INTRODUCTION and Standard I;
Mission
Swarthmore College Education > State Review
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History of Education at Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College, founded in l864, has a strong Quaker heritage. Although it has been nonsectarian in control since 1908, it continues to embody many of the values of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). At its founding, one of the College's stated goals was the training of teacher for Hicksite Quaker schools. (The Quaker community had recently experienced a major schism between the Orthodox and Hicksite branches and established separate schools for their children. Swarthmore College, established by Hicksites, trained teachers for their schools.) In the first decades of the 20th century, under the leadership of Carson Ryan, a prominent Progressive educator, the Department of Education and the preparation of teachers at Swarthmore was significantly influenced by the philosophy of this movement. In the l930s, however, the Department of Education was "laid down" because the College wanted to shift its image to a more traditional liberal arts academic institution. At this time, the Honors Program, a hallmark of Swarthmore education from then until now, was developed.
In the 1950s, Alice Brodhead, a Quaker school head who taught in the College's English Department, resuscitated Education at Swarthmore and the College began to offer undergraduates the opportunity to become certified through direct application to the Pennsylvania State Department of Education. Until the late l960s Alice Brodhead taught virtually single- handedly in the program. In 1974 Swarthmore went through its first formal program review, and the College received approval for certifying students in several secondary disciplines. In the early l970s Education was given a second faculty position. With the retirement of Alice Brodhead in l977, Eva Travers assumed the directorship of the Education Program and has been the Education Director for all but eight of the subsequent years. Until the mid-l980s, there were two full-time positions in the Education Program. In l983 Eva Travers became the first regularly tenured faculty member in Education. There are currently three tenured professors in Education. The two other tenured faculty members in the Education Program are Ann Renninger and Lisa Smulyan who received tenure in l990 and l99l respectively. In l999, the College authorized the addition of another full-time faculty position in Education that is slated to become a fourth tenure track line. Currently Diane Anderson occupies that position.
In the last twenty years, the Education Program has expanded significantly in terms of numbers of students and courses offered, as well as the numbers of area schools that support the field placements that are required in the majority of Swarthmore Education courses. Education has also become a full-fledged academic entity in the College as a member of the Social Sciences Division, with the ability to offer Special Majors and Minors in both the Honors and Course Programs, in addition to teacher certification.
Mission of Swarthmore College
The general goals of the College, as stated in various College publications, support the goals of the Education Program and its the efforts to prepare teachers for service in public and private schools. The Swarthmore College Bulletin (p. 9 ) states that, in accordance with the College's Quaker tradition:
The purpose of Swarthmore College is to make its students more valuable human beings and more useful members of society. Although it shares this purpose with other educational institutions…Swarthmore seeks to help its students realize their fullest intellectual and personal potential combined with a deep sense of ethical and social concern.
This philosophy is expanded upon in the Mission Statement of the College, published in the 1989&endash;1990 President's Report:
First and foremost, the College seeks the fullest intellectual development of its students, fostering independent thinking and personal responsibility for critical judgment and creation of knowledge. Such independence builds upon but goes beyond a general education and intensive study in a given discipline. Although the locus of responsibility is in the individual, the process is often most effectively collaborative, as evident in seminars, the interaction of campus life, and research with faculty members…The College [also] seeks to instill a sense of responsibility for putting one's talents to work for the betterment of others. Students at Swarthmore are particularly privileged, by both their ability and the resources available for their education. The College recognizes that its graduates can contribute to the world in many different ways, that some will engage in a life of service and sacrifice while others will succeed in activities that offer more tangible reward, but the College will have succeeded only if all its graduates seek out opportunities to share generously with others the benefits of their fully developed talents.
Admitting and educating a diverse student body who will use their education to serve society is also a goal of the College. As noted in the College Catalogue, p 23, "It is the policy of the College to have the student body represent not only different parts of the United States but many foreign countries, both public and private secondary schools, and various economic, social, religious, ethnic and racial groups." Compared to other selective, liberal arts colleges, Swarthmore enrolls a significant proportion of students of color and international students. In the class of 2004, approximately 35% of the student body were students of color, including African American (9%), Latino/a (ll%) and Asian or Pacific Islanders (l5%). In the class of 2005, approximately 5% are African American, l% are Native American, l7% are Asian or Pacific Islander, and 8% are Latino/a. Students completing the teacher certification program have mirrored this diversity, with students of color constituting one-third or more of the program completers in the classes of 2000 and 2001.
Goals and Nature of the Program in Education
The philosophy of the Program in Education parallels that of the larger College. We believe that through the integration of traditional academic study in the liberal arts with educational theory and practice, students learn to be well-grounded, thoughtful, and critical educators. As stated in the Student Teaching Handbook and the Admissions Office Education brochure that is sent to interested applicants and local schools,
The goals of the Education Program at Swarthmore are to enable students to investigate educational theory, policy, research and practice from a variety of disciplinary perspectives as well as to prepare students to enter the teaching profession, to work in the areas of educational research or policy and/or to do graduate study in Education or a related field. The Program encourages our undergraduates to think critically and creatively about the processes of teaching and learning and about the place of education in society. The Education Program also is committed to preparing our undergraduates to equitably and responsibly meet the needs of all students in an era of rapidly increasing racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity and technological change and to develop students' abilities to fully participate in the civic, cultural and economic arenas. Teacher certification candidates are prepared to meet the standards required by PA Chapter 354 and Chapter 4 and to pass the PRAXIS exams required by Pennsylvania. Many students take Education courses who do not plan to teach, however. For these students the Education Program offers the opportunity to explore interests and aptitudes in areas such as counseling, early childhood development or educational research as well as to confront issues they will face in their roles as parents, citizens and/or professionals in fields in or outside of education
The Program in Education currently offers secondary certification in Biology, Chemistry, English, Foreign Languages (French, German and Spanish), Math, Physics and Social Studies. (Beginning with the class of 2005, we plan to offer Citizenship Education and Social Sciences certification in place of Social Studies.) In addition, Swarthmore students who want to complete elementary certification can do so through a collaborative arrangement with Eastern College in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. Between 1996 and 2001, fifty-two students completed the Swarthmore secondary teacher certification programs. (24 in Social Studies, 17 in English, 10 in Sciences (mostly Biology), 9 in Math and 1 in Foreign Languages (German). Twenty-four Swarthmore students completed elementary education certification through a collaborative program with Eastern College.
During the past five years Swarthmore College has had a l00% pass rate on the initial administration of all PRAXIS tests taken by program completers, with the exception of one individual who failed a test for elementary certification. Every year, all Swarthmore College graduates of the Program who want to teach in the academic year in which they graduate, (either "in state" or "out of state") have been successful in finding teaching jobs. Several of the graduates of the classes of 2000 and 2001 chose to teach in the Philadelphia area. They were employed by the Haverford, Sun Valley, Tredyffrin-Easttown, Springfield, Central Bucks and Wallingford-Swarthmore School districts and the Masterman School in the Philadelphia School District, as well as in area Quaker schools (Friends Select, Delaware Valley Friends and Stratford Friends.) (See Title II report, Appendix C for additional information.)
The Swarthmore Education program is highly integrated with other academic departments at the College, and several of the disciplinary-based Education courses (courses in the 20s-60s) are cross-listed in other academic departments. In addition to offering secondary certification, the Program offers Special Majors in the Honors and Course Program and also Educational Minors in each of these curricular tracks. Special Majors in conjunction with Psychology, History, Sociology/Anthropology, Political Science, Linguistics, and English are regularly designed, and Special Majors with Computer Science, Math, Art , Dance, and Biology have also been approved. All Swarthmore faculty teach five courses a year, and this is also the case for Education faculty; supervising four student teachers a semester is the equivalent of a course. All Education courses, except for Practice Teaching and Curriculum and Methods (which are taken only by certification candidates), are taken in large numbers by students not pursuing certification, often in conjunction with majors in the Social Sciences. By graduation approximately 35-40% percent of a typical graduating class has taken one or more Education courses, though a majority of students do not take these courses with the intention of being certified. Most Education courses include a required field component, such as doing research or evaluation in schools or other educational settings, observing and assisting in classrooms, tutoring individual children or doing policy internships in education-related organizations. In a typical year, the Education Program places about 200-250 students in approximately 35 different public and private urban and suburban schools. The Introduction to Education course, which also fulfills a Primary Distribution Course requirement in the Social Sciences, is a very popular course that enrolls about one-third of each graduating class. As a Primary Distribution course, the class size of Introduction to Education sections is limited to twenty-five students. We teach five sections of this course a year.
Field placements are made in schools and in other education-related organizations in the Philadelphia area in which we have identified teachers or other educational professionals who welcome the opportunity to work with and incorporate our students into their classes or research, and, in the case of student teaching, to actively collaborate in the preparation of certification candidates. Student teaching is undertaken by approximately twelve to sixteen students a year who, whatever their area of certification, take the Curriculum and Methods seminar together. During student teaching they are observed by a College Supervisor on a weekly basis. During the student teaching semester, when certification candidates concurrently take the general curriculum and methods course, they also take special methods workshops in their disciplines.
In l992, the College made a generous, commitment to the Education Program by authorizing a Ninth Semester Student Teaching Option at a much reduced fee. In the past a number of students, often those in Honors, students with double majors or those who had studied abroad, were not able to fit a term of student teaching into their schedule. With the Ninth Semester Option, students who by graduation have completed all of the required course and field work for certification, except for Practice Teaching and the Curriculum and Methods Seminar, may return for a ninth semester. While they are enrolled for three College course credits (or 12 units), they are required to pay for only one course credit. This option has been attractive to students who prefer not to have to go graduate school in order to become certified to teach, and it has enabled over forty Swarthmore College graduates to become certified since its inception nine years ago. The Ninth Semester Option is further evidence of the College's commitment to "make its students more valuable human beings and more useful members of society as well as to help students realize their fullest intellectual and personal potential, combined with a deep sense of ethical and social concern."
Governance and Collaborative Oversight of the Certification
Program
Oversight of the certification program is the responsibility of the Education Chair and the Teacher Education Committee. The Teacher Education Committee consists of faculty members from the departments involved in secondary certification fields, the Education Chair, additional Education faculty, and three professional educators from area schools. Departmental faculty on the committee this year include representatives from Biology, English, History, Psychology, Sociology/Anthropology, Mathematics and Modern Languages. By rotating membership on this committee, we have been able to introduce many faculty across these certifying departments to the Program. The Teacher Education Committee representatives discuss and approve the applications of candidates for certification; discuss admissions requirements to the teacher education program; discuss educational policy issues, and during the past year have discussed and helped to write responses to changes in the State's General and Specific Standards for teacher certification. They also interview candidates for positions in the Education Program. In preparing for the 2002 State Review, the key changes in Chapter 354 were discussed with the Teacher Education Committee in May, 2001. In June 2001, for each area of secondary certification, there was a meeting/workshop with Education faculty and departmental faculty to review the existing standards and revise the program requirements in light of the Specific Standards for the content area. (For attendance at these workshops, which were after the end of the official school year, the Provost authorized payment of $l00.00 to each departmental faculty member who attended. ) During the Fall Semester, the departmental faculty reviewed the materials for each content area and also took responsibility for collecting departmental syllabi for the Major Review. In addition to meeting with the Teacher Education Committee on a more formal basis, Education faculty members meet regularly in pairs or as a whole department to discuss curricular changes and course offerings in Education as well as matters of general College business that concern the Education Program.
Resources and Facilities in Education
Additions to the Program's faculty and facilities during the past five years show the College's continued support for the Program in Education. A fourth full-time position was added to the Education faculty, a position that is slated to become a tenure track line in the next year. In addition, part-time faculty have been hired to teach a total of 2-3 courses a year. In 1999, the Educational Materials Center (EMC) was refurbished in conduction with the renovation of the 2nd floor of Pearson Hall, which houses the Education Program. The Education Program has four sizable faculty offices, all with MacIntosh computers that are upgraded on a four year cycle; an Administrative Assistant's office with a Macintosh computer and laser printer and fax machine; a faculty member's research lab with 5 Macintosh computers; and a spacious Educational Materials Center that houses a collection of over 4000 items (books, periodicals, educational software and other teaching materials); six computer stations with state of the art Macintosh computers; and other audiovisual equipment, such as an overhead projector, tape recorders, and transcribing machines. A grant from AT & T to enhance the ability of our certification candidates' use of technology in the classroom allowed us to purchase a Macintosh lap top computer and portable projection system and a digital camera in the last two years. The Education Program shares a Xerox machine with the Religion Department, whose offices are adjacent to the Education offices in Pearson Hall. A complete list of the EMC holdings is available on-line. The EMC is also used as a teaching space for seminars and small classes. During the past five years, the Education Program budget has increased at a somewhat higher rate than the average for academic departments at the College. Three relatively expensive items in the Education budget that are not duplicated in other departments include: a yearly allotment of $5,400 to purchase of books and equipment for the Educational Materials Center, payment to Cooperating Teachers ($200 per teacher per semester) and payment of transportation costs for students taking public transportation or driving to field placements, most of which are not within walking distance of the College, approximately $6,500 per year.
Integration of Technology in the Education Program
Technology is an integral feature of a certification students' preparation, and students leaving the Program are proficient with the Internet, have designed Web pages and also have incorporated the use of computers into their student teaching. In fact, many of our students are so proficient with computers that they frequently have been asked by their Cooperating Teachers or principals to teach others in the school how to effectively implement technology in their classrooms. Students also make good use of the on-line search facilities in doing research and designing lesson plans. In the past five years, the Program has continued to integrate technology into many of its courses. In Introduction to Education for example, students examine computer software as examples of various approaches to teaching and learning and evaluate the software according to different criteria. They also attend a computer lab in which they experiment with software in a variety of subject areas. In Teaching the Young Learner, students use the Math Forum, a prize-winning interactive mathematics site, to examine how young children learn and write about mathematics. In Educational Psychology, students do an extensive laboratory-based educational research assignment in which they use SPSS to analyze multiple sources of data on comprehension. In Curriculum and Methods, students do a detailed analysis of computer software available in their discipline, learn to use a computer grading system, design a web page and put their student teaching portfolios on line. During student teaching they are also required to develop at least one lesson which incorporates computer usage by the students. For further detail about technology education, see Topic12 in the Professional Sequence, Appendix A.
Dealing with issues of diversity in the Education Program
curriculum
As a Quaker institution and the second coeducational college in the country, Swarthmore College and the Program in Education have long-standing commitments to social diversity and to promoting meaningful relationships between individuals and groups of all races, creeds, genders, sexualities and socioeconomic backgrounds. In 1991, every department and program at the College was asked to respond to a set of questions developed by the Council on Educational Policy about diversity in teaching and learning. The Program in Education responded as follows:
The Program in Education approached CEP's questions about diversity with an agreed understanding that, although there is always more that could be done, we do a great deal to address these issues through both curriculum and practice in our courses. We assume diversity among our students and are committed to a curriculum and classroom process that allows for its exploration. Diversity is a theme woven explicitly through many of our courses: Introduction to Education, Urban Education, School and Society, Adolescence, Gender and Education, and Curriculum and Methods (and since l991 also Teaching the Young Learner and Literacies and Social Identities), in terms of both content and process…We work to create a classroom context within which conflicting ideas, especially those brought by students from diverse backgrounds and with diverse perspectives can fruitfully be debated….In our courses, we take a developmental approach, working with students where they are as individuals, and then helping them to move from there. The goal is to allow students a voice in the process, letting them hear how their views and experiences reflect, challenge, and address issues raised in the class and the views of their peers.
Key to this process is our view of knowledge as socially constructed. Thus we lead students to ask questions, rather than providing them with answers, in a process that is dynamic, critical, and reciprocal (involving exchanges between students, teachers, and texts). Even in courses in which diversity is not a named issue in the syllabus, this process encourages students and faculty to consider the individual and the social context in discussion of educational issues.
Future of Teacher Certification at Swarthmore
Swarthmore College is proud of the results of its certification program and most seriously committed to helping to address the need for teachers who are excellently prepared both in their academic content area and in professional education. Although the numbers of teachers graduating from our program are relatively small, compared to the numbers of teachers produced in the state as a whole, many of our graduates go on to assume positions of formal and informal leadership in the schools in which they teach and to exercise disproportionate influence in areas, such as curriculum and school governance, in a short period of time. We are concerned, however, that the new Pennsylvania regulations regarding grade point averages will adversely affect the numbers, as well as the diversity, of individuals who are certified at Swarthmore. In the last few years about twenty percent of Swarthmore's certification candidates have not graduated with a 3.0 average; most of these are students of color and students in the math and science certification programs. Although, virtually without exception, these students HAVE passed all of the PRAXIS tests, the rigor of the Swarthmore curriculum and grading standards at the College will prevent such otherwise excellently prepared students from becoming certified. (See paper by Travers, in Appendix M.) Earlier we also raised concerns about the effect of requiring six credits in college level English and six credits in Mathematics (which at Swarthmore would amount to two courses in each area). In Math, for example, the College's curriculum begins, for all practical purposes, with Calculus, and over 50% of students arrive on campus with AP scores of 4 or 5 in Calculus AB or AB/BC. We worried that many individuals would not be interested in taking higher level math courses in order to be certified to teach, especially given the growing options for alternative certification both within and inside Pennsylvania. We were relieved when we received the Bureau of Teacher Education memo this fall indicating that SAT II scores of certain levels in Math and Writing could be counted as equivalents of three college credits. This will go far to alleviate the problems we anticipated with these new regulations.
