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Meeting of the Board of Regents | April 2003

Friday, April 4, 2003 - 11:00pm

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

TO:

The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents

FROM:

Johanna Duncan-Poitier

COMMITTEE:

Higher and Professional Education

TITLE OF ITEM:

Metropolitan College of New York: Master of Science in Education (M.S. in Ed.), Childhood Education

DATE OF SUBMISSION:

April 4, 2003

PROPOSED HANDLING:

Approval (Consent Agenda)

RATIONALE FOR ITEM:

Metropolitan College needs Regents approval of an amendment to its master plan to authorize its first program in the disciplinary area of Education

STRATEGIC GOAL:

Goals 2 and 4

AUTHORIZATION(S):

SUMMARY:

Metropolitan College of New York, Manhattan, seeks the Regents approval of an amendment to its master plan to authorize the College to offer a program in childhood education leading to the Master of Science in Education (M.S. in Ed.) degree. Master plan amendment is needed because this would be the College�s first program in the disciplinary area of Education.

The Office of College and University Evaluation has determined that the proposed program, if approved, would meet the standards for registration set forth in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.

Recommendation: I recommend that the Regents take the following action:

VOTED, That the master plan of Metropolitan College of New York be amended, effective April 29, 2003, to authorize the College to offer a Master of Science (M.S. in Ed.) program in Childhood Education. This amendment will be effective until April 30, 2004, unless the Department registers the program prior to that date, in which case master plan amendment shall be without term.

METROPOLITAN COLLEGE OF NEW YORK

MSED In Childhood Education

Academic Review

Metropolitan College of New York, formerly Audrey Cohen College, located in New York City, requests a master plan amendment to add teacher preparation to its established mission. That mission is "to provide an education that fosters personal and professional development, empowers students to lead, promotes social justice, and encourages positive changes in workplaces and communities." Specifically, the College proposes offering a Master of Science in Education (MSED) program in childhood education leading to teacher certification, a goal consistent with the established mission.

The graduate students of the proposed program will be organized into learning communities through a cohort model that allows for greater peer learning and interactions. In line with the College�s focus on purpose-centered education linking theory to practice, the curriculum will provide a performance-based education that includes intensive fieldwork. The curriculum will be delivered over three semesters, the first focusing on establishing effective relationships with key constituencies, the second on teaching effectively, and the third on meeting the needs of all learners. Students will complete five transdisciplinary courses each semester related to that semester�s focus. The total program will ensure that candidates meet the standards for teacher preparation in Commissioner�s Regulations.

Admission will require that applicants have earned bachelor�s degrees emphasizing breadth and depth in the liberal arts, foreign languages, and social and natural sciences, with at least a B average. In addition, all applicants will be interviewed and required to submit three letters of reference, as well as a writing sample.

The College has a long history of successfully educating people from a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Historically, the students of the College have been drawn from City communities in which high-need K-6 schools are located. The College anticipates that this pattern will be replicated with the proposed childhood education program, and that graduates will return to the same high-need communities in their professional roles as teachers. The anticipated commitment of the graduates of the program to their communities is expected to contribute to a reduction in teacher turnover in the schools in which they are employed and to increased stability in the learning environment of those schools.

Full-time student enrollment is projected at 25 in year one, increasing to 90 in year five. The estimated resources appear to be sufficient to support the program as it grows, with faculty positions budgeted to meet the projected growth in enrollment. The College will employ several new full-time faculty with appropriate credentials and expertise in childhood education to augment the faculty, following the requested approval of the master plan amendment and prior to program registration.

The College is committed to the expansion of degree programs in new fields so that it can continue to make positive contributions to the vitality of the City through the work of its graduates. The proposed program is consistent with this goal, as it seeks to address the present need for outstanding professionals within the City�s education system, who are dedicated to serving the educational needs of their communities.

Planning Review

The five institutions that responded to the canvass of higher education institutions in New York City had no objection to the proposed program.