NCCRESt

part of the Education Reform Networks

Assessing the Effects of Reform in Teacher Education: An Evaluation of the MAT Program at Trinity University

This report describes the teacher education reforms at Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas), with special emphasis on the benefits and obstacles encountered along the journey toward the creation and maintenance of effective school-university partnerships. In 1987, Trinity University established the Alliance for Better Schools, a school-university partnership between four schools (two elementary, one middle, and one high school) in one urban and one suburban district and Trinity University. The partnerships were designed to create collaborative environments that would enhance the reform efforts of each partner. Once the partnerships were established, all participants met regularly at the university for ongoing development of a new Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program (a 5-year program that would replace the traditional 4-year program). Reforms to date have included the requirement of a bachelor's degree in humanities for elementary education students, increased internships and practicum time requirements, formal faculty liaison with the Professional Development Schools (PDSs), development of cohorts of PDS mentors, increases in graduate coursework, and securing of outside funds for support of the additional year. The first comprehensive evaluation of the program took place during the 1994-95 school year. Both graduates and school administrators who had experience with the MAT graduates responded to questionnaires. The amount of time spent in PDS settings was found to be the major strength of the program while weaknesses focused on issues of quality both in the PDSs and in the teacher education coursework. Some suggested improvements concerned: additional instruction on multicultural issues; increased fifth-year funding; and greater variety in intern placements, especially in suburban PDSs. (Contains 41 references.) (NAV)

• Author/Creator: Van Zandt, Laura M.
• Date Published: 04-00
• Notes: Connect to the catalog at the library of the University of Colorado at Boulder. English Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (New York, NY, April 8-13, 1996). Document (RIE) 150 Speeches/Meeting Papers; 142 Reports--Evaluative EDRS: EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
• Year: 1996

This resource is cataloged under:

• Subject: Extended Teacher Education Programs
• Subject: Higher Education
• Subject: Masters Degrees
• Subject: Masters Programs
• Subject: Partnerships in Education
• Subject: Preservice Teacher Education
• Subject: professional development schools
• Subject: Program Effectiveness
• Subject: Program Evaluation
• Subject: Schools of Education
• Subject: Student Teaching
• Subject: Universities

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