J o h n F K e n n e d y U n i v e r s i t y

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONThe Department of Education was established in 1989 fortalented, mature adults from diverse academic and culturalbackgrounds. Its mission is to train outstanding teachers whowill bring humanistic methods and challenging, relevantcontent to teaching. Many courses are taught by masterteachers—professionals who have significant experience inthe classrooms of San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costacounties. The department is dedicated to:• Interdisciplinary teaching—relating the study ofmathematics and science to the humanities and socialsciences and emphasizing communication skills in allsubjects.• Multicultural teaching—examining bias, equity issuesand strategies to bring multicultural perspectives andappreciation for all cultures into the classroom.• Community-based teaching—creating a community oflearners and teachers that includes graduate students andfaculty, local teachers, parents, community members, youngpeople, district administrators, and school boards.• Visionary teaching—giving youngsters a vision of a morepeaceful world in which their lives have meaning andhumankind respects the natural world.The Department of Education works closely withcommunity-involvement programs in the training of teachers.Credential candidates benefit from current research onparent/community involvement in education and receiveguidance on how to build partnerships with families and thecommunity.In addition to the Multiple- and Single-Subject Credential,the Master of Arts in Teaching, and the AdministrativeServices Credential, the department offers courses forthe Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development(CLAD) certificate as well as other professional developmentworkshops for teachers already working in the field. Detailsare available through the Department of Education.LEARNING OUTCOMESAt the end of the program, students will be able to:• Make subject content comprehensive and accessible to alllearners;• Assess learning and use assessment to inform theirteaching;• Engage and support learners in the learning process;• Plan instruction and design learning opportunities for alllearners;• Create and maintain effective environments for learning;and• Reflect, assess, and plan for their own professional development.ADMISSION REQUIREMENTSApplicants must meet all university requirements foradmission in addition to those requirements listed here.• Official transcripts of all college and university workshowing a broad distribution of challenging courses withan overall GPA of 3.0.• One of the following two degrees:• a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accreditedinstitution in a multiple-subject academic programapproved by the California Commission on TeacherCredentialing or• a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accreditedinstitution in a single-subject academic programapproved by the California Commission on TeacherCredentialing.• Statement of purpose: three to four double-spaced, typewrittenpages demonstrating creativity, maturity, dedication toeducation and competence in writing.• Two letters of recommendation from academic or professionalassociates attesting to potential as a teacher.• Interview with the department chair. The Department ofEducation will contact applicants to schedule an interviewafter all the above documents are on file.Application deadline for summer is March 1; for winter,October 1. Late applications will be considered on a case-bycasebasis if space is available. Additional requirements to besubmitted to the Department of Education credential analystupon admission:• Application for Certificate of Clearance (to verify absence ofa criminal record) including two fingerprint cards and theprocessing fee.• Copy of a tuberculosis test showing a negative result datedwithin one year of entering the program.• Passing score on the California Basic Education Skills Test(CBEST)• Passing score on the California Subject Examination forTeachers (CSET)• Verification of 40 hours of experience with youth of diversebackgrounds in a group setting (e.g., camp counselor orteacher’s aide). It is recommended that this be completedeither prior to or within the first two quarters of enrollment.Note that both CBEST and CSET exams must be passed priorto advancing to EDN 5320 Supervised Teaching B.SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND LIBERAL ARTS 47