The College of Education at N.C. State has grown significantly in the last several years.
According to Michael Maher, director of professional education for the COE, the number of student-teacher positions the college must find for students was only 200 students last year, but increased to 300 this year and is expected to grow to 400 in 2011. Maher said the burden has made placement more challenging, especially considering the extensive process the University must go through with each student. It is always a challenge, he said.
“Around 160 student teachers and 500 observers are placed into classrooms every semester,” Maher said. “Having so many students that have to fulfill these requirements makes it hard to find a place for everyone.”
Like students in many majors around campus, real-world experience is essential for students entering the education field. But the placements are mandatory in COE, putting a significant weight on the college. The student-teaching program takes a full semester and earns students 12 credit hours.
Maher said all student teacher and observer candidates are cleared by his office and must then gain approval from county administrators where they plan to work. Most of these approvals go through Wake County administrators, who, according to Maher, handle more than 85 percent of N.C. State students.
According to Maher, despite the thousands of teachers in Wake County, only a select few can actually host student teachers. “In order for a teacher to host a student teacher they have to have taught for a minimum of four years,” Maher said.
The requirement increases the challenge of placing a large volume of students, especially considering the other challenges teachers face. He said another factor to take into account is the workload of certain teachers, such as those who take on additional positions, such as department head or mentor.
An additional aspect the college must consider when placing students into the community, is the safety of North Carolina’s children.
Maher said in order to make the placement process safer for the students of Wake County Schools, among others, the college now conducts background checks on sophomores as they begin their experiences.
It is beneficial for students, Maher said, to learn this information before their student teaching requirement must be met than to be taken by surprise at graduation when they are unable to obtain a teaching license because of their background.
Maher said this only applies to a handful of students a year, though — less than 1 percent this year.
Editor’s Note: This is a republication of a story initially published on March 5. It has been edited for clarity. Technician regrets the error.