Educator Preparation Program: Conceptual framework

Vision

The framework of the Educator Preparation Program at Iowa State University aspires to provide a premier pathway of rigorous research-based academic experiences complemented by exceptional quality and diverse field experiences leading to the skillful preparation of highly effective teachers and school leaders.

Mission

The conceptual framework of the ISU educator preparation program is to prepare teachers and administrators as continuous learners, collaborators, and transformational leaders through the application of rigorous research-based content and advanced pedagogy integrated with rich field experiences and fundamentally grounded in the land-grant mission of community access and opportunity.

Belief Statements

At Iowa State University, our educator preparation community of professional educators and students believe:

  • Education provides learners with equitable opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to achieve cognitive, affective, social, physical, and economic well-being.
  • The educational process is intentional and learner centered. It requires the application of rigorous research-based content and pedagogical knowledge that is supported with the innovation of technologies.
  • Formal education does not occur in isolation. It exists in synergy with the education provided by families and communities and will enrich and be enriched by those connections.
  • High-quality educator preparation includes collaborative field-based experiences that promote on-site learning opportunities that are varied, developmentally appropriate, and linked closely with academic preparation.
  • Education prepares learners to positively influence people’s lives by successfully engaging in our democratic society and in the broader global community.
  • Ongoing, multi-dimensional assessment is a critical tool of educators leading towards a better understanding and improvement of student learning.
  • Transformational educators engage in a continual cycle of learning, practice, and reflection that informs their curricular, instructional, evaluative, and interactional decisions. Transformative educators have an ethical responsibility to expand human potential and improve people’s lives.