Fast Facts about Educator Preparation Programs
- Dallas-Fort Worth has two educator preparation partners, depending on your district placement: Southern Methodist University and Texas Wesleyan University.
- In order to teach without a traditional certification, you will take coursework through Southern Methodist University or Texas Wesleyan University during your first year of teaching.
- The educator prep program you are enrolled in will be dependent on the district in which you are hired. Corps members hired in Dallas will enroll in Southern Methodist University. Corps members hired in Fort Worth will enroll in Texas Wesleyan University.
- Through one of these university programs, you will be enrolled in graduate level classes in order to fulfill your certification requirements. In addition to certification classes, successful completion of the program includes attending professional development sessions, homework, and coursework as assigned.
- Corps members going through one of Educator Preparation Programs will have a field supervisor and a professor. Field supervisors will observe and help support teachers in the classroom. Professors will lead the instruction of the graduate level courses and assign coursework.
- With these programs, Teach For America – Dallas-Fort Worth has partnerships that allows corps members to pay for their certification at the end of the school year. In the past, eligible corps members have been able to use their AmeriCorps Segal Education Award to cover the cost of your certification at their Educator Preparation Programs.
Master's Programs
Through both Southern Methodist University and Texas Wesleyan University’s educator preparation programs, the hours of coursework completed can go toward a Master’s degree in Education at the university at which certification was obtained. For more information on pursing a Master's degree after you are certified, please reach out to the Onboarding team.