Product Review:
The Quest for a Qualified Teacher in Every Classroom
by Patrick Ianniello, Ph.D.

In 1964, Audrey Cohen, a woman determined to change how students are educated, introduced Purpose-Centered Education. Through an approach she called experiential learning, students would use their knowledge to work on Constructive Action projects, and approach education as a learning laboratory. The college Ms. Cohen founded, now re-named Metropolitan College of New York, is still transforming lives and education forty years later.

In September 2004, MCNY is introducing a Master of Science in Education degree that is designed to prepare graduate students for their initial certification in Childhood Education (grades 1--6). This unique one-year full-time program allows students to study and complete an applied internship in childhood education at the same time. In the first semester, through field experiences, students examine and explore in practice positive professional relationships and resources in the school and the community that are aimed at helping children to become effective learners.

In the second semester, students will participate in a primary grade student teaching experience with a focus on honing their skills in curriculum construction, development and evaluation based on national and state standards. In the third and final segment of the program, a student teaching experience in the upper elementary grades will allow them an opportunity to critique their own work, re-evaluate their own teaching methods and think about how to meet the unique and diverse learning needs of all students.

As signaled with the passage of the “No Child Left Behind” legislation, there has been a movement at the local and state level in the United States to make sure all of our children are receiving a quality education. To achieve the goal of raising the standards for quality elementary education, an important step is to make sure that all teachers are fully certified and understand their unique role in the community.

Now through our Master of Science in Childhood Education, students, many who are changing careers to enter the profession, once again support the mission of Metropolitan College of New York “to provide an education of the highest caliber that empowers students of all ages and backgrounds to lead, to pursue justice, and to promote change in their personal, professional and civic lives.” It seems appropriate now, when times call for reform in educational practice, that the College takes what experiences have proven true in its model of education and apply that to the preparation of a new kind of professional teacher.#

Dr. Patrick Ianniello is the Director of the Master of Science Degree in Education Program at Metropolitan College of New York. Dr. Ianniello has served as an elementary school principal, assistant principal and teacher in New York City Public Schools for 34 years.