Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Elementary School Teachers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Iowa State.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Iowa State, William Penn University, University of Iowa, and Northern Iowa.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Morningside College, Drake, and Upper Iowa University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Mount Mercy College and Saint Ambrose University.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Cornell, Emmaus Bible, Drake, and Dordt.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Emmaus Bible, Waldorf College, Loras, and Faith Baptist.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Cornell, University of Iowa, Iowa State, and Coe College.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Cornell, Maharishi, William Penn University, and Waldorf College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Loras, Emmaus Bible, Cornell, and Luther.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Northern Iowa • Cedar Falls, IA
Studying Elementary Education (completion in 2003)
• 6/29/2011
"UNI provided me with a great foundation for teaching. I would have appreciated more experiences compared to theory, but understand the importance to knowing the theory behind our teaching."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UNI provides students with useful experiences and has instructors that have real experience that they can share with the students. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Overall, the University of Northern Iowa is known nationally for its teaching program. It actually used to be called the Teaching College of Iowa. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Overall I felt very prepared to be a teacher. However, I could have benefitted more from some additional real teaching experiences rather than just theory. |
| Instruction | 8 | Once again, the instruction was great for what the design intended and provided us many useful resources to take into our classrooms. Some classes, however, were required but not as useful to direct classroom instruction. |
| How Difficult | 6 | I think the program was rigorous and provided some great experiences geared towards teaching. I also think that the content was designed for teaching elementary school aged children, so it wasn't always that challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had a good mix of theory courses and participation courses. Every student has to go through a variety of field experiences with actual students to gain certification. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I was able to take some of my classes during the summer and during the evening hours if I chose to. They seemed to work well with trying to get me into classes when I wanted to attend them. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The University of Northern Iowa had many resources. It had an outstanding library and many technology labs. It also has its own lab school to help with participation experiences in the program. |
| Social Life | 7 | There were many activities for the students to participate in if they chose to. I did not take part in that many, except for our football and basketball teams' games. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I don't believe they did that great of a job of placing me in a position. Having the name of the school on my transcripts and resume certainly helped because local districts are aware of the preparation the college provides. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I receive many notifications and phone calls to participate in events sponsored by the university. I rarely take part in these activities due to the time commitment of my family and my teaching career. |
University Of Dubuque • Dubuque, IA
Studying Elementary Education (completion in 2005)
• 7/13/2011
"I loved the small classes and the hands on learning. I was able to get involved and be very successful."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UD has high standards so that you will be successful as a teacher. The amount of hands on learning allows you to step into the classroom as a student teacher and feel that you are very prepared and that you will succeed. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | We were just building the program when I started. The school has been building up its reputation and is very reputable again. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The courses have helped me to be a better teacher. I was able to work in the schools for practicum and student teaching for a few years before going into a classroom by myself. I felt that I had the experience and education needed to do the job. |
| Instruction | 10 | We had professors who worked at the University full time and those who worked part time. I liked that we had part time instructors because they worked in the schools and had a lot of hands on experience. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I felt that it was easy because I enjoyed the classes and the education. I think that the program could be challenging if the student doesn't work hard. I tried to do the best I could so that when I did get into the classroom, I could be the best teacher. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I loved it because we did a lot of hands on work which I think is important. Being in the classroom is what you do as a teacher and you really can't learn that from books. The books were used more as reference material while we were in the classroom. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I felt it was very flexible for me. I know that it is per semester, so once you get into your education major courses, if you miss a semester you may be behind. They did offer classes at a variety of times and would also let you do independent study or take online courses. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | For being a small school I did think that we had a neat set up. The library was great and we had a nice cafe that you could utilize. They are just starting to build new buildings for the education department and the performing arts so I think that it will be even better. |
| Social Life | 6 | It was sometimes like being in high school again because it was such a small school. We pretty much knew everyone and it was fun to cheer on your own school. Plus, the dances were fun. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I really thought that because it was a small school I would have more individual help when it came to job placement. I was surprised that I didn't get much help at all other then a resume review. I would have liked to see what other opportunities were out there in education. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I haven't received many letters or invites to activities. I am not sure if the school has many opportunities for alumni. |
University Of Iowa • Iowa City, IA
Studying English Education (completion in 1999)
• 8/6/2011
"It was a nice place to go to school... wouldn't want to live/have a career there, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would caution them about the fact that student teaching there is difficult for someone who doesn't want to end up staying there. But if you have a way out, it's a great, safe environment. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It has a good reputation among those in and around Iowa. The problems are as explained above that there aren't too many opportunities to expand beyond the area. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The program was good. There are very few student teaching assignments available nearby and Iowa is one of the lowest paying states in the country. These are major disadvantages. |
| Instruction | 8 | I learned a lot, and I liked the professors. The problem is that you can't teach classroom management! I wasn't prepared for that, but I guess you can't be. |
| How Difficult | 6 | There was a lot of work, but it wasn't too hard. It was at least meaningful and something to use later. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We mostly learned from textbooks about theories of education. Not that helpful! | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Again, I know because I did it. I worked full time but was still able to take evening classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | I thought everything was great. |
| Social Life | 10 | Nice people! Fun, Big Ten sports environment. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I know it's great because I used to work there! We had a great resume assistance group and many job fairs. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I don't really keep in touch with anyone from that program. I have no idea of the network. |
University Of Iowa • Iowa, IA
Studying Education (completion in 1990)
• 9/29/2011
"Love the U of I. I have no regrets for going there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Its not a school for everyone but I would be proud if my daughters attended the U of I. The university has improved since I went there. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school has a good reputation for education and is highly rated overall. |
| Program Quality | 8 | It was a large school, maybe too large. I never really got to know most of my professors. I think you get more individual attention at smaller schools. |
| Instruction | 8 | I learned more from student teaching a semester than I did during my four years of college. I wish professors had more elementary classroom experience. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was tough but not impossible. The school had high expectations. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had lots of book work and educational theories. More practicums would be helpful. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | It's tough to get classes that you want when you are freshman and sophomore. I spent the first two years taking general education classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The school had good resources and featured the best education library in the state. |
| Social Life | 10 | Had a great time at the University of Iowa. There were good athletics programs. I was not in a frat because I could make my own friends. |
| Placement Services | 7 | I didn't use it but I have a few friends who got jobs through college placement. Most teacher friends got jobs on their own. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I haven't really used he alumni network. I'm not a big donor to the university as I need to pay for my daughter's education first. |
Drake University • Des Moines, IA
Studying Elementary Education (completion in 2008)
• 10/6/2011
"It offered a good learning environment and I had a pleasant experience there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Very likely. It is a very good and well known school. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Very good from what I have heard from people, and also through my experience. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The school of education at my university is quite famous. It prepared me well for my career. |
| Instruction | 8 | It prepared me well for my career. I not only know how to teach, but how to handle students. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I found it very interesting. It was slightly challenging, but I liked it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A good mix. We learned the knowledge we needed from books and then we had practicals in real elementary school classrooms. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I had the class schedule I wanted. It allowed me to make full use of my time. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Lecturers were experienced and the library was well stocked. |
| Social Life | 8 | All year long there were many activities. I made many friends and had lots of fun. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I was well assisted when it came to finding a job, and I found one very soon. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The school has a very long history and thus has a very wide alumni at work. |
Coe College • Cedar Rapids, IA
Studying Physics, Education (completion in 2010)
• 10/14/2011
"It would have been the perfect school if I decided to go to grad school for physics. Since I decided to go a different route, I imagine another school may have been a better fit for me. I didn't have much time to take the education classes I wanted before graduating."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The classes I did take in the education department were very helpful. I learned a lot in the short time I spent there. The professors still keep in touch with me to give me advice. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | They are leaders in glass research. They travel all over the world presenting their work and learning about others' work. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My school was a wonderful school to learn physics. I decided to do something different after graduation, though. I would highly recommend this school to others. |
| Instruction | 6 | The teachers were very knowledgeable. They were genuinely interested in each of their students. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was a very difficult program, but I didn't work as hard as I should have. I could have pushed myself harder and taken more classes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We were hands-on in many departments. Sociology and Psychology had you doing experiments in the community. In order to graduate, you had to do community service. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | It's a small school, so there aren't many options. There are no online classes. When I couldn't get classes to fit, I had to do an independent study my senior year. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | They have more laboratory equipment than a lot of graduate schools. They need a new science building to hold it all, but that is in the process of being built. The library was also very nice. I had my professors cell phone, home phone, and wives' phone numbers and I could call them if I had questions at any time. |
| Social Life | 7 | Everything was free (after the $36,000 price tag). There was no reason to not get as involved as possible. I organized many of the social events. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They require that you attend seminars about career placement. They are very helpful with resume writing and job applications. They even keep track of my letters of recommendations for teaching, and will mail them to any school I want. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I get e-mails at least once a month about the alumni association. It's a private school, so they want to stay close to you in case you ever have extra money lying around that you can give them. |
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