Graduate Programs in the School of Education

The School of Education (SOE) offers graduate programs that prepare teachers, educational leaders and managers, education specialists, cross-cultural exchange professionals and researchers for careers in schools, school districts, colleges and universities, federal, state and local government agencies, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, business, and non- profit, community and professional organizations. SOE graduate program curricula is designed to include innovative, inclusive, and evidence-based teaching approaches, cutting-edge research, and active partnerships. Through courses, internships, practica, and research, students collaborate with professionals in public schools, educational organizations, and state and federal agencies. SOE graduates leave ready to join an American University alumni network of talented professionals who are working to transform both domestic and international education spaces.

The Education Policy and Leadership division includes certificate, masters and doctoral programs focusing on cultivating a new generation of leaders throughout the education system.

The Post-Masters Antiracist Administration, Supervision, and Leadership (Graduate Certificate) is designed for students wanting an approved program of study for pre-K-12 administration, supervision and/or leadership endorsement. Students build and sharpen skills required to be leaders of schools (public, private, charter), districts, charter systems, or education-related organizations. Students learn to lead change systemically, ethically, and equitably. This program provides an exciting learning experience that combines rigorous academic work with actual practice.

The Education Policy and Leadership (MEd) prepares educators and other professionals to serve as leaders in education organizations focused on education and associated systems. Students gain the knowledge and skills in leadership, policy, law, economics, research, and equity and anti-racism to effectively administer and support education programs and policies at all levels. Students develop deeper knowledge about how to support school-wide and school-wide change. The EPL program is offered in three formats: on-campus, online, and hybrid.

Students learn from faculty with real-world experience in the education policy space. A distinguishing feature of the degree is the proseminar course where students are matched with a government agency, district, or nonprofit to work on a policy related project. Students learn how to manage a project, collaborate in groups, and work effectively with a partner client.

Students in the online Education Policy and Leadership (EdD) hone their leadership skills and are prepared to systematically lead in education, so that education systems are re-designed, re-imagined, and enhanced for the purposes of the success of every learner. The doctoral program brings cohorts of leaders together to explore and consider how to transform and disrupt education with the promise of education as a reality for all learners, regardless of race, class, ethnicity, gender and zip code.

Students take courses to build their knowledge and skills in multiple domains, including policy navigation, organizational leadership and change, personal mastery and leadership, fostering social justice and inclusion, and innovation in education. The design of the program brings leaders together from schools, districts, policy shops, entrepreneurial ventures, and foundations so that they can identify a problem of practice within their organizations, research and prototype solutions in their work, and connect with their cohort around issues of practice, real world experiences, and issues of personal and organizational leadership.

The International Training and Education (MA) program offers students a strong foundation in theory, principles, and practice in international education development, internationalization of education, and intercultural exchange. Since 1982, ITEP has provided an ideal environment for students who want to further their skills and experiences in areas such as training program design; intercultural learning and exchange; program management and evaluation; transitional and social justice; internationalization of higher education; and equity in education. Throughout the program, students apply their own international education experiences and learn from faculty who are experts in both practice and research. In the culminating capstone project, students design and implement a training, curriculum, research paper, or evaluation in a context relevant to their professional interests and goals.

ITEP guides students in any combination of professional pathways:

The international education development pathway prepares students to research, evaluate, discuss, and contextualize pressing global education issues. Students practice applying these skills throughout the program and go on to serve as important leaders and specialists in a wide range of international institutions and organizations. Graduates work in areas such as policy development; advocacy, research and evaluation; and program management with the intention of improving education access, quality, and equity around the world.

The internationalization and exchange pathway engages students who are interested in the interchange and movement of people and ideas across cultures. Special emphasis is placed on the history, politics, and changing nature of exchange, study abroad policies and practices, student mobility, internationalization efforts in higher education, and intercultural program management. Graduates work for universities and international exchange organizations as advisors, program coordinators, managers, and directors.

The training for change pathway prepares students to serve as social change agents by strengthening training skills and practice in needs assessment, curriculum and training design, group facilitation, and evaluation using systems thinking and experiential learning approaches. Graduates work as trainers and specialists in capacity-building in education institutions and social justice organizations in North America and around the world. Graduates may also serve as educators or leaders in public or private institutions striving to internationalize their institutions and promote greater equity and inclusion for diverse learners. Skills learned are applicable to a wide range of roles in education institutions as well as agencies that facilitate teacher training, programming for newcomer communities, nonformal and refugee education, and youth development.

The Special Education: Learning Disabilities (MA) program, called SELD, is committed to preparing teachers to work with students with high prevalence learning disorders and specific learning disabilities (LD) including dyslexia, mathematics disorders, non-verbal learning disabilities, executive function disorders, and speech and language disorders. This SELD program prepares teachers for DC licensure in PK-12 categorical special education-LD. Completers enter the workforce as therapeutic and diagnostic practitioners, drawing upon strong antiracist and culturally relevant pedagogies. Teacher candidates participate in a year of clinical supervision in PK-12 special education placements serving students with high-incidence disabilities across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. SELD teacher candidates experience hands-on work in school settings with mentor teachers. SELD graduates are equipped with diagnostic and prescriptive techniques that they put to use teaching students in a range of placement settings, including inclusive general education, self-contained, and therapeutic classroom settings. SELD graduates also develop the knowledge and skills to collaborate with general educators, related service personnel, and families. The program is designed to prepare PK-12 teachers, in alignment with the District of Columbia’s Special Education Teaching License. In the program, candidates complete their student teaching/internship experience in local schools in the Washington DC region (including Maryland and Northern Virginia) that serve students with cognitive and language-based disorders in inclusive and self-contained settings. The SELD program is recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

The Teaching (MAT) program prepares highly skilled teachers who are dedicated to providing equitable education and instruction to all students. The programs’ foci on social justice, learning sciences, and high leverage practice skills are core components of SOE’s Teacher Education program philosophy. The Teacher Education programs prepare students interested in Early Childhood Education (PK-3), Elementary Education (1-6), English as a Second Language (K-12) and Secondary Education (7-12).

Students who complete an undergraduate or graduate degree in teacher education earn a DC Standard Teacher Credential, which has reciprocity with 47 states. Through two distinct field-based settings in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia schools, teacher candidates complete over 500 hours in an elementary education classroom. The two-day per week practicum, which spans 14 weeks is completed in conjunction with methods coursework and results in over 100 hours of classroom experience. The five-day a week, full-time student teaching experience is completed during the candidates’ final 14-week semester at the university and results in over 400 hours of classroom experience. The unique diversity of the Washington DC regional area enables candidates to complete field experiences in different types of settings, which allows teacher candidates to develop their knowledge, skills, and dispositions relative to teaching in a variety of educational contexts.

Clinical experiences bridge the gap between theory and practice and provide opportunities for candidates to apply and reflect on evidence-based strategies from coursework. A common element across all field experiences is clinical supervision through the selection of well-qualified cooperating teaching and experienced university-based clinical faculty members. All cooperating teachers are licensed teachers with at least three years of experience teaching and have demonstrated the ability to mentor adults. As part of the application process, cooperating teachers also are required to demonstrate instructional effectiveness as measured by student learning. In addition, every teacher candidate is provided mentoring and supervision by a clinical faculty member. One hundred percent of clinical supervisors are former teachers.

As an aspiring teacher in the Urban Teachers teacher certification and development program, students earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from American University and become a teacher in Baltimore, Dallas, DC, or Philadelphia. Urban Teachers faculty have years of high-quality classroom teaching experience and are uniquely equipped to provide students with a meaningful learning experience. Coursework in this program gives students the knowledge and theoretical foundation needed while also giving plenty of opportunities for hands-on practice to apply what is learned. Students also receive support from a dedicated Urban Teachers coach whose goal is to accelerate effectiveness in student’s first year as a resident teacher and during the first two years as the leader in the classroom.

Exclusive to American University, students who choose the Urban Teachers program earn certifications in elementary education, secondary English language arts, or secondary math. Additionally, each participant receives a special education teaching license, preparing them to meet the needs of all students they teach. Participants in the Dallas cohort are also certified in English as a Second Language.

Urban Teachers’ teams on the ground in our partner cities are composed of former educators and invested local leaders who have deep knowledge of the local educational and cultural landscape. They work with students to find a quality school placement and are fully accessible to support with every detail of transition into our program from placement support to housing and relocation.

Programs

Master’s Program (GR)

Certificate (GR)

Doctoral Program (GR)

Education Policy and Leadership (EdD)