Education degree programs used to be a lot simpler. They were comprised, primarily, of women training to teach school children in grades K-12. It was about the 1950s, when nursing and education degree programs provided women the majority of post-high school training, when those who obtained their education degrees might have even gone to work in one or two-room school houses where children in public schools prayed.
Students who obtained degrees in education and went into teaching then had smaller, less diverse, student populations to teach. The United States, long a nation of immigrants, reportedly changed after several immigration laws passed, including those in 1965 and 2000, bringing in immigrants from countries outside of Europe and more immigrants overall. Borders between nations are increasingly disappearing as the world becomes more global and people become more mobile between countries.
Education degree programs are beginning to change as a means of better preparing teachers to serve students so that they are academically successful. A university in Chicago is this year offering a new degree in education at the Master’s level that’s intended to provide teachers with the skills they need to teach in urban areas, according to a recent article in Inside Higher Education. With help from a US Department of Education grant, teachers at this institution also are paid to work under supervision in urban school districts as part of residency training programs. Residents then teach in those schools after they obtain their degrees at the Master’s level.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that job prospects for preschool teachers are to grow faster than average into 2018. Opportunities for teachers in grades K-12 are expected to be in high demand fields, such as math, science and bilingual education, the agency notes. Teachers in these grade levels might also expect better employment prospects in school districts that are considered less desirable, such as those that are urban or rural, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Teachers can often receive salary increases in instances where they obtain a Master’s degree, the agency notes. Now, though, officials are looking at paying teachers based on how effective they are and how well their students succeed, the Inside Higher Education article suggested. Measuring student success based on tests has come under criticism, and the value of such degree at the Master’s level has come into question.
At least one study reportedly shows that math and science teachers who have obtained Master’s degrees in those subject areas are effective when teaching those subjects. At least one educator has suggested that teaching degrees at the Master’s level or any Master’s degree for that matter can help make teachers more professional.
In Connecticut, a university plans to cancel an urban education degree at the Master’s level, according to a November New Haven Register article that noted enrollment figures weren’t what the institution had anticipated. The Chicago university education degree at the Master’s level reflects a thought that teachers can become more effective when they learn as part of partnerships between colleges and universities and public schools, according to Inside Higher Education.