The Master of Education in Teaching and Curriculum is designed to enhance the skills of teachers for public and private schools. The program focuses on three essential components – curriculum, instruction, and assessment – that contribute to the organization's philosophy of learning. The Teaching and Curriculum program is unified by its vision of critical thinking, democracy, diversity, lifelong learning, nurturance, and scholarship. Courses are designed to reflect the standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The program is offered at Penn State Harrisburg and other selected Penn State campuses.
Specifically, the goals of the program are to develop in students:
- the ability to communicate effectively either with school-age students and their parents or with co-workers and/or clients;
- the ability to conduct an instructional program that provides a sound intellectual and emotional climate for learning;
- competence in a variety of teaching methods and in the utilization of materials and content appropriate for an effective instructional program;
- the ability to interpret and to evaluate educational literature and research; and
- the ability to describe and to evaluate major issues and current trends in instructional curriculum practice and development.
Certification programs are also available in the areas of early childhood education, English as a second language, and principalship.