Education Department Redesign Update & FAQs
August 17, 2022
Saint Mary’s University School of Education is proud of our Lasallian Catholic mission and identity. John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, remains our guide in our long-standing commitment to preparing highly-skilled educators in our teacher licensure, administrative licensure, master’s, and doctoral programs.
Like many universities, Saint Mary’s has needed to respond to sustained downward trends in enrollment over the past few years. In the field of education, uncertainties about the future of teaching in a post-COVID world, teacher burnout, and other factors have increased teacher attrition and shortages, and have also led to declines in enrollment in teacher education programs across the country. Our two undergraduate education majors (elementary and secondary education) have been no exception to this trend. In late 2021, the School of Education committed to addressing these declines and in late-spring 2022, the “Education Program Redesign Advisory Board” was formed and has begun to meet to consider future options.
The advisory board includes 15 internal and external experts in curriculum and instruction, teacher education, state licensure, Catholic education, and programs design. The advisory board will meet bi-monthly until December to develop a proposal for education students in Winona. In spring 2023, the School of Education leadership will begin internal and external approval processes. Specifically, we will submit the program design to our undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the University Program Planning (UPP) process. Afterward, we will submit to PELSB (MN state licensure board) and HLC (our university accreditor). The following FAQs are intended to inform all stakeholders of these activities and goals.
Education Program Redesign FAQs
Are SMUMN’s education majors being discontinued?
The answer to this question is an emphatic “no.” While both of our undergraduate education majors have experienced sustained declines in enrollment, we know Minnesota public and private school systems desperately need teachers. We are confident that a comprehensive program redesign, which we will do, will be positively received by students who seek excellent teacher preparation.
Is the plan to pause accepting new students and/or offering coursework?
Our initial research indicated we may need to be prepared to pause admissions into the program due to the unknown PELSB review protocol and period. However, in late 2022, we received high marks in passing our five-year accreditation visit, and in consulting multiple PELSB experts/representatives, we are now confident we can work with our internal Curriculum Committee and UPP process to expedite the re-approval process, minimizing or possibly even eliminating any need to pause admissions.
Will current students be affected by the redesign activities and/or implementation?
Students who begin their degree work this fall (or began in a previous semester) will continue in the currently-approved plan of study as outlined in the current catalog. No current student will be subject to any proposed or approved curricular changes, and we anticipate no interruptions in her/his degree completion.
What will happen to the students who have declared and/or are pursuing discontinued majors (music, history)?
Consistent with the BRAVE implementation work, every student currently enrolled in any major, regardless of its status going forward, will be able to complete their major without interruption. Again, no current student will be subject to any proposed or approved curricular changes and we foresee no delays in their degree completion.
How will the new program be different?
Redesign activities began earlier this month and are sure to yield a fresh, cutting-edge teacher education experience that will be based on the latest pedagogical research. Some anticipated unique elements of the new program include:
- more distinctive and recognizable Lasallian Catholic focus;
- renewed commitment to producing the highest quality teachers for public and Catholic schools;
- research-based literacy education as the program’s epicenter;
- character and virtue formation outcomes embedded in every course;
- stand-alone course on inclusion and human dignity in educational contexts;
- Stand-alone course on Catholic/charter/private school education;
- renewed partnerships with Catholic, charter, and public school systems across the region;
- embodiment of SMU’s commitment to coherent high school-to-college-workforce pipeline;
- Increased focus on STEM education and teacher preparation;
- design more conducive to graduate study and completion of MAT degree;
- More “user-friendly” model offering more three-credit courses and scheduling more late-afternoon and early evening classes (to enable more fluid practica and student teaching experiences); and
- renewed commitment to Saint Mary’s mission.
How confident are you that the redesigned program will appeal to students and generate new enrollment?
We are extremely confident our redesign efforts will appeal to students and yield new enrollment. This is, in part, because the program as described will be one-of-a-kind in this region. Research shows school systems want teachers who demonstrate not only high level pedagogy skills but high character and ethics that lead to enriched learning communities. Our co-emphasis on these dispositional elements will add to our distinctiveness. We are also confident these steps, coupled with our renewal of school system partnerships (see above), will enable us to develop a unique pipeline of teachers for Catholic schools while simultaneously building out our existing pipeline of teachers to public schools.
When will the new program go “live?”
We expect to have the program redesign draft complete by December 2022. This draft will then be submitted to Curriculum Committe, UPP, then PELSB and HLC for a period of review and comment. Currently, we are unsure of the depth and duration of these external reviews; however, we will monitor and report out as soon as we are made aware of this information.
Anything else being asked?
We recognize periods of transition sometimes create worry and doubt. We are committed to making decisions that ensure Saint Mary’s students thrive and flourish, and all stakeholders remain thoroughly informed about the new education program design. Therefore, we welcome questions about all steps and decisions in the process.
On behalf of the Saint Mary’s School of Education and the Education Program Redesign Advisory Board, I thank you for your interest in this exciting endeavor and its impact on our students. Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any additional questions. My email address is mlovorn@smumn.edu.
Additional questions may also be submitted through this link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mq9nQECk6pZhFWTCT11MDyxKzR6-i9rb/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112922692948325421623&rtpof=true&sd=true
