Zucker Family School of Education

The purpose of the graduate programs of the Zucker Family School of Education is to serve the people of the Lowcountry, the state of South Carolina, and the Southeast by providing high quality programs in the areas of professional education and school counseling. The School offers programs to prepare school teachers, school counselors, literacy teachers, literacy coaches, and educational administrators.

The Citadel has been involved in the preparation of teachers since the creation of the School of Education and Psychology in 1929. In 1954, the School of Education was approved as a separate department. Master’s degree programs for teachers and Master’s degree programs for prospective counselors were authorized in 1968. Master’s degree programs for school administrators were authorized in 1970. The Educational Specialist degree in educational administration was approved in 1975, and the Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology was approved in 1980.

Prior to 1974, the South Carolina State Department of Education (SCDE) approved The Citadel’s Educator Preparation programs. In 1974, all professional education programs offered by The Citadel were initially accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Both state-approved program status and national accreditation have been continuous since they were initially granted. The most recent SCDE, Commission on Higher Education (CHE), and NCATE/CAEP program reviews, conducted in the spring of 2013, resulted in continuing program accreditation approval. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) granted accreditation in July 2005 to the School Counseling Programs which offers a Master of Education in Counselor Education.

Statement of Philosophy

The philosophy of the Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel is based on five fundamental propositions. These propositions serve to orient the mission and conceptual base of the School, guide the actions and value system of the faculty, shape the curricula of the various programs, and provide to its faculty their sense of purpose and meaning for teaching, scholarship, and professional service. These five propositions are:

The faculty is committed to promoting education for all individuals to the fullest extent possible. With the implementation of appropriate teaching and assessment strategies, a fundamental guiding belief is that all students, though having unique learning styles and experiences, are capable of learning.
It is the educator’s responsibility, with the aid of appropriate resources and support, to establish a mutually respectful environment where effective learning occurs for all students.
Education is a systematic effort to facilitate the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary for the student to function in a diverse society.
The faculty is committed to upholding the highest professional standards in all situations in which they model these standards to students through their teaching, research, and service endeavors.
The faculty is committed to an open interchange of ideas wherein the perspectives of all are valued.

The School’s Conceptual Model

The Citadel’s Professional Education Unit prepares principled educational leaders to be knowledgeable, reflective, and ethical professionals. Candidates completing our programs are committed to ensuring that all students succeed in a learner- centered environment.

Rationale:

Society is in need of principled educational professionals committed to ensuring all students learn;
All children and young adults require high quality educational experiences that enable them to compete and prosper in the global economy; and
Such high quality educational experiences require a transformed educational system focused on fostering twenty-first century knowledge and skills in all children and young adults.

The Citadel’s Professional Education Unit is committed to the simultaneous transformation of the preparation of educational leaders and of the places where they work. Specifically, The Citadel’s Professional Education Unit seeks to develop principled educational leaders who:

Have mastered their subject matter and are skilled in using it to foster student learning;
Know the self who educates (Parker J. Palmer) and integrate this self-knowledge with content knowledge, knowledge of students, and in the context of becoming professional change agents committed to using this knowledge and skill to ensure that all students succeed in a learner-centered environment; and
Exemplify the highest ethical standards by modeling respect for all human beings and valuing diversity as an essential component of an effective learner-centered environment.

Through our initial program for teacher candidates for P-12 schools and our advanced programs for professional educators in P-20 schools, The Citadel’s Professional Educational Unit shapes cadets and graduate students into principled educational leaders capable of and committed to transforming our schools into learning communities where all succeed.

The Citadel’s Professional Educational Unit has identified 15 performance indicators for candidates to demonstrate that they are principled educational leaders who are knowledgeable, reflective, and ethical professionals:

Knowledgeable Principled Educational Leaders…

Have mastered the subject matter of their field of professional study and practice;
Utilize the knowledge gained from developmental and learning theories to establish and implement an educational program that is varied, creative, and nurturing;
Model instructional and leadership theories of best practice;
Integrate appropriate technology to enhance learning;
Demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning;

Reflective Principled Educational Leaders…

Develop and describe their philosophy of education and reflect upon its impact in the teaching and learning environment;
Develop and manage meaningful educational experiences that address the needs of all learners with respect for their individual and cultural experiences;
Construct, foster, and maintain a learner-centered environment in which all learners contribute and are actively engaged;
Apply their understanding of both context and research to plan, structure, facilitate, and monitor effective teaching and learning in the context of continual assessment; and
Reexamine their practice by reflectively and critically asking questions and seeking answers.

Ethical Principled Educational Leaders…

Demonstrate commitment to a safe, supportive, learning environment;
Embrace and adhere to appropriate professional codes of ethics;
Value diversity and exhibit a caring, fair, and respectful attitude and respect toward all cultures;
Establish rapport with students, families, colleagues, and communities;
Meet obligations on time, dress professionally, and use language appropriately.

The Professional Education Board

To facilitate the college-wide mission of preparing principled leaders for professional education, The Citadel established the Professional Education Board (PEB). The Citadel PEB’s primary focus is to foster academic environments that promote the development of principled leaders for the education profession and to facilitate the continuing improvement of professional education programs across the institution. In pursuing these goals, the PEB will concentrate on communication, assessment, and governance issues. The Citadel’s Dean of the Zucker Family School of Education chairs the Board, which is comprised of representatives from all of The Citadel’s professional education constituencies, including faculty, staff, students, and our P-12 colleagues. PEB members are appointed by the Dean of the School of Education in collaboration with the Deans of Humanities and Social Science, of Science and Mathematics, and of The Citadel Graduate College. Beginning in September 2006, the Professional Education Board meets monthly during each academic year.

The School’s Website

The Zucker Family School of Education has a diverse faculty with a wide array of teaching and research interests. Additional information on these interests, as well as other departmental highlights, initiatives, and activities, can be viewed online: www.citadel.edu/education.

Admission Test Policy

Admission tests are required for all M.A.T. and Counselor Education degree programs. The minimum acceptable score for admission for degree programs is a score of 396 on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or 290 (combined score on verbal and quantitative sections) on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Provisional Status - Applicants for all M.A.T. and Counselor Education degree programs who score between 380 and 395 on the MAT or between 283 and 289 on the GRE may apply for provisional status. A student accepted provisionally will have completed all admission requirements and will have been reviewed by the respective department. Once admitted the student must complete six semester hours and maintain a 3.50 GPA and then will be classified as degree-seeking status (see respective programs for additional requirements). Additionally, applicants for the M.A.T. Secondary Education degree program with a GPA between 2.5 and 3.0 may be accepted on a provisional basis if all other criteria have been met. Admission tests must be current within five (5) years of application and official score sent directly to the CGC office at the request of the student.

Requesting a Waiver - Applicants for all M.A.T. and Counselor Education degree programs who possess a master’s degree or doctorate degree from an accredited institution may request permission to waive the requirement to supply an admissions test score. An applicant must request the waiver in writing at the time of application from the appropriate academic program director.

LiveText Account

Zucker Family School of Education degree-seeking students (and those approved for certification only in counseling or educational leadership programs) must purchase a LiveText account at The Citadel’s Bookstore. LiveText makes it possible for education students to have secure access to their portfolios and other important materials. Through LiveText, faculty members and administrators collect data, generate reports from the data, and use this information to make informed program and unit decisions.

Appeals Process

Education students who have extenuating circumstances may request to appeal policies by writing to the School’s Admission, Retention, and Certification committees. Appeal letters should be addressed to the Dean of the School, who will direct it to either the Initial Programs Committee or the Advanced Programs Committee for recommendation. The committees’ recommendations regarding appeals will be forwarded to the Dean of the School who will review and work with the Provost and/or her designee for final action.

Transfer Credit

No more than 12 hours may be transferred from other accredited colleges or universities (e.g. Southern Association of Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, etc.). Only graduate credit hours in which grades of “B” or higher have been earned are transferable. Some programs allow fewer hours of transfer credit. Students should check the requirements for specific programs for the maximum number of credit hours that may be transferred into his or her program at The Citadel. Please refer to CGC policy section for complete transfer credit details.