Since you are not planning to stay in CA, have not made up mind where you want to move and your DD is not set on returrito work there after college, I suggest she find a school she likes, in an area she likes. A lot of kids stick around where they went to college, if the jobs, housing and atmosphere is conducive. Keep that in mind when looking at schools.
Money not a huge issue here, so you look for some nice schools that have an education program that can get her on her feet after grad as a teacher. Someplace where work opportunities are there. Visit and see how it clicks. Frankly, most of my kids didn’t have a major, much less a career in mind when they were looking st schools but the feel of the school the atmosphere was all important. Visits are a good idea.
I live in Ca. I can share a couple of experiences I’ve seen in recent years. My niece graduated from San Diego State a few years ago. She went to work as a preschool teacher which she loved. Unfortunately it doesn’t pay a living wage. She is just starting a elementary credential program at another Cal State with the goal of being a K teacher.
Another friend went to Seattle Pacific and got her education degree and teaching credential in 4 years. That credential is good in both Washington and Oregon. She knew going into her program that she would not be able to teach in Ca without going back to school to get the California credential. California is not a state known for having reciprocal credential programs. She should just go in knowing that if she gets her degree out of state and decides she wants to come back to Ca she will need to go back to school for the credential.
@mom60 What kind of schooling is required for the credential in CA? Even with a Masters in Teaching, which is what she is planning.
My hope is that she likes wherever she goes, at least well enough to stick around for her entry level experience. She is planning to get involved in community service locally wherever she lands, so that’s probably going to help. We haven’t visited anywhere, but we plan to in the fall, especially to her top cold climate choices.
If she wants to be near her sibling at UConn but not at UConn, you might look at the school of education at UMass Amherst. It’s close by, has a well-regarded ed school, and both the university and the town of Amherst have very nice Jewish communities. Both kids would fly in/out of Bradley airport.
Outside of a few urban and suburban districts, pay isn’t that good for teachers. I know plenty who are leaving for other professions. Make sure that she is fully aware of what she is getting into.
@TooOld4School She is well aware. I have tried to dissuade her, and I told her that it’s really not realistic to work in our area as a single woman, unless she lives with us, but we won’t be staying here for that. Darn girl, wants to make a difference Her brother is on the autism spectrum, so she’s got a compassionate heart. She hasn’t expressed a passion for special ed per se, but is open to pursuing it, especially since she knows it’s a bit more marketable.
@overbearingmom . Best of luck, I just went through this with my D19 who will be majoring in Elem\Special Ed next year at Manahattan College. I do have a speadsheet that covers all the teaching programs in the NJ/NY/PA and some CT/MD areas if you are interested I would be happy to email it over.
A few points to consider.
How quickly are you getting in the classroom. Will you be observing classes Freshman year or wait until student teaching?
Do they offer a 5 year masters program? It’s almost a necessity now, and of course means starting at a higher salary3) What’s their pass rate for the certification exams?
What’s the enrollment in the teaching program?
How do placements for student teaching work?
Since you are looking at different states, look what each one covers for grades. NY if 1-6, PA is PK-4. Some schools offer a step up or step down where you can take an additional class and get covered for the other grades.
The usual, big vs small, city vs rural.
As mentioned earlier a number of the Catholic colleges in the NE have really great programs (St Joe’s, Manhattan, Seton Hall, Scranton) But out of the non-catholic schools I would suggest West Chester, TCNJ, Marist, Penn State, UMD. I would also suggest Braindeis if she is interested in a faith based environment.
Let me know if you have any questions on any of the schools.
@Novacat9191 Thank you, I would love the spreadsheet! I have one started as well, but I don’t believe in reinventing the wheel. Next week is the last week of school, and then we will be heading into full research mode. Questions 1-2 are on our radar. She is looking at Brandeis. Funny thing is, she’s strongly considering Drexel because she was waiting for a Brandeis rep at a college fair, and I told her talk to the person next to her. The Drexel rep was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the program, so it rocketed to #1.
Oh heavens…if the first classroom experience is student teaching…RUN from this program. Our school send to have student teachers from one college…and their first classroom time was student teaching. I can’t tell you how heartbreaking it was to see a first or second semester college senior realize that teaching was NOT their cup of tea.
Student teaching is too late for the first classroom experience.
My son’s school doesn’t admit to the education department until junior year, but he was in the classroom before that.
Back when I was in school (early 90’s), student teaching was it - I can’t even count how many friends I have with teaching degrees who never set foot in a classroom after that! I think most have moved away from that model for that exact reason. If not, what thumper said - RUN!
@NJWrestlingmom how did that work to be in the classroom before in the program? Did you mention above what program that was? Is it sort of a pre-education track for the first two years, with some education classes while the focus is on gen ed major? It was my daughter, to her credit, who realized what a plus the early exposure would be.
There are some subtle differerces. Based on certain state requirements, you may not be “formally” admitted as a teacher candidate until junior year at some schools. This does not preclude you from doing obeservations or 200 level education classes.
There are however some schools (Rutgers) that you actually start out in the school of liberal arts and then actually apply to the school of education junior year.
One of the things that was most enlightening was actually looking at the course schedule for each year.
DD also wants to go into education. We were very impressed with the staff at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. They have a school on campus for the college students to work at so it eliminates the need to keep a vehicle there. DD ultimately decided on UNL. Even though we are from the midwest - Nebraska takes nice to a whole new level. Search Nebraska universities for Teachers Scholars Academy .
We are definitely looking at U of M. Was impressed with them at the college fair too. Plus, husband’s large extended family is in the cities or at most a few hours away, so she’d have a place to go for Thanksgiving or to crash if she needed a break. I’ll check out Nebraska. Something tells me I’m going to do all this research, and she’s going to end up picking from the three or four that are already on her list.
My program required a student observation in a classroom at the start of sophomore year. It was a one crest course, and was actually done when public schools started in the fall. It was a two week everyday gig…gave students food for thought early on.
Junior year, we had a one day a week thing in a school classroom. This was often doing work for the teacher, preparing materials, and doing some small group instruction…or things like read alouds. Again…more food for thought.
Then we had the full semester of student teaching senior year. Most people did this fall term…and it started when school started and ended when the holiday break happened in December.
Your daughter needs to know also, that in many states, the education majors pick a content area subject as their actual major, and the education courses are layered onto that. So she would need to choose a major…math, science, psychology, English, history, a foreign language…whatever.
Which U of M are you looking at? There are a bunch…Michigan, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota…
Sorry, someone mentioned Univ of Minnesota - Twin Cities. As mentioned, that’s in the mix more from a proximity to family members than the program, at this point. She hasn’t started her deeper dive that she will this summer. She’s working as a camp counselor this year, so that may inform whether she wants to work with younger vs. older
@overbearingmom my son is at Rowan, a state uni in NJ. He is still an elem ed major (they require a double major, so he is elem ed and history). There are a number of education classes he’s taken,but in order to do the higher level classes he needs to pass the Praxis Core Exam and get grades of C- or better in all classes, with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. Not meeting any of those, and you can’t be formally admitted to the major to take the junior year higher level ed classes.
But this year he did have to undergo fingerprinting and background check to get into a class. He spent 1 day a week Spring semester in a local school, with a college class meeting afterwards.
I believe he will do something similar with the next 2 semesters of higher level ed classes, before doing student teaching. It’s a lot of work with a double major!
Her brother is on the autism spectrum, so she’s got a compassionate heart. She hasn’t expressed a passion for special ed per se, but is open to pursuing it, especially since she knows it’s a bit more marketable.