Peru State College, founded as a teachers’ college, places a primary emphasis upon the preparation of excellent teachers who will serve the region, the state and the nation. That teachers are the professionals charged with the task of educating our children for roles in a democratic society is a realization forming the philosophical basis for our program.

 

The Teacher Education Unit is committed to preparing exemplary professionals in the field of education. The faculty and staff in the Teacher Education Unit understand the  complexity, interrelatedness and recursive nature of the teaching/learning process. We are committed to preparing our teacher education candidates to be reflective professionals in general studies, specific content areas and pedagogy.  In addition, their educational experiences will equip them to be effective  communicators  and  critical  decision-makers  in  a  democratic  and increasingly technological society. Graduates will be agents for change with an appreciation of diverse cultures and viewpoints. Therefore, we create and update courses based upon our study and reflection on current research and professional writing. We encourage diverse field experiences, co-curricular activities and professional opportunities. We believe that the self-directed individual understands that learning is a lifelong process that involves continual growth.

 

The School of Education provides teacher preparation programs in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Nebraska Department of Education. The Nebraska Department of Education requires that individuals seeking teacher certification be qualified for endorsement in one field or one subject. Subjects and fields are defined as follows:

 

Field: Field refers to a set of courses that include two or more closely related subjects and cover a broader curriculum. For example, Social Science is a field while History is a subject; or Natural Science is a field, while  Biology  and  Chemistry  are  considered  subjects;  or Elementary Education is a field including all the subjects taught in grades kindergarten through grade eight.

 

Subject: Subject refers to a more specific set of courses within one subject, such as English, Biology, or History Education.

 

The School of Education offers teacher preparation programs in the following fields and subjects:

 

Teaching Fields Endorsements	Teaching Subject Endorsements
Art (K-12)	Biology (7-12)
Early Childhood Educ Unified (B-3)	Basic Business (7-12)
Elementary Education (K-6)	Chemistry (7-12)
Health & Physical Education (K-12)	Early Childhood Education (B-3)
Language Arts (7-12)	English (7-12)
Mathematics (7-12)	History (7-12)
Music (K-12)	*Vocal Music (K-8)
Middle Grades Education (4-9)
Natural Science (7-12)
Social Science (7-12)
Special Education (K-9, 7-12) (Mild/Moderately Disabled)

 

*This endorsement is only available to candidates who possess or intend to graduate with an endorsement in elementary education.

 

An additional supplemental teaching endorsement in Coaching is available with the above areas.

 

For complete information regarding teacher education requirements and teacher certification, contact the Certification Officer, School of Education at Peru State College, or the Director of Teacher Certification, State Department of Education, Lincoln, Nebraska 68509.