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(Refer to the Hofstra University Graduate Studies Bulletin for information about graduate programs and courses offered by the School of Education.)

Office: Second Floor, Hagedorn Hall
Telephone: 516-463-5740
Bernard J. Firestone, Dean
Karin J. Spencer, Senior Associate Dean
John Lewis, Associate Dean for External Relations, Field Placement, and Recruitment
Anthony Robinson, Associate Dean for Special Programs
Stacy Zalewski, Associate Dean for Certification and Educational Support Services
Stephen Hernandez, Associate Dean for Grants and Teacher Performance Assessment
Erica Applebaum, Assistant Director of Graduate School of Education Recruitment

Liudmila Patokina, Director of Program Support
Joanne Flood, Assistant Director of Field Placement
Betsy Salemson, Director of Professional Development Services

Hofstra University prides itself in having an “all-University approach” to teacher education. Since 1935 our history has been one of a four-year liberal arts college that early on expanded to serve the needs of such future professionals as engineers, business people and professional educators. Unlike many other institutions that began as teacher training colleges and later added a liberal arts component, Hofstra University enjoys a duality between liberal and professional studies, but is based on a University mission which places a liberal arts education of undergraduates in overriding priority.

Mission of the School of Education

The faculty of the Hofstra University School of Education are dedicated to the preparation of reflective and knowledgeable professionals who use scholarship to inform their practice. Collectively, we strive toward a more just, open and democratic society as we collaborate with and learn from children, adolescents, and adults in diverse social and cultural settings.

We encourage and support the scholarship and practice of our colleagues and students in their professional lives; our endeavors include research that contributes to the knowledge base for educators. Thus, it is our intent to establish the School of Education as a place which nurtures communication, collaboration, and leadership both at Hofstra and in community settings.

For the undergraduate component of the initial program, then, the goals of the School of Education include:

1. The cooperative education of students well-rounded both professionally and in the liberal arts and sciences;
2. The first professional training of entry-level professionals who will serve in the public and independent schools of the region and nation;
3. The development of analytic skills and sound judgments applied to content and also to professional issues; the ability to make warranted and thoughtful decisions about curriculum issues and student-related issues as well as issues relating to the conduct of the schools and the profession;
4. To set the groundwork for continued learning by the new professional, whether that learning is through job-related experiences or graduate study applicable toward professional certification.

About the School

The School is composed of the following departments and their undergraduate programs or courses:

Specialized Programs in Education  
    Health Education (HED)
    Literacy Studies (LYST)
    Physical Education (PESP)
    Reading (READ)
    Special Education (SPED)
Teaching, Learning and Technology  
    Early Childhood Education (ELED)
    Educational Studies (EDST)
    Elementary Education (ELED)
    Secondary Education (SED)
                Dance Education (SED)
                English Education (SED)
                Fine Arts Education (SED)
                Foreign Languages Education (SED)
                Mathematics Education (SED)
                Music Education (SED)
                Science Education (SED)
                Social Studies Education (SED)

Accreditation and Certification

The teacher education and educational leadership programs of the School of Education are accredited under the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) Quality Principles through the CAEP Accreditation System, for a period of seven years, from October 28, 2014 to October 28, 2021. These programs will seek accreditation under the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Standards in 2021.  Formed in 2013, CAEP is the single specialized accreditor for education preparation, and administers TEAC accreditation.

Hofstra University’s School of Education programs are registered with the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Studies offered at the bachelor’s, master’s, advanced certificate, and doctoral levels are provided in the following school-based areas: early childhood (Birth-Grade 2); elementary education (Grades 1-6); secondary education (Grades 7-12); special subjects: business, dance, fine arts, family and consumer science, music, health, and physical education (all grades); and special education, gifted, TESOL, bilingual, literacy, speech and language disabilities, and coordinator of work-based learning extension. Non-classroom areas include pupil personnel services and educational administration.

Upon the successful completion of a Hofstra state-approved teacher education program, students are eligible for the University’s recommendation for New York state certification. A request for recommendation must be submitted to the Office of Educational Support Services the semester in which the student is graduating. There will be opportunities to attend a certification workshop during the student’s final semester, to receive all the necessary information regarding applying for certification. Individuals who apply directly to New York state for certification are responsible for learning about and satisfying the certification requirements set by the state. It should be noted that such requirements may differ from those in Hofstra’s registered programs.

All prospective early childhood (Birth-Grade 2), childhood (Grades 1-6), adolescent (Grades 7-12) and special subject, students with disabilities, gifted, TESOL, bilingual, literacy, speech and language disabilities teachers, as well as school leadership candidates, are required to pass the New York State Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) administered by National Evaluation Systems, Inc., including the Educating All Students Test (EAS), Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST), Content Specialty Test(s) (CST) and the edTPA. Prospective School Leaders will be required to take the appropriate leadership exams. For more information regarding state testing, please contact the Office of Educational Support Services at 516-463-5747 or visit www.nystce.nesinc.com. For state certification requirements, students should consult with the Office of Educational Support Services.

In addition to fulfilling the required courses of study, the Commissioner’s Regulations mandate that all prospective teachers, pupil personnel and education leaders receive instructions regarding:

1. Identification of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
2. Fire and Arson Prevention
3. School Violence Prevention and Intervention
4. Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug Abuse
5. Highway and School Safety/Prevention of Child Abduction
6. Training in Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination Prevention and Intervention required under the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)

New York state legislation also requires all persons seeking certification in special education, speech and language disabilities or school administrators working in special education, to have training in the area of children with autism.

Hofstra University offers the above listed educational law seminars through the Office of Educational Support Services. All of these seminars must be completed before the conferral of the degree and recommendation for certification.

Forms for applying for certification can be found at the Office of Educational Support Services Web page under the certification tab.

Fingerprinting
Chapter 180 of the Laws of 2000, the Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE), requires that applicants for teaching and administrative and pupil services personnel certification and perspective employees of covered schools (school districts, charter schools and BOCES) must undergo fingerprint supported criminal history background check. However, many school districts and institutions across the metropolitan New York area are now requiring that all student teachers, observers, interns or externs receive fingerprint clearance before they are placed in educational settings that are required for this degree program. Therefore, we recommend that you apply for fingerprint clearance upon acceptance to the program. Fingerprint clearance is also required for New York state certification. For information on how to register to be fingerprinted, visit http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/colleges/soeahs/CESS/cess_requirements_fingerprints.html.

Hofstra University has maintained the following passing rates on these examinations for 2014-2015: 

^{*Numbers based on undergraduate and graduate program completers, 2014-15.
**Please note that tests for which there were fewer than 10 test takers in a particular group or for a particular assessment have been omitted for confidentiality purposes.}   

New York state has interstate contracts with 42 other states and jurisdictions. Persons prepared in one of the contract states and who meet the contract requirements of the interstate agreement, are eligible for an initial certificate upon application with each individual state. States not participating in the above reciprocity system will accept certificate applications and evaluate them on an individual basis. For additional information on interstate reciprocity, students should visit the Office of Educational Support Services. Information can be found on the Office of Educational Support Services webpage under “certification.” Students may obtain detailed and current information about certification requirements in various educational majors from the School’s Office of Educational Support Services.

Policy on Ethical and Professional Performance

Students are expected to behave in an ethical and professional manner according to the guidelines for student conduct and academic honesty at Hofstra University and to the professional standards identified in their respective programs in the School of Education. Satisfactory interpersonal behavior and professional performance in classes and meetings, student teaching, internships, and practica are expected. If a report is received concerning an ethics violation, or an incident of inappropriate behavior as defined by the Student Judicial Code, established University procedures will be followed to investigate the issue and determine the course of action.

It is our policy that if a student is dismissed from two schools/placements before and/or during the student teaching semester, that student will be considered for dismissal from the teacher education program and may be counseled out of the program. Certification requirements will not be met and the student will not be recommended for certification by Hofstra University.

Programs

A program is a coherent sequence of course work and fieldwork designed to develop the professional competence of degree candidates. Programs offered by the School of Education are classified as either initial or professional. The initial programs are for students seeking their first teaching certification whether at the undergraduate or the graduate level. Professional programs are designed for individuals already certified (provisional or initial) to teach and those experienced as teachers (e.g., in private schools) and who wish to pursue advanced studies in a specialized field of education. Consult the Hofstra University Graduate Studies Bulletin and individual departments for advisement and specific program information.

The School of Education also offers co-major programs to undergraduate students interested in education as an additional field of study and inquiry. Students should consult individual departments for advisement.

To locate information about preparation programs for teaching and other educational roles, consult the chart for Undergraduate Initial Teacher Preparation Programs (below). Use the chart to identify the schools and departments offering the program of interest.

Click here for a list of all School of Education undergraduate majors and minors.  

Undergraduate Initial Teacher Preparation Programs

Degree candidates are admitted after application to specific programs within the School of Education. Undergraduate degree candidates typically successfully complete a prescribed distribution of liberal arts and sciences course work, designated by each program before admission to the program. Enrollment is open to students showing dispositions that indicate potential as teachers of children and youth. Judgments concerning these dispositions are accumulated in reports, on field-based experiences from several of the students’ instructors, including faculty in liberal arts and education and cooperating teachers in the schools. Prospective teachers should obtain applications from the proper department in the School of Education even though initial enrollment may be in the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences , The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication  or the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science .

Enrollment

Prospective teachers in the following fields enroll as majors in the School of Education: dance education, fine arts education, music education, physical education, and dual degree (BS/MS) physical education and health education. Preparation for teaching in early childhood and elementary schools requires students to select from these majors that lead to a BA degree program from Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences , Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science , or The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication , as well as a co-major in the School of Education for completion of the professional education courses leading to certification. Students preparing to teach in secondary schools enroll in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as a major in a teaching content and co-major in secondary education. The chart is a guideline of teaching fields and their respective departments.

A student preparing to teach early childhood, elementary, or secondary education should, by the beginning of the sophomore year, select a co-major in the appropriate college. With an adviser from the chosen department, the student should develop an approved plan of study which satisfies the requirements of that department as well as the School of Education program. Students preparing to teach art, dance or music should enroll in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology  during the first year. Students preparing to teach physical education or health education should enroll in the Department of Specialized Programs in Education  during the first year.

Frequently it is necessary for students to take more than the minimum 124 semester hours for graduation in order to meet the subject requirements of their academic department in the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences , Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science , or The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication , and the teacher education requirements of the School of Education.

Undergraduate students should plan with their liberal arts adviser to take the majority of their distribution and liberal arts co-major courses before the junior year. During the upper junior year and the lower senior year, early childhood and elementary education majors will respectively need to plan to alternate a semester of mornings and a semester of afternoons in order to participate in Birth-Grade 6 schools. The upper senior year requires full-day student teaching.

Early childhood and elementary education candidates should select a foundations of education course (FDED 111  or 127 ) during the first semester of the sophomore year. Once they have been accepted by the Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology  they should also submit a Change of Study Form (to declare two majors) to the Office of Academic Records. This form should be signed by program advisers in both areas of study.

Secondary education candidates should register initially in FDED 111  or 127 , SED 102  and SED 151 . These courses may be taken in any order or concurrently; these courses fulfill prerequisite requirements for continued studies in the undergraduate secondary education professional sequence.

Junior standing is a prerequisite to enrollment in all courses offered by the School of Education except ELED 041 ; SED 102 , 151 ; and SPED 101 , 102 ; and all foundations of education and many physical education courses.

Student Teaching is the final phase of the professional education sequence. Students must formally apply to the Office of Field Placement well in advance of the intended student teaching semester.

Applications for fall student teaching are due February 15; applications for spring student teaching are due May 1 of the previous year. Students should refer to their program as listed in this Bulletin for details on prerequisites and minimum grade point average requirements for student teaching.

Selection Process

The School of Education has implemented a policy of careful initial and continuing selection of students and courses offered by the School. Generally, undergraduate courses are not open to students who have not been accepted into the School of Education. Exceptions include some courses in foundations of education, educational psychology, physical education, and special education.

At the end of the sophomore year students who have applied for enrollment in the School of Education will be assigned to one of three categories:

1. Accepted, meaning that an applicant may continue in teacher education at Hofstra.
2. Accepted provisionally, in secondary education, meaning that an applicant may continue work in professional education although specified deficiencies must be made up.
3. Rejected, meaning that an applicant may not enroll in any course offered by the School.

Students who have been accepted may be dropped from programs in education at a later date in cases where academic performance, judgments of field-experience supervisors and cooperating school personnel or other factors make such steps advisable.

School-Based Employment Opportunities

Hofstra University and faculty in the School of Education are committed both to attracting excellent candidates to our programs, as well as assisting them in locating employment upon graduation. Teaching candidates are strongly encouraged before enrolling in a given program to review the employment prospects in their chosen field. Such opportunities, of course, differ among teaching areas and within regions of the country. Data about the profession, including supply and demand by region and certification area, are routinely available and updated regularly on such websites as www.highered.nysed.gov, www.bls.gov/oco or www.vault.com (accessible via the Hofstra Career Hub at http://hofstra.edu/careerhub). Additionally, The Hofstra Career Center provides students with complimentary copies of the American Association for Employment in Education’s Job Search Handbook which contains a wide array of resources including a supply and demand feature.

The Career Center helps students explore, prepare, connect and share. We do this by providing services that empower students to develop and pursue career-related goals and complete meaningful practical experiences. Additionally, we support the goals and initiatives of our employer and campus partners, as we view their work as parallel to our own.

We offer one-on-one counseling services, in-person and online workshops to groups (classes, student organizations, etc.), career fairs, creative connection and networking events to connect students to alumni and other professionals, field trips to companies, collaboration with departments and campus partners and much more.

The Hofstra Career Center’s website contains an array of resources and information for students enrolled in an education program, and the Hofstra Career Hub (http://hofstra.edu/careerhub) connects students to resources to help them research and locate opportunities.   Additionally, the site refers students to our Handshake System where both local and national employers post employment opportunities.  Our website can also guide students to outside resources, such as the New York State Education Department, New York City Department of Education, the National Association of Independent Schools, and many more dedicated employment sites. At Hofstra, education majors find an excellent and dedicated faculty, outstanding career support services, and extensive electronic links to education career information and employment opportunities.