Education - Teacher Preparation
Get started on your Journey
The Education Department at Our Lady of the Lake University provides a variety of offerings for students who wish to pursue a career in teaching. All programs are designed to prepare graduates to meet the educational needs of a growing and diverse student population.
海角社区's Education Department is built on over 130 years of experience preparing undergraduate students to become classroom teachers. Students who pursue a graduate degree in education serve in related education roles such as reading specialists, school counselors and instructional leaders.
Teacher Preparation Programs
海角社区 offers three different teacher preparation programs with a variety of specializations.
Students wishing to earn an Early Childhood through Grade 6 Certification (EC-6) pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.
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Early Childhood through Grade 6 Certification specializations are available in:
Students wishing to teach in grades 7-12 must major in the subject area that they wish to teach. A minor is also required. Certifications are available in:
Students wishing to pursue an All-Level Certification (EC-12) pursue a bachelor's degree in their chosen subject area and minor in Education. Certifications are available in:
The Education Department offers two minors that are often paired with several other majors offered at 海角社区. These minors are most often paired with psychology, criminology and criminal justice, social work and communication sciences and disorders majors.
- - Courses in this minor focus on childhood growth and development, a survey of various exceptionalities, behavior management strategies and many more.
- - This minor provides a foundation for students wishing to add the basics of education and the teaching profession. Courses in this minor will bring awareness of high-need teaching areas and career options in education. Additionally, students will explore childhood growth and development and survey varying exceptionalities that students in their classrooms may present.
Scholarship Opportunity
海角社区's education program is one of only 26 programs in Texas selected to participate in the Raising Texas Teachers program for the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers. This scholarship program, funded by Raise Your Hand Texas, will provide scholarships annually to students who choose to pursue a degree in education. Visit the Charles Butt Scholarship page for information about the scholarship criteria and how to apply.
Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers
Hands-On Learning and Quality Clinical Experience in Classrooms
The educator preparation program at Our Lady of the Lake University (海角社区) embraces and practices a 鈥渃linically rich鈥� model for teacher preparation.
We believe our teacher candidates learn the most from their experiences in K-12 classrooms. We thoughtfully scaffold their participation in field placements, guaranteeing our candidates have diverse and meaningful experiences in various districts, schools, and grade-levels. We are mindful of our candidates鈥� certification areas, and we place them in classrooms where they will be introduced to a wide array of students, teaching styles, and school settings. Through designated courses, students engage in observation and supervised practice in elementary or secondary classrooms. This includes observing the teaching and learning processes, as well as working with students individually, in small groups, and in whole group settings. During the last year of our program, all candidates complete a yearlong clinical teaching residency experience.
Our teacher candidates are intentionally placed in diverse clinical experiences where they have the opportunity
- to observe,
- to engage in co-planning and co-teaching,
- to reflect on effective practice,
- to prepare and deliver responsive high-quality instruction, and
- to learn the professional responsibilities of the profession through high quality mentorship.
Clinical Teaching Residency Pathway
Along with field experiences, education majors undertake a yearlong clinical teaching or residency experience. Clinical teaching/residency is the final step in completing the educator preparation program at 海角社区. During all phases of clinical teaching, candidates progressively demonstrate their ability to effectively plan and teach developmentally and culturally appropriate lessons while following a co-teaching model. They also apply a variety of relevant evaluation methods and assessments with students in their classrooms.
All educator candidates benefit from a comprehensive support network, which includes field supervisors, mentor teachers, content faculty, cohort mates, and administrative support, with supervisors having a combined 75+ years of experience in K-12, bilingual education, special education, and English as a Second Language, spanning K-12 to higher education. This network supports candidates as they develop their personal and professional identity as teachers.
Detailed information on the Clinical Teaching Residency is available here .
Paid Clinical Teaching Opportunity
Through partnerships with local school districts, some 海角社区 teacher candidates will complete their clinical teaching in the form of a one-year paid clinical teaching residency.
EPP Performance and Program Accountability
Per , The Our Lady of the Lake University Educator Preparation Program is designed to foster the intellectual and professional development of future teachers. Through the guided application of content knowledge, effective pedagogical models, varied field experiences, hands on learning opportunities, and reflective practice, pre-service teacher candidates develop their instructional expertise and acquire professional skills. This program celebrates diversity as we emphasize the importance of applying culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate practices to our teaching. Our graduates are ethical and responsive practitioners; they are prepared to implement differentiated teaching and learning strategies in order to best meet the comprehensive needs of diverse student populations (including students with linguistic, cultural, and learning differences). Our graduates live the core values of 海角社区: Community, Trust, Integrity, and Service. The Educator Preparation Program at 海角社区 is currently accredited through the Texas Education Agency. Information about our accredited status