Saif Sarfani, Campus Carrier Features Editor
The Charter School of Education and Human Sciences offers three certified graduate education degrees for teachers who want to better their positions in their school system.
The degrees offered include a Masters of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) with concentrations in early-childhood, middle- grades and secondary teacher education, an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) with concentrations in curriculum and instruction and educational leadership, and a Masters in Education (M.Ed.) with concentrations in curriculum and instruction and educational leadership.
“The career goals for our Ed.S. Leadership candidates are to become leaders in their schools,” Ed.S. Leadership program specialist and accreditation coordinator Monica Willingham said.
To be admitted to the program, individuals must have teaching experience and have gone through an approval process with their superintendent and principal.
“We’ve had 95 percent of students promoted, before they graduate, or when they graduate from a classroom teacher to assistant principals or even principals,” Willingham said.
To be eligible to participate in graduate studies in education at Berry, candidates are recommended by their school districts and must meet admission criteria.
The graduate education program has cohort schools in Cobb County, Floyd County and Cherokee County. A cohort is a group of people working together for a specific program. There are currently six cohorts operating. Most classes are in Cobb County and students are pulled from surrounding counties. Northwest Georgia cohorts take classes on campus.
“I’ve been working for it for eight years,” said Administrator- in-Residence Davis Nelson, the clinical assistant professor and director of educational leadership.
“We work with local school systems in the state of Georgia to help train people who want to be administrators, principals and superintendents,” Nelson said. “The whole program is research-based. It’s training people who are already teachers.”
“Every state has their own education-training program requirements,” Nelson said. “Most of them will accept training from other states, like if you taught in Tennessee and you move to Georgia, usually your certificate will transfer and you would need to take only one or two courses.”
Graduate education studies train individuals to become leaders in their school districts. After graduation, Ed.S. Leadership students are prepared for work in higher positions such as assistant principal, principal and superintendent. The M.A.T. program gives teachers experience through working with local school districts and helps them apply the knowledge and skills nessecary for their positions. The M.Ed. program increases teachers’ critical-thinking skills that faciliate their students’ learning.