Students in the Teacher Education Department are enrolled in the B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education, the M.A. in Elementary Education, the B.A.Ed. or B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education, the M.A.E. in Secondary Education, or the Ph.D. in Multicultural Teacher and Childhood Education program. Like much of the student population at the University of New Mexico, many of our students are native New Mexicans and often the first in their families to seek a college degree.
Graduate Admissions
In the M.A. in Elementary Education Program, a total of 599 students were admitted from 2006-2011, with an average of 104 students admitted each year; the largest admissions year was 2010-2011 with 121 students admitted. The enrollment numbers at the graduate level are strong, especially with the beginning of the MARP Program, where more teachers are returning to the university to earn their M.A. degrees and improve their practice.
In the M.A. Program, in Secondary Education a total of 415 students were admitted from 2006-2011, with an average of 83 students admitted each year; the largest admissions year was 2009-2010 with 104
students admitted.
In the doctoral MCTC Program, a total of 25 students have been admitted from 2006-2011, with an average of 6 doctoral students admitted each year; the largest admissions year was 2008-2009 with ten students admitted.
Undergraduate Admissions
According to data provided by COE Research and Information Management, the Elementary Education program had an average of 464 students enrolled each fall semester from 2000-2010. The largest enrollment was in 2007 with 515 students.
During this same time period, the Secondary Education program had an average 100 enrolled each fall semester. The largest enrollment occurred in 2009 and 2010 with 144 students.
Admissions Data and Cultural Diversity
In the Department of Teacher Education, our students also reflect the cultural diversity of the state as well. According to data supplied by OIR for 2001-2010, 48% of our B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education degree recipients were from diverse populations, including 39% Hispanic and 8% Native American. In the State of New Mexico, Native American, Hispanic, and African American students combined comprise about 70% of our public school student population. Recruitment of diverse teacher candidates is a high priority for our Department. Our Elementary Education students of diversity combined equal 48% of our total Elementary Education student population; this number is equal to the number of non-Hispanic White teacher candidates. Among degree completers in Elementary Education at the master‘s level, 39% are from diverse populations, including 28% Hispanic, 10 % American Indian, and 1% African American. Fifty-six percent of these students are classified as White, non-Hispanic. This population is more representative of teacher demographics in New Mexico schools where White, non-Hispanic teachers are in the majority.
Secondary students receive the B.A.Ed. degree in Secondary Education while completing a concentration- teaching field. The ethnicity demographics from 2001-2010 for the students seeking a concentration- teaching field in social studies, communicative arts, or world languages show 60% White, non-Hispanic; 31% Hispanic; 3% American Indian; 2% African American; and less than 1% Asian Pacific Islander. For students seeking a concentration-teaching field in science or mathematics, 67% are White, non-Hispanic
and 33% are from diverse populations (30% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, and 1% Asian/Pacific Islander). No African American students completed a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education during the time frame examined.
Because no data was available from the OIR for Secondary Education master‘s degree recipients from 2006-2010, we have examined university data through Hyperion to identify Secondary Education data from active students with the M.A. in Secondary Education for the draft report. We believe that this data is a fairly accurate representation of the demographic make-up of our graduate students. We will have completed a more formal scan of demographic data for degree completers by the time of the final draft of this report for external review. Data from Secondary Education M.A. completers is similar to data from undergraduate students: 65% White, non-Hispanic, and combined diverse populations of 31%, including 22% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 3% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 2% African American.
OIR data indicate that the doctoral students in Multicultural Teacher and Childhood Education follow similar patterns of ethnicity indicated in other programs above, with a majority of White, non-Hispanic degree completers. A more detailed analysis of MCTC data is provided in the section of this report that describes elements of this program.
Overall analysis of this data indicates that while the Elementary Education B.S.Ed. programs have robust enrollment of diverse student populations that are aligned with the population of the state, more
aggressive recruitment efforts to bring diverse populations into teaching exist in our programs,
particularly at the graduate level for Elementary Education, at both the undergraduate and master‘s levels in Secondary Education, and at the doctoral level as well.
Retention and Graduation/Completion
The COE Office of Research and Information Management reported a total of 929 Elementary Education master‘s graduates from 2000-2010. The highest level of graduates was in 2005-2006 with 146 graduates. The number declined to a low of 48 in 2008-2009 because of the termination of the Teacher Enhancement Program and other partnership programs within area schools. As enrollment has climbed in recent years due to the addition of the MSET Cohort in Valencia County and the MARP Program, we anticipate continual increases in the number of master‘s level graduates from Teacher Education.
In the Secondary Education program, there were 472 master‘s graduates during 2000-2010. The highest level of graduates was in 2001-2002 with 63 graduates. The lowest was in 2006-2007 with 30 graduates. At the Undergraduate Level, the data from OIR indicate that there have been a total of 1976 Elementary Education graduates in the last 10 years, from 2000-2010; with an average of 198 students graduating per year.
Data provided by the COE Office of Research and Information Management show that there were 316 baccalaureate graduates from the Secondary Education program from 2000-2010.
Recruitment Efforts and Admissions Criteria
Ongoing recruitment efforts include availability of information on our Teacher Education Department website through brochures available in advising centers on campus and at the field centers. At the undergraduate level, both the Elementary and Secondary Programs operate with limits on enrollment because of limited resources, so recruitment is not a major issue. At the graduate level we actively recruit students through information sessions held routinely throughout the year for the MSET, the M.A. with Alternative Licensure, and the MARP Programs. However, at both levels, we must improve our
responsive as possible to the needs of schools in the State. It is also important that we recruit more Non- White, Hispanic and Native American students in all of our programs, to better reflect the diversity of the State‘s public school population.
Retention Efforts
At all levels, faculty members meet with students regularly for advisement. We have electronic list serves that we use to communicate with our students frequently. On the website, videos and tutorials are
available to help provide students with information on successful program completion. At the undergraduate level, advisors are available through the COE Center for Student for Success. In the Elementary Program, students take their courses in cohorts, and the faculty members who work with those cohorts are able to work with students who are having trouble to help them set goals for successful completion of the program or counsel them in another career. All licensure programs work with the Cooperating Teachers in the schools in which student teachers are completing their field experiences to ensure success for students in the field and program completion.
Advising Procedures Related to Completion
Undergraduate students receive advising from experts in the COE Center for Student Success prior to admission and during their program coursework. These students also meet with faculty to discuss concentration-teaching field options and advice on job applications and areas of need in the area. At the graduate level, students are advised directly by a faculty member who is assigned to that student upon admission. Each student is required to meet with his or her advisor at least once per semester to discuss course enrollment. At the Elementary level students also meet with their advisors for their Mid-Point Review to review writing skills and plan for degree completion. Finally, in both programs, the student‘s faculty advisor meets with the student to complete Program of Study documentation and Application for Examination documentation in preparation for graduation. The faculty advisor also is the chair of the student‘s examination committee, along with two other faculty members.
Financial Support Awarded to Students
Numerous College of Education scholarships are available to students in all programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels in Teacher Education. This is in addition to university-wide financial aid. Teacher Education students have been awarded scholarships throughout their teacher preparation coursework, including during their field experiences. Although the criteria for each endowed scholarship differs, all of the scholarships support diverse and minority students.
Enrollment Trends and the Unit’s Response
At the M.A. level, enrollment in both the Elementary and Secondary programs declined following the end of the partnership programs, such as the Teacher Enhancement Program. Both levels have been working to increase graduate enrollments. Through the initiation of the MSET Cohorts and the MARP Cohorts, enrollments at the graduate level in both programs have increased with students who already have their teaching licenses. Many applicants for the graduate alternative licensure programs have chosen to apply at this time due to the looming economic crisis, even though finding a teaching job is now much more competitive. For example, in 2004, there were 274 students admitted in Teacher Education graduate programs; in 2008 there were only 124 students admitted. However in 2010, 221 students were admitted to the graduate programs in Teacher Education. Our recruitment efforts have been successful in
increasing our graduate numbers in recent admissions cycles.
At the Undergraduate level, both Elementary and Secondary Education have capacities set for their programs, except in the areas of secondary math and science. These caps are in place because we do not have enough resources to continue to expand our programs, and the job market does not currently reflect a need for increased graduates in select areas of secondary education or elementary education.
Effectiveness of Support Services for Students Provided within the Unit
We have designed and piloted an advising assessment to determine if our support of students is appropriate. We are continuing to improve this survey and put it in as one of our end-of-semester data collection documents. Currently we monitor student questions in an informal way through conversations and emails. We can improve in this area and we need a more consistent way to seek out and receive student feedback on services provided by the Department of Teacher Education.