Education

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Education

Faculty

Darryl DeMarzio, Ph.D., Chair
Dona Bauman, Ph.D
Jennifer Cutsforth, Ph.D.
M. Sandra Lamanna, M.Ed.
Sehba Mahmood, Ph.D.
Tata J. Mbugua, Ph.D.
Maria Oreshkina, Ph.D.
Sandra Pesavento, M.Ed.
Vanessa Talarico, Ed.D.
Gloria T. Wenze, Ph.D.

Mission

The Education Department at the University of Scranton are faculty and staff who embrace Jesuit educational principles by preparing teachers, supervisors, and administrators who are reflective practitioners whose decisions are informed by subject matter knowledge, educational research and theory, and who are driven by the care and service for others.

Programs

The Education Department offers degrees in Early and Primary Education, Middle Level Education, and Secondary Education, each leading to state teacher certification. Programs in Middle Level Education contain concentrations in English/Language Arts and Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science.  Secondary Education Programs include:

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

Educational Studies Minor 

The Minor in Educational Studies is a six-course undergraduate program of study open to students of all majors.  The minor allows students to study education both as a liberal arts discipline-furthering student interests in the foundations of education, child and adolescent development, and the science and art of teaching; as well as a professional resource, suited especially for careers in corporate training, human resources development, child advocacy and policy, and university research and teaching. Required Courses for the Minor in Educational Studies (18 credits).  For more information about the Educational Studies Minor please visit the Educational Studies Minor  site.

Student Teaching Requirements

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 Field Placement Director and approved by the Teacher Education Committee, prior to registration for the student teaching semester.  Current PA Criminal Records, PA Child Abuse and ACT 24 Clearance forms, FBI fingerprint clearances indicating “no record,” and TB test results are required previous to receiving a field assignment.  Students must comply with field and student teaching application deadlines.  Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the student teaching site.

Accreditation

The Department’s programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).  Accreditation and interstate agreements between Pennsylvania and selected states assure that courses taken will be considered for certification in most states.  Tests required for Pennsylvania Teacher Certification are embedded in requirements for program completion.

Field Experiences/Student Teaching Requirements

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 PA Criminal Record Check (Act 34), PA Child Abuse Clearance (Act 151), Federal Criminal History Record Information (Act 114), TB test results and Arrest/Conviction Report and Certification Form (Act 24) 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.  Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the field experience site.

Teacher Candidacy

Students are accepted to the University as Education majors, but progress beyond 48 credits may occur only upon application for Teacher Candidate status.  Acceptance into Teacher Candidacy permits the student to engage in junior-level Education course work.  From the freshman year, students are strongly urged to become aware of teacher candidacy requirements.  Students are encouraged to take the Pre-Service Academic Performance assessment (PAPA) in their freshman year and to attend the teacher candidacy informational seminar, which is offered each semester.

Semi-Annual Review of Student Dispositions

The professional demeanor of education majors is evaluated each semester at a meeting of the Education Department faculty and professional staff. 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 40 hours of service in order to graduate.  In the Freshman year, service learning requirements are earned through the PCPS T.A.P.E.S.T.R.Y. Program.  Service is aligned with designated courses throughout the remainder program of studies and is related to the content of the courses (see the Education Student Handbook available on the Education Department website). 

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.  Education majors are required to successfully meet the exit portfolio and interview requirements in order to graduate.

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.  Following this narrative, all the courses mentioned are a part of the programs of study.

Title II

Federal regulations in the Higher Education Act of 1998 require that departments of teacher education report their students’ performance on the PAPA/PECT and Praxis Series examinations.

Course Information

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

For more information about an Accelerated Master’s Degree please visit the University of Scranton Graduate Studies Catalog.   

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

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