’ professional development during their senior student teaching experience. Secondary education majors perform 20 hours of service in their freshman year and have no service requirements for the sophomore year.

Exit Portfolio and Interview

Students are encouraged to maintain artifacts of their professional experiences as they progress through their teacher training. Upon completion of the student teaching experience, students are required to submit an exit portfolio that documents their professional experiences. This portfolio is presented at an exit interview with faculty members.

Academic Advising

Students will confer with their academic advisors in order to plan the sequence of courses that will be taken for each term. Entering freshmen will be given the new program requirements prior to orientation. All the courses mentioned below will be a part of the new programs.

Title II

Federal regulations in the Higher Education Act of 1998 require that departments of teacher education report their students’ performance on the Praxis Series examinations. An analysis of the results from the most recent academic year is available from the chair of the Education Department.

Course Information

Courses for Education are listed under the prefix EDUC. For more informaiton on these courses, visit our Education Department Courses page. For more information on all courses offered, visit our Course Descriptions page.

Click here for information on the Accelerated Master’s Degree and Combined Baccalaureate/Master’s Degree Programs .

For more information about the Education department, visit its website.