Oberlin College, in partnership with the Oberlin City Schools, has inaugurated a 12-month Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP) leading to a master of education degree by the appointment of Deborah Roose as director and professor of graduate teacher education, announces Oberlin Provost Alfred F. MacKay.

The program will begin in June 2007 with an initial class of 10 students; maximum enrollment is aimed at 20 in a few years. College faculty members will team with outstanding K-12 teachers in the Oberlin City Schools to provide instruction in educational philosophy and pedagogy, as well as extensive field experience in Oberlin’s classrooms.

The focus will be on elementary and middle levels the first year, with young adult (high school) education added the second year. Upon completion of 40 semester hours of work, Oberlin teacher candidates will receive a master of education degree (MEd) and initial teaching licensure.

“The GTEP Committee conducted a national search for its inaugural program director and enthusiastically recommended Dr. Roose for appointment,” MacKay says. “A national expert with a proven track record in the field of teacher preparation, she has established and successfully led similar programs at Michigan’s Albion College and at Guilford College in North Carolina.”

“The curriculum will reflect the College’s mission and reinforce the idea of social justice through education,” Roose states. “Oberlin’s rigorous academic standards set GTEP apart from similar programs at peer institutions. For that reason, very few programs can offer top caliber teaching candidates with this type of intensive, cutting-edge preparation.”

“The GTEP is good news for Oberlin City Schools,” says Oberlin School Superintendent Geoffrey Andrews. “Research shows unequivocally what a profound impact a good teacher has on students. With the teacher candidates working with our teachers, the program will enable us to provide more group and individualized attention for each child, which should result in higher student achievement.”

“One of the program’s most important aspects is the diversity of the Oberlin schools and the challenges inherent in such a setting,” says Roose, who has extensive experience working with similar public school systems and has done research in the area of teacher preparation for multicultural educators.

“The make-up of the Oberlin City Schools represents a diversity more typical of an urban center than a small town, with students of different races, incomes, abilities, and motivation. Our graduates will be highly marketable both in the public and private sector, no matter where they decide to pursue a teaching career.”

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