As an Educator Preparation Provider, the preparation of teachers at both the initial and advanced program levels continues to be one of the major responsibilities of Buffalo State. The quality and diversity of the professional education programs have earned the university an excellent reputation across the state and nation. We have been continuously accredited since 1954, most recently by CAEP in Fall 2022 through Fall 2029.
All professional education programs in the Buffalo State Teacher Education Unit (TEU) are under the leadership of the Dean of the School of Education who is the Unit Head and a member of the Dean’s Council. The preparation of teachers for secondary and K-12 education content areas occurs primarily within departments of the respective disciplines in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of the Professions. All teacher education programs are represented in the Teacher Education Council (TEC) that advises the Unit Head, and thus, the Dean's Council.
The unit conceptual framework forms a basis for all unit operations. The conceptual framework for professional education at Buffalo State reflects the commitment of all members of the professional education community to the preparation of knowledgeable and skilled educators. It is influenced by a strong commitment to issues of diversity, value for collaboration between university and public school personnel for the mutual renewal and improvement of each setting, and an educational environment that ensures success for all. These values along with the identified array of knowledge, disposition, and skill outcomes that have been developed unit-wide--as well as those additional outcomes which have been developed by individual programs--constitute the basis for assessing individual candidate performance and for making judgments about overall unit and program quality.
The focus of the conceptual framework for initial program candidates is preparing reflective facilitators of learning. The focus of the conceptual framework for advanced program candidates is preparing accomplished reflective educators. The central core conceptions of P-12 Learner, Content knowledge, and effective Pedagogy are encompassed with a context including Technology, Reflection, Diversity, and Dispositions.
The mission of the teacher education faculty at Buffalo State University is to prepare facilitators of learning (initial programs) and accomplished educators (advanced programs) who are reflective, innovative, and student-centered. We strive to prepare professionals who can meet the challenge of teaching all learners in a complex, technological, global society. Teacher education faculty engage their collective expertise in teaching; scholarship and research; and service to the community, university, and profession. Faculty value and strive to cultivate a professional climate that promotes teaching excellence, intellectual vitality, and communication through collaboration across programs, among faculty, students, and the larger community.
The conceptual framework, which includes unit goals, of all teacher education programs at Buffalo State University articulates the unit's vision, ensures coherence across candidates' programs and reflects commitment to prepare candidates to work effectively with all students including students with culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse backgrounds and students with disabilities.
The teacher education faculty believe that the optimal environment for teacher preparation is one in which university-based and school-based teacher educators collaborate closely on mutually identified and mutually beneficial outcomes designed to improve both the university and school settings. The teacher education faculty both recognize and celebrate the diversity which characterizes American educational institutions; furthermore, the faculty are unequivocally committed to preparing educators whose attitudes and professional expertise advance diversity and the diversification of American democratic society. Teacher education faculty are committed to the following fundamental premises: (1) that all students can learn; (2) that all students have a right to learn to their greatest potential; and (3) that all students re entitled to an educational environment where teaching and learning are the most valued of all activities. Buffalo State intends to build upon its strength in teacher education and its location in the second largest city in the state to play a leadership role in addressing the issues relative to the delivery of quality education in urban settings. In support of this initiative, the university will:
Focus on studying and assisting urban schools
Seek to recruit students with an interest in urban education
Develop curricula to focus on training for service in inner city settings
Develop a capstone program in urban education open to educators across the state
Provide continuing education and lifelong learning opportunities for teachers in the region.
The Teacher Education Unit goals directly reflect elements of the conceptual framework:
Click on the link below to view a glossary of commonly used terms related to assessment and the Teacher Education Unit.
Glossary of Terms (MS Word)
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