Introduction 

The Education Studies Department (EDS) at Skidmore College offers courses, a minor, and a major examining schooling as a social and cultural institution. We see education as the process of acquiring and expanding knowledge, skills, and values. For students pursuing elementary teacher certification in New York state (grades 1-6), the department provides a program that integrates a broad liberal arts foundation with professional preparation for teaching in a range of classroom settings serving a diverse community of learners. 

The EDS program and its courses are grounded in three overarching principles:

1. Education is a path toward a more socially just society.
2. Teaching and learning are place-based, rooted in the land, history, culture, laws and policies where an educator works and students learn. 
3. Teaching is the application of theory to practice, while also developing theory through practice; therefore, learning to teach should be grounded in clinical practice experiences. 

Teaching for social justice

We infuse our coursework with the understanding that teaching is a political act. Grounded in social justice pedagogy, our courses challenge students to examine systemic barriers, question power, and take multiple perspectives. We believe that educators should create learning experiences that honor complex and intersectional identities, including social class, race, culture, ethnicity, nationality, religious (non)affiliation, language(s), gender, sexuality, age, and disability. We emphasize the responsibility of all educators to teach disabled students and multilingual learners, and to create inclusive schools where all children have access to meaningful, high-quality learning experiences. Our program fosters classrooms rooted in joy, care, and belonging, where every student feels valued and empowered. Using culturally sustaining frameworks, we prepare educators to take social action and equip their students with the tools to do the same — shaping the world around them to amplify historically marginalized voices and advance equity for communities that have been historically excluded.

Pedagogy rooted in place

The social foundations of education provide an interdisciplinary framework for examining education through historical, sociological, anthropological, economic, and political perspectives. Building on this foundation, we emphasize place-based pedagogies that help students explore the connections between local geographies (e.g., urban, suburban, rural) and non-local perspectives. This approach prepares future educators to design meaningful, integrated learning experiences that attend to the socio-cultural environment of a school and allows future educators to adapt to new teaching environments throughout their careers. By highlighting the importance of place, we develop educator-researchers who systematically collect data on their students, schools, and communities to inform teaching practices that are simultaneously responsive to their unique context and our increasingly global society. 

Clinically-focused reflective practice

We connect our theoretically informed coursework with immersive clinical practice experiences to engage our teacher candidates in critically examining pedagogical approaches. Through placements in our early childhood lab school and regional first- through sixth-grade classrooms, we emphasize concrete experiences that inform an understanding of play-based and developmentally appropriate teaching strategies. Our program ensures that teacher candidates work closely with mentor teachers to develop the confidence, adaptability, and expertise necessary to meet the diverse needs of students. We support future educators in sustaining their mental well-being and that of their future students. Our commitment extends beyond the classroom, as we cultivate strong partnerships with local schools, teachers, community stakeholders, and school leaders. These collaborations provide opportunities for candidates to engage with the broader educational community, ensuring they enter the profession as well-prepared, reflective teacher leaders ready to make a lasting impact.

Below are the departmental learning goals mapped to College-wide goals for student learning.

The department’s current goals for students’ learning:

• Students will understand the history of schooling in the United States, the intersection between social identities and schooling, and the creation and presence of structural advantage and disadvantage in the institutions of schooling. (Ia, Ib)
• Students will learn and enact teaching practices premised on constructivism and social justice. (Ic, IIa, IId, IIId, IVa)
• Students will demonstrate content knowledge of the elementary subjects to be taught. (Ia)
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of child development theories and cognitive learning theories to inform planning for instruction. (Ia, Ic)
• Student will develop and demonstrate pedagogical knowledge in mathematics, literacy, social studies, science, health, and technology. (Ic, IIIc)
• Students will develop a range of instructional methods and an ability to differentiate instruction based on student needs. (Ic, IId, IIIc)
• Students will analyze data (individual, aggregate, disaggregate by sub-group) to identify areas of understanding and misunderstanding in order to plan instruction and assessment targeting the needs of elementary students. (IIb)
• Students will develop a reflective stance toward learning and teaching, which will culminate in student teaching planning based on instruction, assessment, and feedback from mentor teachers and college supervisors. (IIa, IIe, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IVb, IVc)
• Students will understand professional ethics, obligations, expectations, standards and dispositions (self-directed learning, a tolerance of ambiguity, patience, collaboration, acceptance and equity, and reflective practice) necessary in teaching. (IIc, IId, IIe, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IVb, IVc, IVd)

Education studies, requirements in the major: Writing

• Research and demonstrate critical writing with attention to the social context of education and schooling. (e.g. developing and writing an educational philosophy) (IIa, IIb, IIIb)
• Utilize systematic documentation for observation and assessment (e.g. formal and informal student assessment). (IIb, IVa)
• Develop curriculum and write developmentally appropriate lesson plans (e.g. annotated bibliographies). (IIa, IVa)
• Write reflections on educational planning and practice (e.g. lesson plan reflections, journal entries). (IIb, IVb, IVc)

Education studies, requirements in the major: Information literacy

• Utilize research tools and indicators of authority to determine the credibility of sources and lead to further inquiry (e.g. annotated bibliographies, research papers). (IIa)
• Understand the increasingly collaborative nature of the creation and dissemination of information and how to cite the work of others. (IVb)
• Synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources and draw reasonable conclusions based upon the analyses and interpretation of information (e.g. developing a teaching philosophy, assessing educational data, making data and evidence-based decisions in fieldwork). (IIb)
• Understand how information systems are organized in order to access relevant information (e.g. use of research databases, utilization of national and state standards documentation).
• Present information that utilizes multiple formats and modes of delivery in order to convey a message (e.g. use of multimedia tools for teaching, collaborative learning, and instruction). (IIc)

Education studies, requirements in the major: Visual literacy

• Find, access, and use visual media effectively (e.g. selecting quality materials and appropriate visual aids for fieldwork or presentations). (IIa, IIc)
• Interpret and analyze the meaning of images (e.g. analyze graphed assessment data to make effective instructional decisions). (IIa, IIb)
• Create and design meaningful visual media (e.g. create conceptual graphic organizers, design lessons using visual images that support and enhance instruction). (IVa)
• Understand the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the creation, access, and use of visual media (e.g. evaluate visual media in curriculum, cite visual media sources used in lessons). (Ic, IIIc)

Education studies, requirements in the major: Technological literacy

• Utilize technology to enhance pedagogical approaches and foster a culture of learning. (IId, IIId)
• Identify, explore, evaluate, and adopt new digital resources and tools for learning (e.g. use digital content in fieldwork to meet the diverse needs of all students). (Ic)
• Use technology to analyze and understand data to inform instruction and support students in achieving learning goals (e.g. design and implement formative and summative assessments in fieldwork). (IIb)

Education studies, requirements in the major: Effective oral communication

• Clearly communicate a central message (e.g. identifiable main thesis point, lesson objective, or goal). (IIa, IIc)
• Effectively communicate using delivery techniques such as posture, gestures, eye contact and voice to convey any messages (e.g. classroom presentations and fieldwork work instruction). (IIc)
• Use language that is grammatically correct, free of bias, and delivered in a manner appropriate for the targeted audience. (IIa, IIc, IId)
• Organize content through sequencing of ideas to enhance the effectiveness of the oral presentation (e.g. classroom presentations, fieldwork instruction). (IIa, IIc)
• Use supporting material from credible, reliable, and appropriate sources backing principle ideas. (IIa, IVa, IVb)

The Education Studies Department deeply values the experiences Skidmore students have by engaging in off-campus study opportunities. Students who intend to declare an education studies major are encouraged to discuss their plans with a member of the department in their first year. EDS majors typically study off-campus during the spring of their sophomore year or the fall of their junior year.

EDS majors and minors may choose any off-campus opportunity that meets their interests and educational goals. The department has identified particular programs that allow students to study education in other national contexts and even experience schooling in these countries. For example, the ASE program in Bath and DIS in Copenhagen provide particular opportunities related to education and schooling.

The Education Studies Department embodies the Skidmore College value of theory in practice. Students in EDS courses often have the opportunity to observe educational practices in action and practice pedagogical theory in classrooms.

Many students experience their first field placement in the department’s lab school: The Early Childhood Center (ECC). In ED231 Children’s Literature, many students complete a read-aloud assignment with the children in the ECC. In the first course in the methods sequence, ED233 Emergent Literacy, EDS majors complete a two-hour per week lab component in the ECC. At this point in the program, EDS majors begin to model their teaching after the experienced ECC teachers and to develop a reflective stance in their emerging teaching practice.

All EDS majors complete field placements in local elementary schools in the Saratoga Springs City School District and surrounding districts. In connection to teaching methods coursework (ED335 Teaching Elementary Literacy and ED336 Teaching Elementary Mathematics), EDS majors complete two-day per week field placements in local classrooms. This opportunity allows students to observe and practice what they learn in their college classes the very next day in their elementary school placement classrooms.

EDS majors’ culminating experience is student teaching. Student teaching is a full-time semester spent in an elementary classroom. Students work collaboratively with a cooperating teacher five days a week to take on increasing instructional responsibility. Each placement concludes with a “solo week” where the student-teacher takes on all planning and instruction for the elementary students. Majors are supported by a college supervisor who visits, observes, and consults with student-teachers throughout their placement experience. In addition, students participate in a weekly seminar meeting on campus where EDS faculty work with the cohort to apply theory to practice and continue to develop a reflective stance toward teaching.

Teacher certification and outcomes

Education studies majors at Skidmore College can take a direct path toward becoming a certified teacher in New York state.

What certification can you earn?
Upon successful completion of coursework and field placements, students may be recommended for initial teaching certification in Childhood Education (Grades 1–6) in New York state.

What additional steps are required?
To apply for certification, graduates must complete New York state requirements, including passing two exams:

• Educating All Students (EAS)
• Content Specialty Test (CST)

Links to certification requirements, exam registration, and preparation materials are available below. New York state has also released updated study materials for the CST to support student success.

• NYS Search Certification Requirements
• NYS Office of Teaching Initiatives
• NYS Teacher Certification Exam General Information
• NYS Teacher Certification Exam: EAS
• NYS Teacher Certification Exam: CST
• NYS Preparation Materials

In a survey of graduates from the 2022, 2023, and 2024 cohorts (52% response rate), 79% were currently employed and 71% were pursuing advanced study. Of those employed, 100% were working in the field of education.