Unit Governance and Resources
STANDARD 6
UNIT GOVERNANCE AND RESOURCES
The unit has the leadership, authority, budget, personnel, facilities, and resources, including information technology resources, for the preparation of candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards.
6.1 How do the unit’s governance system and resources contribute to adequately preparing candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards? (3 page narrative)
The professional education unit, which includes the Ella Cline Shear School of Education, the department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, and those liberal arts and sciences departments directly involved in teacher education, operates within the institutional context of SUNY-Geneseo and the SUNY System. * As a result of funding priorities, the Communicative Disorders and Sciences Program (both undergraduate and graduate components) has been deactivated as of Nov. 2010. No new candidates are being admitted at the undergraduate or graduate level. The unit offers undergraduate and graduate teacher certification programs leading to initial and professional certification in New York State. The Dean of the School of Education is designated by the Provost as head of the professional education unit. The Dean oversees the certification requirements for all candidates in the teacher education unit. The Dean is responsible for approving all teacher education programs and for registering teacher education curricula with the New York State Education Department
Curriculum and college policies not determined by federal or state statute or the SUNY System are developed by college faculty/staff and approved by the SUNY-Geneseo College Senate, which is composed of faculty and staff from the various school departments including Education, administrators, and students. Senate decisions are advisory to the President, who approves college curriculum and local policies. All academic deans, directors, and chairs report directly to the Provost, the chief academic officer. Curricular changes in the School of Education must first be approved by the appropriate division, then by the appropriate SOE committees, reviewed by the Teacher Education Advisory Committee (TEAC) (advisory), and by the SOE Executive Committee (advisory). Proposed curricular changes then go to the full body of the SOE for approval. The Dean forwards proposed program and curricular changes to the Office of the Dean of the College for final review before presentation to the appropriate College Senate Curriculum Committee. (6.3.b)
The Dean is advised by the Teacher Education Advisory Committee, whose members are appointed by the Provost including faculty members from the School of Education and the liberal arts and sciences departments, P-12 school representatives and teacher candidates. Undergraduate programs include: 1. Early Childhood and Childhood Education, 2. Childhood Education, 3. Childhood with Special Education, and 4. Adolescence Education (English, Math, Social Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, French, and Spanish). Graduate programs include: 1. Reading and Literacy (Birth through grade 12), 2. Early Childhood, 3. Multicultural Education, and 4. Adolescence Programs (English, Math, Social Studies, French and Spanish).
The School of Education operates with a Plan of Governance that includes an elected Executive Committee and four standing committees: Assessment, Undergraduate Programs, Graduate Programs, and School Partnerships and External Relationships. Membership on these committees includes both tenured and untenured faculty and staff from the School of Education, P-12 school personnel, and teacher candidates. The responsibilities of each committee are detailed in the School of Education Plan of Governance. The Personnel Committee and the Executive Committee are elected committees of the School of Education. The Personnel Committee consists of tenured faculty and the Executive Committee of full or associate faculty members. The Executive Committee serves as an advisory body to the Dean of the School of Education. For example, the Executive Committee works with the Dean in reviewing committee charges and in communicating priorities and action items to standing and ad hoc committees; reviews end-of-year standing committee reports; and collaborates on setting the agenda for monthly School of Education meetings. Undergraduate programs in the School of Education are overseen by Division Coordinators. Divisions meet monthly. Division Coordinators meet monthly as a group with the Dean. Division Coordinators receive a stipend. Graduate programs are coordinated by a faculty member who is given one course release and a summer stipend. In addition, ad hoc committees can be established to address specific needs as desired. Minutes are kept of all committee meetings within the School of Education and posted each month electronically. Additionally, action items and program/policy changes are continually added to handbooks/websites to reflect current practices. (6.3.b)
School of Education faculty belong to other committees that impact the unit, including College Senate (elected), any Task Forces called by the President or the Provost (appointed), the College Research Council (appointed), the College Assessment Committee (appointed), Middle States Working Groups (appointed), the All-College Judicial Committee (appointed), and the Faculty Personnel Committee (elected). Faculty members serve as advisors to a number of student organizations approved by the college. These include a wide variety of college clubs, some of which directly address education such as School Change – Students for Education Reform and Students Educating Students About Ableism. Faculty and staff also serve as advisors to student organizations approved by the School of Education which provide support and development for our candidates. These organizations include: Council for Exceptional Children, Elementary and Secondary Education Association, Geneseo Organization for Deaf Awareness, Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society, and Young Children’s Council.
Members of the local professional community participate in unit operations in a variety of ways including membership on standing committees. Our Dean serves regularly on various professional and community committees and boards including the Joint Management Team, a committee of area school superintendents and Education Deans who meet throughout the year to discuss topics of mutual interest. In addition, School of Education faculty members provide input for our school partners as they work within their districts and buildings to improve education opportunities for their students. For example, our Reading and Literacy faculty provide reading clinic services at School #58 and Community Place in Rochester as well as Geneseo Central, Avon Central, and the Horizons Summer Program at Harley School in Pittsford.
Because Geneseo teacher candidates are welcomed in local classrooms, our work to create clinically-rich programs is expedited. Special partnerships have been established in three local schools, Mt. Morris Central, Geneseo Central, and Perry Central, and in the Fall of 2011 increased our number of PDS schools by four including Schools #8, #12 and 34 in Rochester, and Dansville Central, one of our rural partners.
Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences
The Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, responsible for the preparation of candidates for certification and licensure as speech pathologists, is a separate department with its own governance. The Department operates with a chair and three standing committees: Graduate Academic Affairs, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, and Appointments and Promotions. Cooperation and communication between the School of Education and Communicative Disorders and Sciences is formalized through the Teacher Education Advisory Committee and the participation of faculty from Communicative Disorders and Sciences on School of Education committees.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Departments
School of Education majors have a concentration in the Liberal Arts and Sciences (Childhood, Early Childhood with Childhood, Childhood with Special Education), or major in a specific field (Adolescence). The academic departments that house the concentrations and majors for School of Education candidates are separate departments. Cooperation and communication between the School of Education and the Liberal Arts and Sciences departments is formalized through the Teacher Education Advisory Committee, the participation of faculty from other departments on School of Education committees, and the preparation of our SPA Reports.
6.2.a Standard on which the unit is moving to the target level: Describe areas of the standard at which the unit is currently performing at the target level. Summarize activities and their impact on candidate performance and program quality that have led to target level performance. Discuss plans and timelines for obtaining and/or sustaining target level performance as articulated in the rubrics of unit standard 6. [maximum of 5 pages]
6a. Unit Leadership and Authority: The SOE enjoys an excellent reputation and our graduates are highly regarded for their strong theoretical background, extensive content knowledge, pedagogical skills, passion for the profession, and desire to serve children. The unit provides the leadership for coordinating all programs designed to prepare candidates to be effectively teachers. The Dean heads the unit. Divisions meet monthly under the leadership of a Division Coordinator to review curriculum, ensure consistency, assess data, and make decisions about future directions. During Division meetings, faculty discuss program design and implementation, assessment data, and divisional issues. Division Coordinators meet monthly with the Dean.
Our Plan of Governance calls for four Standing Committees, (Assessment, Undergraduate, Graduate, and Partnerships and External Relations) which hold monthly meetings to discuss issues relating to curriculum under their charge, assessment data, and other matters. There are two elected committees, the Executive Committee and the Personnel Committee. The Executive Committee meets monthly (or more frequently if needed) with the Dean to consider, advise, and facilitate communication and coordination among all divisions and programs. The Personnel Committee holds an orientation session concerning the processes of renewal, continuing appointment (tenure), and promotion, reviews all portfolios for renewal, continuing appointment (tenure), and promotion, as well as proposals for sabbatical leaves.
In addition to committees listed above, faculty form Ad Hoc Committees to deal with specific issues according to interests and needs of the School. Such committees receive a specific charge, and disband when the charge is completed and a recommendation for action is submitted.
The SOE faculty and staff hold monthly meetings to discuss issues that are pertinent to the unit. This body approves all proposed curricular changes and all proposed changes in the POG and receives reports from all Standing and Ad Hoc Committees. Minutes of all committees are posted electronically in SOE outboxes.
The Teacher Education Advisory Committee (TEAC), whose members are appointed by the Provost, co-chaired by a School of Education and a Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty member meets at least four times a year. TEAC serves as a bridge between the SOE, College Departments in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the College Dean’s Office. The Committee affords an opportunity for members to consider issues pertinent to the preparation of candidates. This body advises the School on all proposed changes in curriculum.
Faculty and staff work closely with P-12 partners by collaborating with classroom teachers and administrators at all levels of clinical experiences, and in action research and professional development projects. Our P-12 partners provide regular input into program design, delivery, and evaluation through membership on TEAC, the Joint Management Team (JMT), and several SOE committees – Partnerships and the Assessment Committees. The SOE is recognized on campus for the excellence of its preparation of teachers and as a source of professional development in effective teaching for local districts. Unit faculty provide seminars and workshops on instructional strategies through our weekly Xerox Seminars, the Teaching and Learning Center, and the Teacher Education Resource Center (TERC), located in Milne Library. (6.3.h)
College recruitment and admissions practices are clearly described in publications and catalogues. (6.3.d) Departments update informational brochures and websites on a regular basis. The College Admissions Office is responsible for recruiting students to the SOE. Representatives from the SOE provide recruitment open houses, campus tours, informational meetings, personal phone calls, class visitations, and meetings with prospective students and parents. All incoming freshmen and transfer students who intend to major in education are assigned a faculty advisor in the SOE. Students seeking certification in Adolescence Education are assigned to an advisor in their major (who is designated as the point person in Education). Candidates have the option of meeting with the Assistant to the Dean as well. The SOE provides an academic advisement newsletter which includes clearly defined academic policies and procedures, as well as detail on resources. (6.3.c)
Activities that have had a major impact: Beginning in fall of 2009, students interested in majoring in education are invited to meet with the Assistant to the Dean to learn more about our program. The Assistant to the Dean makes follow-up phone calls to address areas of interest and concern. To enable each program and our unit to more accurately monitor candidate progress, TaskStream was implemented in 2010. TaskStream is now fully operational at the undergraduate. It is being implemented at the graduate level in Fall 2012. The increased efficiency of our data management system was very helpful to us in preparing for our Faculty Retreat to examine data in August of 2011. The TERC is now located on campus and receives support from library staff and from SOE faculty. This center serves our P-12 partners and candidates. Our Xerox Center provides programming and support to P-12 partners in Rochester, but also offers weekly seminars. (4.3.i)
To continue at the target level: We plan to expand the use of TaskStream, to include candidates in our graduate programs beginning in Fall 2012. We will also increase the use of TaskStream to manage details with field experience and student teaching. The School plans to strengthen the graduate school by adding online options, and extending graduate offerings. We will move forward with our proposed Master’s degree program in Secondary Special Education as the proposal has been approved by SUNY. We will continue our work with the Community Center for Excellence in Teaching Initiative – a three-year FIPSI Grant (Rochester City Schools/Rush-Henrietta Central School/Monroe Community College and area four-year colleges) to strengthen the pipeline from high school to community college and beyond. We will seek ways to increase the professional development offerings on effective teaching for other faculty at the college level. We will continue working with our Liberal Arts colleagues by sharing candidate performance data and seeking input regarding program improvements.
6b. Unit Budget: Our unit has been able to provide faculty and staff with the resources needed to maintain a high level of service to candidates, community, and P-12 partners. Our unit’s budget is comparable to other units on campus. (6.3.g) Faculty and staff are encouraged to apply for funds to support their professional development activities. Faculty may apply for funding through the SOE (Dean’s Office); through federal and state grants; and through Geneseo’s Office of Sponsored Research (5.3.g)