School of Education

A trailblazer in the field of education, the Mercy University School of Education became the first institution in the United States to be awarded initial national accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and its successor organization, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Professionals (CAEP). In addition, all of our master's degree education programs in Childhood, Early Childhood, Secondary Education (English, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Social Studies), Special Education, TESOL, Literacy, and Educational Leadership are nationally recognized by their professional associations. National accreditation provides a seal of approval for Mercy and enhances our graduates' credentials when seeking employment.

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Under Title II of the Higher Education Authorization Act, institutions with teacher preparation programs must report to their respective state (New York State Education Department) on specific data elements related to teacher programs annually. This information is compiled and made available to the general public by the US Department of Education on the aggregate level, by state, and by respective institution on an annual basis.

https://title2.ed.gov/Public/Home.aspx

The Unit Mission:

The unit is dedicated to preparing effective educators, including teachers and other school professionals who are reflective practitioners and have the knowledge base, technological skills, research tools and professional proficiencies and dispositions to empower them to help diverse students succeed in their learning and community environments. The unit supports the values of competency, diversity, collaboration and ethical practice and commits itself to the tenet that all students can learn.

A Coherent Plan for the Preparation of Teachers and other School Professionals:

The Mercy University Conceptual Framework represents the group effort of faculty members in all unit programs to establish the philosophy, governing principles and standards to guide the unit and its individual programs. Through a consistent plan for curriculum, instruction, fieldwork, clinical practice and assessment, the Conceptual Framework sets forth the shared vision, mission, professional commitments and explicit proficiencies and dispositions the unit considers to be requisites for the preparation of teachers and other school professionals, enabling them to become Effective Educators.

Professional Education Unit Programs:

Programs in the School of Education:

• Early Childhood Education
• Childhood Education
• Secondary Education: Science (Biology, Physics, Chemistry), English, Mathematics, Social Studies
• Literacy
• TESOL
• Special Education
• Educational Leadership

Programs in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences:

• School Counseling
• School Psychology

Unit Goals:

Unit values and competencies are supported by the six goals and related proficiencies that define the effective educator in the unit’s Conceptual Framework. The six goals are: Content Knowledge, Pedagogical and Professional Knowledge, Diversity, Technology, Reflection and Dispositions. 

Overview of the Mercy University Educational Unit Candidate Goals and Proficiencies:

Assessment:

The unit has developed an assessment system to support the implementation of these goals and to help stakeholders better evaluate unit effectiveness and determine areas for improvement. It outlines a process for continuous review of the effectiveness of the unit’s programs and operations serving our candidates, and includes a wide array of assessment processes, including course based key assessments to evaluate candidates’ progress, course evaluations to evaluate instructional effectiveness, exit and one-year follow up surveys to examine candidates perceptions of the effectiveness of the unit’s programs, as well as employer surveys to obtain their employers’ perspectives on our graduates’ preparedness for employment in the field of education. 

An Emphasis on Diversity:

The Conceptual Framework threads the values of diversity through the content, pedagogical and clinical proficiencies and professional dispositions required of unit candidates for teaching and other school professions. Within its curricula, assignments and standards for clinical practice, the unit stresses inclusion and respect for the ethnic, cultural and linguistic differences among its candidates and faculty and for those of students, parents and staff in P-12 communities. Mercy University is a federally- designated Hispanic-Serving Institution proud to serve a diverse candidate population and was ranked in the top 100 schools awarding master’s degrees to Hispanics (Hispanic Outlook 5/072012). The unit strives to recruit and develop teachers and other school professional candidates from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds who demonstrate their potential to provide quality instruction to all learners.

In their progression through their professional education programs, candidates have the opportunity to interact with each other and with university faculty in richly diverse environment. The faculty provides candidates with the academic and pedagogical context to integrate research and standards-based curricula into practice and provides knowledge into how cultural, linguistic, ethnic and experiential backgrounds contribute to solving problems.

Key assessments results indicate that candidates demonstrate the ability to work with students, families and colleagues in ways that reflect the various proficiencies and dispositions expected of them as professional educators. They demonstrate understanding, professional behaviors and values that are consistent with the belief that all students can learn.