Quick links for the Elementary Education Program
Welcome to the Elementary Education
Program
at Illinois State University
The Elementary
Education Program at Illinois State is accredited by the National
Council
for the Accreditation of Teacher Education,
and is a nationally recognized model of standards-based
and
performance-based
teacher education. Ours is the program
of choice within the state of Illinois for
those seeking careers in elementary
education, and student demand for the program
is high. Candidates are admitted on a selective
and competitive basis. The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) has nationally recognized Illinois State's Elementary Education program.
Mission:
Preparing undergraduate teacher candidates with
the professional knowledge, skills, and experiences needed
to become highly effective elementary classroom teachers
and informed decision-makers about elementary curriculum
and instruction.
Special Features of Our Program:
- Program objectives are the national standards
for elementary education designed by Association
of Childhood International (ACEI) International, making
our program
well aligned with current research and
the established needs of schools and new teachers.
- Middle School Endorsement requirements are
built into our program, so our candidates
earn middle level endorsement in addition to the elementary
certification.
- Diversity training is included in every course
in the program, so candidates
move well beyond awareness to learn how to actually apply
this critical knowledge
base.
- Technology skills are embedded directly into
our methods courses, so candidates
gain immediate practice using appropriate technology
in their teaching.
- Multiple clinical experiences throughout the
program prepare our candidates
to assume their professional responsibilities. Prior
to student teaching, elementary
education candidates will spend
more than 155 hours in clinical experiences in
K-8 classrooms as
a part of their program, including
teacher institutes and parent-teacher
conferences.
- Candidates have a choice of program paths.
Candidates may choose our traditional
on-campus program with its varied
clinical placement settings and its
one-semester student teaching in a multitude
of
Illinois school districts
as well as
in Texas, on a Lakota Sioux reservation
in South Dakota, and in Great Britain.
Alternatively, they
can opt to spend
their entire final year at one of
Illinois
State University’s
Professional Development schools
currently located in Wheeling, Elgin, Pekin,
and Chicago.
- A high degree of professional readiness and
satisfaction with our program
is reported
by our graduates. Performance on
state certification tests is
superior. Many principals and
school districts across the state
express a preference for our
program graduates, telling us they come into classrooms
well prepared to assume professional
responsibilities.
- Students in the Elementary Education program may seek Bilingual Education certification.
Advisement Main Phone Number: (309)
438-5873
Location: Cecilia J. Lauby Teacher Education Center in DeGarmo 56
Secretary:
Bobbi Jo
Schaefer
Advisors: Toni
Gorrell
Diane
Meister
Maureen
Smith
Program Coordinator:
Dr. Tony Lorsbach; (309) 438-3567
Scholarship Information
Please see
this webpage concerning C&I scholarships:
http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/ci/scholarships/
Unique Housing for
Education Majors
Check out the Curriculum and Instruction
Lifestyle housing at Illinois State. This
lifestyle is for students majoring or
minoring in Curriculum and Instruction. This
lifestyle provides the opportunity for
academic support, career exploration, and
integrated social experiences. For more
information, please see this webpage:
http://www.uhs.ilstu.edu/live/lifestyle_floors/ci.shtml
Realizing the Democratic Ideal
As with the other departments within the College of Education, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction promotes and follows "Realizing the Democratic Ideal", the conceptual framework for all teacher education programs at Illinois State University.
