Teacher Education: The Institutions That Offer Good Programs In The US

Teacher education is an important period as this is when every person, who undergoes it, spends the maximum amount of time in its formative cradle. Teacher education is also popularly known as teacher development and teacher training.

To speak specifically about the program, teacher education trains graduate students to work as teachers in schools. This course is a necessary prerequisite for any person who wants to get into the profession of teaching. Here, the aspiring teacher not only receives theoretical knowledge such as lessons and lectures, but also gets enough practical experience of teaching. Further, this course attempts to teach new developments in the field to an aspiring teacher, so that he can excel in his field of specialization. Moreover, comprehensive training is offered in methodologies of teaching, material preparation for classes, evaluation standards and procedures, management of the whole class, and curriculum development.

In almost all the good universities of America, graduate programs are offered in teacher education and training. An important quality of these courses is that they not only give you complete theoretical knowledge, but also aims to create a band of leaders, who understand that education is the most important part of a person's life and thus give their heart and soul to this profession. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is a government body that grades the quality of programs offered by universities for teacher education. Further, this body accredits schools and colleges across the whole country. Set up in 1951, this body sees to it that all educational institutions maintain a high level and quality of education.

Information on some of the leading universities that offer programs for teacher education is provided below. This will help people to identify their area of interest and also provide a better insight into teaching as a profession.

University of California in San Diego is one of the leading educational institutes in America. It offers major, minor, undergraduate, graduate, as well as post graduate programs in education studies. Even doctorate degrees are available for those teachers who want to further enhance their studies. This university also offers two special programs, namely Master of Arts in Deaf Education and Master of Ed. Credential programs in multiple subjects.

Another renowned educational institution, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, also has some special teacher education programs for students who want to become trained as a teacher. They have two graduate level programs, namely the Mid-Career Math and Science program (MCMS) and the Teaching and Curriculum program (TAC). They also have an undergraduate level Teacher Education Program, which is in fact one of the oldest in the whole country.