<p>Does anybody know anything about these? They were traditionally teachers colleges, but now are traditional colleges and universities. Any experience with them?</p>
<p>PENNSYLVANIA STATE TEACHERS COLLEGES
Bloomsburg State Teachers College
California State Teachers College
Cheyney State Teachers College
Clarion State Teachers College
East Stroudsburg State Teachers College
Edinboro State Teachers College
Indiana State Teachers College
Kutztown State Teachers College
Lock Haven State Teachers College
Mansfield State Teachers College
Millersville State Teachers College
Shippensburg State Teachers College
Slippery Rock State Teachers College
West Chester State Teachers College</p>
<p>A TON of my teachers went to Bloomsburg. They have a ton of education majors and it’s probably the most reputable school from that list for education. Kutztown is also pretty good.</p>
<p>I think highly of West Chester and the town has really gotten fun since I grew up in the area- lots of stores, restaurants etc. Bloomsburg is also good.<br>
Cheyney less so.</p>
<p>Bloomsburg, IUP, Shippensburg, Kutztown, Millersville, West Chester, East Stroudsburg all have good reputations for those seeking teacher certification, and are probably each more widely known in areas near where they are located. West Chester has a particularly strong reputation for those majoring in music education. I don’t know the others on your list, they may just as good. </p>
<p>For what it is worth, those seeking Elementary Ed degrees should bear in mind that Pennsylvania has changed their certification starting next year. It is no longer possible to get certified for Elementary Ed (K - 6). They are now offering only Early Childhood (pre school - 4) or Middle School (4 - 8) certification, with tougher requirements which make it virtually impossible to get dual certification or even a minor in another subject.</p>
<p>Fermata, will it be possible to get both middle school (4-8) and high school (9-12) certification beginning next year? Middle school is sort of odd, as grades 5-6 are more like elementary school, while grades 7-8 are taught by teachers certified in subject areas the way they are in high school.</p>
<p>lkf725 – the short answer to your question is, NO. At least that is what they are currently saying. The truth is, no one really seems to know how this will play out, which is indicative of the general level of knowledge at the PA Dept of Education and how little information is being disseminated. On their website they indicate that there will be a possible “fast track” available to those students who want multiple certifications, but no one at any of the nine colleges I spoke with and no one at the PDE can explain what that means. The requirements for graduation with the new Early Childhood (pre-school - 4) certification are so stringent that it is impossible to get dual certification, and it is also impossible to minor in another subject. After repeated attempts to call the PDE, I finally did get through to someone who tried to convince me that this was a good thing, but could not explain why it was happening and then it turned out that this person had only been working for the PDE for a few months. Again, she could not answer any questions about fast- tracking additional certification, what will happen with reciprocity with other states, or why this would benefit future teachers or their students (other than to tell me that there is a “huge” difference between teaching 4th and 5th grades, and it is impossible for a teacher to adequately learn to teach the wide age range of K – 6 as they had done for all the years prior to this change.) The official line at the PDE seems to be, “this is the way it is – live with it”. Meanwhile every college professor I have spoken to hates this change, but the word is that it is a done deal and they need to adapt. </p>
<p>At least one college we looked at has decided not to offer the Middle School (4-8) certification at all next year because of the new requirements, and other LAC’s are dropping their Elementary Ed certification programs completely because of this. There is a general feeling that this Middle School group is really going to suffer – certification for grades 4-8 is too narrow a focus, as you point out, and most new students are opting for the Early Childhood program when forced to choose. When I spoke with the PDE, the person tried to tell me that this was an “urban myth”, but I know this is happening and it is a problem that they will have to address after the fact since they are ignoring it now. </p>
<p>Just to clarify, Secondary Ed certification is not changing, only what previously had been known as Elementary Ed and Early Childhood. If I sound upset – well, I am. This has taken countless hours of research and effort, and no one has given me a satisfactory explanation or indication of what this will mean to students and teachers. As far as I can see, they are reacting to “no child left behind” and thrusting change on the system without properly reviewing the consequences. Meanwhile, I believe there is legislation pending and a possible lawsuit pending, but who knows what will happen, and how long it will drag on. </p>
<p>Ultimately, it is the poor young college students who have the noble ambition to pursue careers elementary education, and the college professors who are trying to teach them, who will have to suffer through this bureaucratic nonsense.</p>
<p>My wife currently teaches 6th grade in PA and has an Early Childhood cert from her undergrad and a Reading Specialist cert from her masters.</p>
<p>She teaches in a school that covers grades that will now be broken up into the k-3 and the 4-8 buckets (school is k-6) and nobody at her school has a clue what is going on either.</p>
<p>They have no idea if people will be grandfathered and certified by filling out paperwork, or if they must take the praxis again etc. Even the administration has no answers.</p>
<p>The hole thing is a royal mess and I feel sorry for a young person trying to decide which way to turn. The focus is simply too narrow and may make it harder for school to find quality teachers.</p>
<p>Cheney University of Pennsylvania (formerly Cheney State) and Lincoln University of Pennsylvania are unique examples of HBCU’s located north of the Mason-Dixon line. Both schools maintain a predominantly African-American student body.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the info, Fermata. I have unfortunately had similar experiences dealing with the PDE. The way they are breaking up certification into such small grade segments is ridiculous. How is teaching math or english or social studies different from 4th to 5th grade? Our 5-6 teachers “concentrate” in an area, such as either math/science or humanities/social sciences, and teach this way on teams. Our 7-8 teachers teach a single subject exactly as the hs teachers do, so I see no difference in certification need. On the other end of the spectrum, the preschool years are completely different than K-4 in my area. Why would teaching 3-year-olds to socialize and button their jackets have anything to do with teaching fractions to 9-year-olds? You are right about this system driving good teachers away. </p>
<p>I will try to research this “fast-track” thing and post if I find anything.</p>
<p>I doubt there is a huge difference between them. IUP has a reputation for having a strong music program, if that is of interest. The PDE and certification changes are discouraging. Again, if you are studying secondary education, nothing really has changed. If you want to be an Elementary Education major, you may want to look at studying in a state other than Pennsylvania.</p>