I. Overview of the Institution

Wright State University is a nationally accredited, comprehensive state-assisted university located 12 miles northeast of Dayton, Ohio, a city with a metropolitan population of over nine hundred thousand. Named for Dayton’s native sons and inventors of powered flight, Orville and Wilbur Wright, the University carries on this tradition of innovation in its dedication to excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Founded in 1967 to provide leadership in the educational, cultural, and economic development of the region, as a metropolitan university Wright State has the distinct mission of serving to improve the quality of life for the citizens of greater Dayton and the Miami Valley. Adjacent to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Wright State University (WSU) is one of an elite group of institutions conducting research in the cutting-edge fields of aerospace medicine, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality.

The University offers more than 100 undergraduate programs and 40 graduate and professional degree programs, including the Ed.S., M.D., Psy.D., and Ph.D. degrees. The University serves nearly 12,000 undergraduate students and 3600 graduate students; 94 percent are Ohio residents, 13 percent are minorities, and the mean age of the student body is 25 years.

Wright State’s 557-acre main campus consists of over 20 modern buildings surrounded by a beautiful 200 acre biological preserve (Wright State Virtual Tour). Over 2,200 Wright State students live in University-affiliated residences on or adjacent to the main campus. Wright State is a recognized leader nationwide in providing a campus accessible to people with disabilities. Most of the campus buildings are connected by a unique tunnel system and are equipped with elevators, electric doors, and ramps.

The Wright State University-Lake Campus* is located 80 miles north of Dayton on 173 acres at the north shore of Grand Lake St. Marys near Celina, Ohio. This regional branch campus serves approximately 1,000 students, enabling them to maintain ties to their local communities and families while completing pre-baccalaureate and technical education programs at the associate degree level. Although some requirements must be met at the Dayton campus, bachelor’s degrees are offered in Early Childhood Education, Middle Childhood Education, and Organizational Leadership; master-level course is offered for programs in education and educational leadership (Lake Campus Programs of Study**).

A full-time program officer coordinates the education program offered at the Lake Campus and regularly attends College and Department of Teacher Education meetings at the main campus. A search is currently underway for a full-time education professor. Although these individuals report to the Interim Dean of the Lake Campus, administrative control of the Lake Campus programs in education resides with the College of Education and Human Services on the main campus in Dayton

* A link to a site not on the CEHS-NCATE Website server
**A link to an electronic exhibit on the CEHS-NCATE server

Mission of the Institution

In the spirit of the Wright Brothers, the University is committed to developing graduates who are thinkers, explorers, and visionaries. As a metropolitan university and catalyst for educational excellence in the Miami Valley, Wright State’s mission is to provide “access to scholarship and learning; economic and technological development; leadership in health, education, and human services; cultural enhancement; and international understanding while fostering collegial involvement and responsibility for continuous improvement of education and research.” (WSU Mission Statement)

The application of technology in exploring new opportunities for teaching and learning is a university-wide priority. Students, professors, and administrators use computers to communicate and collaborate using email, groupware, and the web. Students are encouraged to participate in this electronic learning community through access to 24-hour computer labs and residence hall Internet connections.

The University’s commitment to diversity is evidenced in an open admissions policy and the enrollment of outstanding traditional and nontraditional students. Since 1995, the university community has been engaged in a campus climate initiative to develop and implement policies to support diversity, redesign curriculum to reflect diversity, and to diversify the campus community (WSU Diversity Statement). Programs and activities coordinated by the Women’s Center, the Center for International Education, the Bolinga Black Cultural Resources Center and the Asian, Hispanic, and Native American Center promote cultural pluralism on campus, gender equity, and community building in a culturally diverse society.

The College of Education and Human Services

As a metropolitan university, Wright State University’s College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) recognizes that the preparation of teachers, educational leaders, and human services professionals serves a primary function in meeting the educational, cultural, and social needs of citizens in the Miami Valley. Accordingly, in 1997 the College adopted the University’s Vision 2020 Strategic Plan: 1998–2003 and developed the following Mission Statement and Belief System:

Mission Statement

Preparing professionals to meet the educational
and human services needs of a diverse, democratic society.

Belief System

We Believe:

• The ideals of a democratic society and the inherent worth of each individual are important values.
  
• The tripartite mission of the college involves teaching, scholarship, and service.
• Diversity is essential to achieve our goals.
• A community of learners cherishes intellectual freedom, diversity, and debate.
• Serving students is our primary focus.
• Learning is a lifelong process.
• The utilization of technology can enhance education.
• The value of collaboration, partnerships, and networks to provide educational and human services are fundamental processes.
• Creating learning environments that meet the intellectual and emotional needs
  of students are necessary to the success of the education process.
• The educational experience is the responsibility of all college employees.
• Providing consistent, quality service through continuous improvement is a vital component of the education process.

From this Mission Statement and Belief System emerged Five Visions guiding the development of the CEHS Action Plan—1998–2003, which generated recommendations found in the Vision 2020 document and clarified the College’s role in the maturing administrative structure of the larger university.

Initially accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in 1980, the decade that followed found the College adapting to major changes in state, professional, and NCATE standards. In 1993, the College became a member of the John I. Goodlad’s National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER) and has since emerged as a leader in the national educational reform movement (CEHS Education of Educators Reform Efforts: 1990–2001; Goodlad Leadership Associates).

In advancing the NNER agenda of “simultaneous renewal,” the College developed partnerships with local public school districts and directly involved arts and sciences faculty in the pre-service education of teachers through joint faculty appointments with the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Science and Mathematics. These efforts were formalized in the partnership initiative, Partners Transforming Education: School, University, Community. This initiative became a vehicle for rethinking and restructuring professional initiation and development in education and human services, as well as for the renewal of schools and agencies (Chronological Development of Partnership Sites: 1992–2001). The work of this partnership initiative is documented in two CEHS reports, Milestone One: A Synthesis Report (Fall 1992) and Milestone Two: A Pathway to Educational Renewal (Fall 1995).

A focus on forming partnerships to better understand and improve the human condition continues into the new millennium. For example, the Teacher Education Council was established in the spring of 2000 to bring together major participants in teacher preparation, which include the deans and faculty from education, liberal arts, science and mathematics, university administrators, students, and educators from the Partner Schools. The Council meets quarterly to review and discuss significant issues and to evaluate programs offered by the College.

A Leadership Associates’ Program, based on the agenda of the NNER, has also been developed to facilitate faculty collaboration with colleagues in the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Science and Mathematics in conjunction with Miami University’s College of Education and Allied Professions and the University of Dayton’s School of Education and Allied Professions.

The new millennium has brought recognition to the College for its partnership efforts and quality programs. In June 2000, the Department of Teacher Education was recognized by Governor Taft, Chancellor Chu, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Susan Tave Zelman, as one of three innovative teacher education programs in Ohio (Wright State, the Ohio State University, Ohio University). The three model programs were then selected by the Ohio Board of Regents to develop the Ohio Teaching-Learning Initiative to improve teacher education statewide.

During 2000–2001, the College received funding from the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR), Montgomery County, private donors, and a private foundation to support a four-year effort to improve the literacy of urban children. At this time, 81 percent of the million dollar goal has been raised to support the Institute, and it is anticipated that the balance will be raised before 2002. The Urban Literacy Institute will work with three schools, forty teachers, and 1,000 children, P–3, in the Dayton Public Schools (DPS) to raise the literacy of DPS fourth graders (currently, only 25 percent are considered proficient readers).

The College continues to coordinate the Educational Leadership Information Network K-12 (ED LINK–12), a network of 48 school systems representing more than 210,000 students, 675 administrators, and 13,880 classroom teachers. In addition, through NNER, the College works with the Education Commission of the States, supports reform efforts by the Holmes Partnership, and is affiliated with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), and the Council of the Great City Colleges of Education (CGCCE).

The College was granted initial NCATE accreditation for all basic and advanced programs in March 1980. On-site visits with continued accreditation status then followed in 1983 and 1990. The most recent on-site review was conducted November 2–6, 1996, and in April 1997 the Unit Accreditation Board (UAB) granted the College continuing accreditation for initial and advanced programs (NCATE Continuing Accreditation: 1996 Review). The Board of Examiners report presented to the UAB following the 1996 visit indicated that the College had no weaknesses and met all standards in all categories (Board of Examiners Report).

Since the 1996 NCATE continuing accreditation visit, the Department of Human Services successfully met the 1999 mid-cycle review of its School Counseling and Community Counseling Programs by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) and the 2000 accreditation review of graduate rehabilitation programs in severe disability and chemical dependency by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE). In April 2001, the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation also hosted an initial, on-site accreditation review of its Athletic Training Program by the Commission for the Accreditation of Allied Health Programs and is awaiting final disposition in the fall of 2001 (CAAHEP).

The 2000–2001 academic year saw the College move from its home of 30 years, Millett Hall, into the oldest building on campus. In August 2000, the fully renovated Allyn Hall became the new home for the administrative offices and all units except the Departments of Human Services and Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (located in the Creative Arts Center and the Erwin J. Nutter Center, respectively). The new facility has multiple classrooms wired for distance learning and wireless computer-based teaching applications, two computer labs, and an extensive Educational Resource Center (ERC) with its own labs and resources to support student and faculty needs. These new facilities exemplify the College’s focus on technology and make possible the inclusion and practice of modeling technology in teaching and learning.

Not unlike twenty years ago, the College is once again adapting to major changes in state, learned society, and NCATE standards. In 1996, the State Board of Education adopted new performance-based teacher education standards “designed to increase the rigor in the teaching profession” and move the state from its previous certification system to a teacher licensure program (A History of Recent Education Initiatives in Ohio).

Implemented in January 1998, the new Teacher Education and Licensure Standards include the requirement that all teacher-training institutions in Ohio must meet NCATE standards. In addition, teacher candidates are to pass state performance assessments to receive a two-year provisional license (Praxis II) and are to pass a third state performance assessment (Praxis III), following an entry year support program, to receive a five-year renewable professional license. The new teacher education standards also changed the traditional areas in which teaching certificates were awarded. Elementary Education and Secondary Education certificates were eliminated and replaced by three age-based licenses: Early Childhood License (ages 3– 8), Middle Childhood License (ages 8–14), and Adolescence to Young Adult License (ages 12–21).

These new licensure standards necessitated the redesign of all existing preparation programs for teacher candidates and candidates for professional school roles—a process that systematically began in 1997 and continues with ongoing efforts to improve the quality and rigor of the Unit’s programs. Over 60 programs were submitted to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) in January of 1998, and the College received ODE approval to begin offering all programs on September 1, 1998 (Programs submitted January 1, 1998).

The redesign process resulted in the creation of the new Bachelor of Science in Education programs in Early Childhood Education and Middle Childhood Education, which were approved by the Ohio Board of Regents in August 1998 (Approval: Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Programs). Dialogue during this period (1997–1998) between College faculty, colleagues in the arts and sciences, employers, partner educators, and NNER and Holmes affiliates strongly indicated that quality Middle Childhood and Adolescent Programs should not be offered in four years. Therefore, in response to this dialogue, the decision was made to move these programs to the fifth year model. Early Childhood Education (P–3) and programs in business, marketing, music, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), physical education, and health education continue to be offered as four-year programs.

The College is especially proud of its five-year, Graduate Level Teacher Preparation Program, which follows the medical school model that permits a select group of post baccalaureate students to practice the art and science of teaching in a clinical environment. The strength of the program is that the interns experience the total ecology of the school for an entire school year (the program begins the summer prior to the school year and concludes the following summer).

Now in the final year of the conversion process, the College is currently offering two sets of programs: The existing certification programs to be concluded by September 2002, and the new licensure programs, which began in September 1998. Despite these challenges, the College continues to offer strong, innovative programs in partnership with University colleagues and P–12 schools. The strength of these programs is evidenced in the new Title II reporting required of all teacher preparation institutions. On the 1999-2000 state-required performance assessments for teacher education graduates, Wright State met or exceeded state averages in all aggregated categories, which includes professional knowledge, academic content knowledge, and teaching special populations (HEA-Title II Report). Ohio’s Praxis II passing scores, determined by the state, are among the highest in the nation.

The following graphic illustrates the simultaneous “sunsetting” of the certificate programs and the “phasing in” of the new licensure programs:

Certification to Licensure Transition

 

Newly adopted state licensure laws and NCATE 2000 Unit Standards also necessitated the close examination of programs and Unit performance, prompting College faculty to develop a new Conceptual Framework during the 1999–2000 school year. The new Framework, Developing the Art and Science of Teaching/Leadership/Counseling (see p. 14) incorporates the College’s existing mission and beliefs, the NNER philosophy of simultaneous renewal, and the current identity and intellectual philosophy of the Unit.

Unit Programs of Study

The following table provides a summary of the licensure and certification programs offered in the College of Education and Human Services at Wright State University that prepare individuals for work in P–12 Schools. A status report on the program review process with the specialty organizations will be available for the on-site accreditation visit (November 3–7, 2001).

Programs Offered in the College of Education and Human Services

Licensure Programs – Spring 2001
(Phased in Beginning Fall 1998)

59+ - Hours of Program: 59 hours, plus program-specific methods courses.