The Professional Education Unit was established in 1999 as the administrative unit for teacher certification and related professional education programs at SUNY College at Brockport. Eleven education professional programs make up the Unit: Nine Teacher Education programs, a Counselor Education program, and the Educational Administration program.

The teacher education programs are Childhood Inclusive Education (Initial), Childhood Education (Advanced), Adolescence Inclusive Education (Both Initial and Advanced), Adolescence Education (Advanced), Health Sciences (Both Initial and Advanced), Physical Education (Both Initial and Advanced), Dance (Initial only), Bilingual (extension and Advanced) and Literacy (Advanced only).

The Professional Education Unit is comprised of the Dean of School of Professions (Head of the Unit), all faculty who teach professional education courses, professional staff in the Unit, the Associate Dean of the School of Professions, the Dean of the School of Arts and Performance, the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Director of Field Experience, the Certification Coordinator, the Unit Assessment Coordinator, and the NCATE Coordinator.

• Vision

• Mission

• Responsibilities

• The Conceptual Framework

• Poster

Vision

The Professional Education Unit at Brockport will be recognized in the State of New York for the preparation of highly competent professionals in education who are committed to leading, teaching, and counseling in New York State and nationally. The unit will serve graduate and undergraduate candidates from a range of diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Future teachers, teachers and administrators, and counselors within the unit will be prepared to integrate professional content and pedagogical knowledge to create meaningful learning experiences for all youths.

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Mission Statement

The Professional Education Unit is dedicated to excellence in teaching, scholarship, creative endeavors, and service to the community. The Unit is committed to providing education programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and advanced graduate levels that prepare school professionals who are highly qualified to teach, counsel, lead, and administer. Predicated on the need to create environments in which all learners grow and develop as contributing members of society, the Mission of the Unit encompasses the Mission of the College in providing programs grounded in the liberal arts, emphasizing student learning and success as its highest priority.

The Unit believes that collaboration between the College and P-12 practitioners is fundamental and inherent to all programs offered by the Unit, including quality-based field experiences in diverse settings. Faculty, staff, and field-based personnel work together to link theory and practice to advance the highest standards of learning for all youths.

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Responsibilities of the Professional Education Unit

The Professional Education Unit has the following responsibilities:

1. Coordinate all professional education efforts on the Brockport Campus

2. Facilitate communication among all departments involved with teacher certification and related professional education programs (including communication of assessment information about applicant qualifications, candidate and graduate performance, and Unit operations).

3. Identify and address all professional education accreditation-related issues on campus

4. Seek to establish consistencies among all teacher education and related professional education programs (e.g., workload, standards, field experiences, policies and procedures, etc.)

5. Communicate the needs of teacher education and related professional education programs to the college administration.

6. Provide a single voice for communicating with NYSED and SUNY Administration about professional education issues affecting Brockport.

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The Conceptual Framework Undergirding Professional Education Programs at SUNY Brockport

Overview

The Conceptual Framework undergirding professional education programs at SUNY Brockport is derived from the mission of the unit, and it is guided by and grounded in social constructivism. It has three primary themes: (1) a solid base of knowledge and skills (which includes these sub-themes: content knowledge in a discipline, pedagogical content knowledge, professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills, and reflective skills), (2) professional dispositions, and (3) impact on P-12 learners. To make these themes and sub-themes operational, the Conceptual Framework also includes program-specific competencies that are expected of candidates in teacher education programs, in the unit’s counselor education program, and in its educational administration program. Both the themes and the program-specific competencies align well with New York State standards and with the appropriate standards of INTASC, NBPTS, and specialty professional associations (SPAs) in teacher education, counselor education, and educational administration.

The Conceptual Framework undergirding professional education programs at SUNY Brockport also aligns well with NCATE’s six expectations of a conceptual framework, and it drives the unit’s assessment system for candidate, program, and unit evaluation.

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