Teacher Education Program Highlights : Department of Curriculum and Instruction : Texas State University

Locally and Nationally Recognized Preservice Teacher Education Programs

The preservice teacher education program at Texas State University is the largest university–based teacher preparation program in Texas. Teacher education has been a central mission of the university since 1899, when the institution was established as Southwest Texas State Normal School. Our teacher education program has received both state and national recognition and has strong working partnerships with the many central Texas school districts that provide the clinical settings in which the preparation program is delivered and that, ultimately, employ program graduates.

The teacher education program consists of elementary, bilingual, special education, middle school, secondary, and all-level programs leading to teaching certificates in 32 different areas. The program is staffed by approximately 78 faculty members who teach approximately 89 different teacher preparation courses and approximately 20 faculty members in the various departments across the campus.

Teacher Education Champions Clinical Preparation of Teachers

The teacher education program shifted to a field-based delivery system in the 1990s when the Department of Curriculum and Instruction implemented a professional development school model where in a substantial portion of program course work is delivered on public school campuses by university faculty. In 2010 the elementary education program developed a new curriculum in which all students earn an ESL or a bilingual certification in conjunction with their EC-6 certification. Currently, roughly 27 instructors teach courses on 22 public school campuses, which represent seven districts in Central Texas.

Equity-Oriented Teacher Education

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction develops education professionals who are knowledgeable and skilled leaders in their fields, who are ethical and caring in their actions, and who appreciate the rich diversity that defines our school and social contexts. Through university, school, community, and professional partnerships, we advance scholarship and pedagogy that influence education practice and policy.

Data Inform Continuous Improvement of Teacher Preparation Programs

Our valid, reliable, and actionable lines of evidence assure quality and support our efforts for continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.