Education Licensure

Member of the Division of Social Studies

Chair(s):

Paul Hutchison

Faculty:

Alan Hastings
Cori Jakubiak
Stephanie Jones
Jean Ketter
Deborah Michaels

The education department seeks to develop each student’s ability to analyze problems in education, to evaluate proposed solutions, and to act as teachers or citizens in ethical ways that further equity in the schools. The introductory courses (EDU 101 , EDU 210 , EDU 217 ) are designed for all students. Students pursuing licensure will major in an academic discipline. They must earn a B average overall in required education courses and major endorsement area. All education courses prepare students for secondary licensure (grades 5–12), except for the ESL endorsement, which is K-12, and students who meet the requirements receive an Iowa license when all requirements are completed. The Iowa license is portable and will transfer to most states.

Students seeking licensure at Grinnell College must apply to enter the Practitioner Preparation Program. This should be done no later than the deadline for declaring a major, usually in the second semester of the second year.

Candidates must be approved by the Committee on Teacher Education. Applications for both the program and Student Teaching Handbook are available on the department website.

Licensure can be attained in the following areas:

American history, American government, anthropology, biology, chemistry, general science, economics, Chinese, English, French, German, Latin, Russian, Spanish, physics, psychology, physical science, math, sociology, and world history. Students seeking licensure should consult members of the department about these requirements as early as possible. Requirements for each license are listed under endorsements on the department Web page. Students can also earn an endorsement in ESL.

Students seeking licensure must have taken courses in all divisions and a course in mathematics, in humanities, in American history or government, and coursework in both a biological and physical science.

For all areas of licensure, the foundation courses are EDU 101 , EDU 21x (there are several courses to choose from), EDU 221 , and EDU 250 . All require observation or research in Grinnell public schools, an experience that aims to integrate theory and practice. In the upper-level courses, students apply theory and methods of instruction to specific disciplines. Each licensure sequence includes a 14-week experience in student teaching, which may be done in Grinnell or nearby public schools.

Most students seeking licensure at Grinnell College plan to take nine semesters to do so. Please see Expenses and Financial Aid  (Special Fees) section of the catalog.

Students may request permission from the department to complete the requirements for licensure in eight semesters by indicating their ability to complete a major and obtain a strong liberal arts background in seven semesters. Students must also indicate that extracurricular commitments will not interfere with 14 weeks of full-time teaching. If students are able to complete the requirements for licensure in eight semesters and prior to completing their B.A. degree requirements, the 12 credits associated with student teaching (EDU 460  and EDU 469 ) will count toward the 124 credits required for graduation. Any credits completed after a Grinnell bachelor’s degree has been awarded are granted as post-B.A. credits.

All course prerequisites for the Professional Semester (student teaching) must be completed within the five years immediately preceding the Professional Semester. The Grinnell College Teacher Education Program for secondary licensure is approved by the Iowa State Department of Education.