Master's in Elementary Education

Student Success Begins With Yours at GW

As teaching and learning practices constantly evolve to better cater to students' needs, our program provides an innovative experience to prepare you to adapt and to become an effective teacher and leader in your field.

The one- or two-year intensive master's program, accredited by CAEP, results in eligibility for licensure in teaching elementary school (grades 1-6).

The program's conceptual framework consists of an integrated set of three themes, detailed below, that are reflected in all aspects of program coursework and related clinical experiences.

• Knowledge: Good teachers know the subject matter they teach; exceptional teachers understand the process of its construction and its impact in life. This extended comprehension establishes a base for meaningful classroom instruction to help students understand their own thought processes and how the lesson applies to their daily lives. Understanding these principles of knowledge allows teachers to help students effectively think, communicate and participate in the real world.
• Individuality: Based on their rich array of experiential and cultural backgrounds, students bring a diverse set of personal, social, and academic expectations to the classroom. Effective teachers are attentive to students as individuals and are sensitive to the broader cultural context that gives shape to diversity. This awareness helps design meaningful programs of study that maximize the development of each student’s potential.
• Social Responsibility: Teaching is a socially significant profession that requires a wider moral vision extending beyond the narrowness of personal gain and intellectual development. The education of today’s youth is connected to many crucial issues confronting the larger social order. Good teachers recognize, reflect, and actively explore these important connections that link school and society, classroom and community.

The GW Advantage

What better place to examine education history, reform, and methods than in the policymaking capital of our nation? Benefit from our unique location and connections to government agencies and leading educational organizations. Plus, you'll receive a wealth of hands-on experiential learning and career opportunities at nearby urban and suburban public, charter and private schools.

Our Mission

The mission of the program, grounded in GSEHD's bridging concepts — Research and Scholarship, Reflective Practice, Community Service, and Educational Leadership, is to prepare teachers who are:

• Knowledgeable in the research and scholarship of curriculum and methods of instruction.
• Reflective practitioners in the integration of theory and practice.
• Actively dedicated to teaching and learning in a pluralistic democracy.
• Eager to contribute to the national conversation about the reform of American schools and society.

Curriculum

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 33 credits in required courses, successful completion of a master's comprehensive examination, and completion of the relevant teacher licensure assessments (see below).

Required
Foundations/strong>

• CPED 6604 Perspectives in American Education
• CPED 6606 Theories of Learning and Development
• CPED 6608 Development and Diversity
• SPED 6290 Affective Development and Behavior Management for Teaching Students with Disabilities

Methodology

• CPED 6410 Reading Children’s Literature across the Curriculum
• CPED 6412 Elementary School Curriculum and Methods (Math)
• CPED 6412 Elementary School Curriculum and Methods (Science)
• CPED 6412 Elementary School Curriculum and Methods (Language Arts)
• CPED 6412 Elementary School Curriculum and Methods (Social Studies)
• CPED 6623 Foundations of Reading Development
• EDUC 6114 Introduction to Quantitative Research

Internship

• CPED 6635 Professional Internship in Elementary Education (taken for 6 credits)

Successful completion of comprehensive examination
Completion of the relevant teacher licensure assessments (i.e., PRAXIS) required by the District of Columbia Educator Licensure Services Office

Program Outcomes

• Coursework is in educational foundations, elementary school curriculum and methodology, and a series of integrated field experiences at different grade levels in public schools. Key features of the program include:
  
  • Coursework in the cultural, historical, and social/psychological foundations of education
  • Opportunities to design, produce, and evaluate research
  • Multiple experiences with master teachers in elementary schools, including multiculturally diverse and/or inclusive classroom settings
  • Practice and feedback in using a variety of instructional strategies, including direct instruction, team teaching, inquiry-based instruction, cooperative learning, and problem solving
  • Field placements in a variety of select inner-city, urban, urban-fringe, and suburban schools designed to provide a graduated, incremental introduction to teaching

Career Outlook

In the last 5 years, 100% of Elementary Education program participants have been employed following graduation. Our Elementary Education graduates are teaching throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area and the country.

In addition to teachers, graduates of this program have become:

• Teacher Mentors
• Cooperating Teachers
• Gifted Resource Teachers
• Advanced Academic Program Teachers
• Reading Specialists
• Early Childhood Specialists
• School Based Technology Specialists
• Instructional, Literacy or Mathematics Coaches

Tuition Fees

Graduate tuition is charged per credit hour, unless otherwise noted. Rates vary by program and location.

The tuition rate* for the Master's in Elementary Education program is $1,905 per credit hour.

This program requires 33 credits.

Please note: Additional fees may apply for international students, late fees, etc. Current tuition rates may be updated during the year.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission, applicants must submit the online application form as well as the following required supporting documents. There is no application fee.

• Prerequisite: Bachelor's Degree (To be eligible for licensure, candidates must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a major other than Education or Elementary Education.)
• Resume
• Transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities
• Statement of Purpose
• One Letter of Recommendation

*Additional application requirements may exist for international applicants.