Union University
School of Education

School of Education

The mission of the School of Education is to prepare educators of character and competence who reflect Christ as they serve and lead in their schools and communities. The School of Education offers varying programs of study to prepare students who want to teach and engage the classrooms of the world. Three majors are offered in the School of Education: Elementary Education, Learning Foundations, and Special Education. An Elementary Education Major is designed for students wanting to teach in early grades, elementary grades, or middle grades. This major reflects best-practices pedagogy that supports learning in a variety of classroom settings. Within this major students choose specific grade level endorsements (Grades K-6, Grades PreK-3, or Grades 4-8). Instead of selecting an academic minor, students majoring in Elementary Education are required to have an additional major. The second major is chosen from the list below. READ MORE

  • Learning Foundations Major - a newly enhanced interdisciplinary major
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • English
  • History
  • Language (French, Spanish, ESL)
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Political Science

As listed above, the Learning Foundations major is an interdisciplinary major that supports the varied content areas taught in PreK-6 classrooms. In addition to the varied academic preparation, students choose an area of emphasis to ensure a deepened liberal arts experience. This one area of emphasis is selected from one of the four school academic domains: language arts, social studies, mathematics, or science.

The School of Education also offers a major in Special Education. This major prepares students to teach special education in grades K – 12 in inclusionary settings, pull-out programs, and self-contained special education classrooms.

School of Education Majors

  • Elementary Education Major
    • Early Childhood Licensure (Grades Pre-K – 3)
    • Elementary Grades Licensure (Grades K-6)
    • Middle Grades Licensure (Grades 4-8)
  • Learning Foundations Major
    • A newly-enhanced interdisciplinary major
    • Includes an emphasis in one of the following
      • English
      • Mathematics
      • Science
      • Social Studies
  • Special Education Major includes endorsements in both:
    • Modified (Grades K-12 inclusion/resource) &
    • Comprehensive (Grades K-12 self-contained classrooms)

Distinctives of the School of Education:

  • Faculty in the School of Education are immersed in scholarship to support both undergraduate and graduate programs. Faculty present their research in a variety of venues, which include making national presentations, publishing articles in discipline journals, and publishing textbooks. Most importantly, they are committed to excellence in their teaching. Often, students will hear faculty report how their research informs their teaching.
  • The School of Education is committed to enhancing the connection between local schools and the university classroom throughout the students’ four-year program of study. Students begin their classroom experience during their first year of university classes. This first experience is observation only, but begins the process of viewing a classroom through the lens of a professional. An additional focused observation is part of the students’ second year of classes. Isolated lessons are taught in local schools as a part of methods-type courses called Instructional Design courses in the junior and senior years. A full semester of student teaching is the culminating experience during the last semester before graduation.
  • The School of Education uses processes to ensure that students move along the continuum of effective teaching. As students move through their programs of study, each course that includes a field experience has a university supervisor who visits students in these placements. During these visits the university supervisor supports students as the students themselves reflect on their strengths and possible areas of improvement. These observations follow students throughout their programs of study, allowing university supervisors to offer support in a continuous manner.
  • The School of Education continues this extensive field experience support during the student teaching semester. Weekly visits from a university supervisor allow student teachers to actually become more effective teachers. The same reflective process of recognizing strengths and discussing possible suggestions for improvement is used to continue their personal journey in becoming effective teachers. Local school officials are highly complimentary of the effectiveness of our graduates and report that they “know how to teach” rather than only “knowing about teaching.”
  • Students majoring in Special Education may choose to receive a dual endorsement in Special Education and the Elementary Grades K-6. This dual endorsement is earned by taking only two additional classes to the Special Education program of study.
  • Union University’s Teacher Education Program is nationally accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This accreditation ensures a quality program and facilitates the process of teacher licensure in other states.
  • The Teacher Education Program’s Conceptual Framework, “a teacher-student dynamic of sensitivity, reflection, and faith,” prepares teacher candidates to actualize Christian values in a public school setting as well as in private and parochial environments.
  • The School of Education is nationally recognized as a model of excellence for our “moral and ethical dimensions in the learning community.” This recognition was received from AILACTE, the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education, which has over 200 members in its organization. The selection of Union University’s School of Education to receive this distinction demonstrates how the Christian faith can inform the profession of teaching.
  • Teacher licensure programs meet the criteria for “highly qualified” teachers as established by federal legislation, No Child Left Behind.
  • The School of Education is a member of the Christian Colleges Teacher Education Coordinating Council. This organization facilitates the placement of student teachers in international settings if desired.
  • The School of Education at Union University is one of the very few in the United States who is nationally recognized, nationally accredited, and offers the doctoral degree in Education. These distinctives prepare our teacher candidates to engage the culture regardless of where they find themselves in the many diverse classrooms of the world.

Faculty

Programs of Study

Please see the Academic Catalogue description for more detail. Some minors do not appear here.

Student Organizations

Past News

Accolades

The Physics Department of Union University, in honor of Albert Einstein’s birthday March 14, held a Pi Poem contest. The poem had to follow the numerical sequence of pi which to 90 decimal points is equal to 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937544592307816406286208998628034825 3421170679. The number of letters in each word in the pi poem must match up to the numerical value of pi in order. The first word must be three letters long; the second word must be one letter long; the third word must be four letters long and so forth following the number sequence of pi.

Congratulations to Dr. Terry L. Weaver in the School of Education for his winning poem! His Pi Poem is 48 decimal points, 3.141592653 58979 3238 46264 338327 95028 84197169 399375 broken here to match the stanzas of the poem.

(posted: Apr 2, 2009)

MORE ACCOLADES
  • Nancy Easley’s essay, “Jesus and Women in the Gospels,” was published in the January 2007 issue of the new Broadman & Holman Harmony of the Gospels. (posted: May 22, 2007)
  • Ann Singleton co-presented “Creating a Responsive Community to Lead the Millennial Department” at the national Academic Chairs Conference in Orlando, Florida on February 3. (posted: May 22, 2007)
  • Ralph Leverett was elected to the Board of the Foundation of the Tennessee Association of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists. (posted: May 22, 2007)
  • Nancy Cherry and Kenneth Newman presented “Science and Social Studies Reading Strategies” for the Jackson Madison County Teacher In-service on January 2. Dr. Newman repeated the presentation for the faculty of Isaac Lane Technology Magnet Elementary School on January 22. (posted: May 22, 2007)
  • Kenneth Newman and Ann Singleton presented “Multiple Intelligences: How Are My Students Smart?” for the faculty of Scotts Hill Elementary School on January 3. (posted: Jan 22, 2007)
  • Kenneth Newman presented “Writing By and For Boys” at the Lifelines for Teachers area-wide teacher in-service on January 20 at Jackson State Community College. Nancy Cherry and Melessia Mathis co-presented “Activities for Integrating Social Studies and Reading” at the same event. (posted: Jan 22, 2007)
  • Kenneth Newman and Ann Singleton presented “Empowering Students to Think Deeply, Discuss Engagingly, and Write Definitely in the University Classroom” at the International Society for the Exploration of Teaching and Learning Conference in Palm Springs, California, on October 19. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)
  • Anna Clifford presented “'Connecting Preparation to Practice: Student Teachers’ Uses of Technology and Their Cooperating Teachers’ Impact” at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology International Convention in Dallas, TX, on October 12. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)
  • Ralph Leverett co-presented “Meeting in the Middle: Rethinking Deaf Education” at the Tennessee Association of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 11. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)
  • Terry Weaver presented “How can I know if they know? Differentiated Authentic Assessment” at the 10th Annual BEYOND ACCESS conference sponsored by Learning Disabilities of America, UT Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities, R.I.S.E. Project and Down Syndrome Association in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 15. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)
  • Carrie Whaley and Sandra Hathcox presented “Bookmarking with Children” at the International Reading Association Southeast Regional Conference in Mobile, Alabama, on October 16. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)
  • Carrie Whaley presented “Inviting Children into Literacy Through Children’s Literature” at the Tennessee Association for Childhood Education International in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on September 16. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)
  • Tom Rosebrough presented “Engaging Students” for the faculty of Whitehall Elementary School on October 16. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)
  • Kenneth Newman presented a Writing Workshop for the faculty of Haywood Elementary School on October 9. Dr. Newman also presented “Six-trait Writing and Tennessee Writing Assessment” for Paris Elementary School on November 3, and presented “Oral Reading and Reading Fluency” for the faculty of Whitehall Elementary School on November 13. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)
  • Ann Singleton presented “Math – Who Needs It?” for the faculty of Rhea Elementary School in Paris, Tennessee, on November 3. (posted: Dec 21, 2006)

Recent Photos

Large | X-Large
11/4/09 - Claire Elmblad, junior engineering major, and Sarah Thompson, junior elementary education major, place phone calls for the Star Center during Campus and Community Day. - Megan Bailey
11/4/09 - Claire Elmblad, junior engineering major, and Sarah Thompson, junior elementary education major, place phone calls for the Star Center during Campus and Community Day. - Megan Bailey

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11/2/07 - John Gross, Ken Newman, Michelle Atkins and Ann Singleton laugh and talk about what is going on in the School of Education. - Kristi McMurry
11/2/07 - John Gross, Ken Newman, Michelle Atkins and Ann Singleton laugh and talk about what is going on in the School of Education. - Kristi McMurry

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11/2/07 - Ann Singleton fellowships with alumnus John Gross at the School of Education's homecoming reception. - Kristi McMurry
11/2/07 - Ann Singleton fellowships with alumnus John Gross at the School of Education's homecoming reception. - Kristi McMurry

Quick Links

Items of Note
Contact Information
Undergraduate Catalogues (.pdf)
Graduate Catalogues (.pdf)
Course Schedules
Undergraduate Areas of Study
  • Education-*Secondary School**
  • Education-Elementary, *Learning Foundations (K-6)
  • Education-Elementary, *Learning Foundations (PreK-3)
  • Education-Middle School, *Liberal Studies (4-8)
  • Education-Special Education (K-12) *Comprehensive
  • Education-Special Education (K-12)* Modified
  • Elementary Education *(PreK-3) Learning Foundations
  • Elementary Education* (K-6) Learning Foundations
  • Middle School * Education, Learning Foundations
  • Secondary * Education**
  • Special Education (K-12)* Comprehensive, Education
  • Special Education (K-12)* Modified, Education
  • Teacher Licensure Only, as post-baccalaureate undergraduate
  • * Teacher Licensure Available
  • ** Secondary School Licensure is built around the student's majoring in the teaching field, such as Mathematics, PE, English, etc.
  • *** Indicates area of study available as a minor concentration; all others are available as a major concentration