Graduate Study Programs

Below you will find descriptions for the following graduate-level programs in At-Risk Education (note that some information may be outdated — check the individual university or college's website or calendar for up-to-date information):

• Marian University Differentiated Instruction for Alternative Learning — Online/Accredited
• University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Alternative Education Programs Licensure (AEPL) Program & Teaching in Alternative Educational Settings (TAES) Certificate Program
• Harvard University Prevention Science and Practice/CAS in Counseling
• University of West Florida Alternative Educator Training Program
• Lock Haven University of PA M.Ed. (Alternative Education Studies Program)

If you are aware of any other institutions offering At-Risk Teacher Education Programs, please let us know at info@AtRiskEducation.net and we will include them on this site.

Marian University (Fond du Lac, WI)
Differentiated Instruction for Alternative Learning (DIAL Program)
An ONLINE MAE Program — Fully Accredited
More than dropout prevention — much more!

DIAL develops Professional Educators who help students succeed at life as well as in school. The Differentiated Instruction for At-Risk Learners (DIAL) MAE prepares educators to meet the diverse learning needs of all students, including those who are at risk of not reaching their educational and personal potentials and those not learning by traditional educational methods. This 30-credit Master's degree program is now delivered totally online.

This program is not just for at-risk classroom teachers but for all teachers who recognize the need for differentiation in PK-12 education. This program has been approved in all 50 states. Wisconsin educators also qualify for an Alternative Education License (952). Cohorts are now formed in Spring, Summer and Fall.

Although the 30-credit DIAL Program courses for the Master's degree are structured into a cohort framework, all courses are open to anyone and may be taken for faculty development and/or pay-raise increase requirements. A short three-course Alternative Education License — the three courses needed in Wisconsin to gain License #952 for Alternative Education are also offered online independently. DIAL Program graduates are automatically issued a 952 Alt. Ed. License upon graduation.

For more specific information on the DIAL online Master's Program, contact the Curriculum and Instruction Department Chair, Dr. Sue Stoddart at sstoddart@marianuniversity.edu.

Curriculum & Instruction Department

• Differentiated Instruction for At-Risk Learners (DIAL) — Online MAE Program

To apply for this or any of the Marian University, School of Education programs, please contact the director of Graduate Admissions, Bob Bohnsack at 1-800-2-MARIAN ext. 8118 or via email at bbohnsack@marianuniversity.edu.

Contact Information

Bob Bohnsack
Marian University
45 S. National Avenue
Fond du Lac, WI 54935
Tel: 1-800-2-MARIAN (1-800-262-7426), ext. 8118
Email: bbohnsack@marianuniversity.edu
Visit the website

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (Whitewater, WI)
Alternative Education Programs Licensure (AEPL) Program & Teaching in Alternative Educational Settings (TAES) Certificate Program

Description

The traditional school environment is becoming less effective for an increasing number of students. Reality shows this is especially true for at-risk, vulnerable and disengaged students. In response, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has designated a specific license endorsement for educators working in alternative educational settings or attempting to adapt methods and curriculum within regular school settings. Alternative education specialists work with school districts to develop programs for "last chance" students, including jail of detentions-based education, credit acceleration, behavior-focused programs, or simply the opportunity to come back to school and graduate. To assist teachers in recognizing and developing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to work in alternative education, the Curriculum & Instruction Department at UW-Whitewater offers a sequence of courses leading to the Alternative Education (952) license. For teachers who live and work outside of Wisconsin, we offer the same sequence of courses leading to the Teaching in Alternative Educational Settings Certificate.

Curriculum

The AEPL and TAES Programs consist of four two-credit on-line courses. The courses are scheduled so the program can be completed online in one summer or over one academic year.

• SECNDED 705: Representing Learning (2 credits)

  Methods of representing what we know of the perceived and experienced world.

  Offered during the first eight weeks of each fall semester and during the first three-week term of each summer session.

• SECNDED 706: Learning & Diversity (2 credits)

  School as a cultural experience.

  Offered during the second eight weeks of each fall semester and during the second three-week term of each summer session.

• SECNDED 708: The Marginalized Learner (2 credits)

  How does the traditional school environment marginalize some students?

  Offered during the first eight weeks of each spring semester and during the third three-week term of each summer session.

• SECNDED 709: Learning & Teaching for Empowerment (2 credits)

  Teaching and learning as acts of empowerment!

  Offered during the second eight weeks of each spring semester and during the fourth three-week term of each summer session.

Contact Information

Dr. Anne D'Antonio Stinson
UW-Whitewater
Curriculum & Instruction Department
800 Main Street
Whitewater, WI 53190

Tel. 262-473-7244

Email: stinsona@uww.edu

Register online at www.uww.edu/gradstudies/

Harvard University
Prevention Science and Practice/CAS in Counseling
(formerly known as Risk and Prevention)

Description

With a focus on risk, resilience, promotion, and prevention, the yearlong Prevention Science and Practice (PSP) Program is designed to prepare students to make a lasting impact on children, adolescents, and their families through their work to minimize, if not eliminate, barriers to learning.

Through research and fieldwork, students study risk and protective influences on development at both the ecological and individual levels, as well as interventions to promote healthy social and emotional well-being in school and out-of-school settings. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, students learn about contemporary prevention-related issues, direct services and counseling, applied research, and program and policy development.

PSP is a self-contained program with two distinct strands:

• Core, which trains students in prevention science and research in education, child and family advocacy, child/youth development, program development and leadership, and service coordination. This strand is intended for students who wish to apply prevention science and research to a variety of settings.

• Counseling, an option for students interested in pursuing school-based licensure. In addition to the concepts developed in the general strand, students will concentrate their course and fieldwork in preventative and developmental counseling. This strand may additionally be used as a foundation for a second year of HGSE graduate study toward a Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Counseling.

A Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Counseling is also available.

For additional information on the above, see Harvard's Prevention Science and Practice/CAS in Counseling web page.

Contact Information

Karen Bottari, Program Coordinator
Prevention Science and Practice Program
Harvard Graduate School of Education
607 Larsen Hall, 14 Appian Way
Cambridge, MA 02138

Tel. 617-495-4954

Email: bottarka@gse.harvard.edu

Website: www.gse.harvard.edu/academics/masters/psp/

University of West Florida (Pensacola FL)
Alternative Educator Training Program

Public educators and case managers are faced with increasing numbers of K-12 students who are classified at-risk in regard to probable school failure. Both national and state public education data indicate that the percentage of K-12 students classified as academically at-risk for school failure has dramatically increased over the last three decades. In the 1960s, fewer than 20% of all K-12 public school age children and youth were classified by the US Department of Education as at risk of school failure. However, by 1990, that estimate has increased to over 30% and continues to rise. Teachers and case managers who have traditional educational training are finding it difficult to cope with or to reach and teach students who are disruptive. While this is not an initial teacher certification program, our Alternative Educator Training Program (AETP) fulfills the State of Florida's need by providing specialized training to work in an alternative education setting. In many cases, the courses in this program may be used to obtain additional certification or for certification renewal.

Contact Information

John Platt
University of West Florida
College of Professional Studies
Division of Teacher Education
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL 32514
Tel: 850-474-2889

Email: jplatt@uwf.edu Visit the website

Lock Haven University of PA
M.Ed. (Alternative Education Studies Program)

On-Line

The Alternative Education Studies program makes it possible for professionals to engage in reflective practice while improving teaching and program development skills. The program encourages exploration of methods, research and epistemologies that focus on both the learner and systemic changes that will benefit all students. Students will develop skills, knowledge and competencies that will benefit them in their work in alternative and/or regular education settings. The program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education (NCATE) and is aligned with the core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in its curriculum.

Contact Information

Nathaniel S. Hosley, Ph.D.
Coordinator
Alternative Education Studies
School of Graduate Studies
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
Annex Building
Lock Haven, PA. 17745
Telephone: (570) 484-2973
Fax: (570) 893-6248
Visit the website (Alternative Education portal)
Visit the website (Master of Education in Alternative Education program info)

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