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 Southeastern Louisiana University, LSU, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Nicholls 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 LSU Alexandria, NSU, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Loyola University.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Our Lady of Holy Cross College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Southern University at New Orleans, Grambling State, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Our Lady of Holy Cross College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Loyola University, Louisiana Tech, and NSU.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Grambling State, Loyola University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Centenary.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Dillard, Centenary, Louisiana College, and Grambling State.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Loyola University, LSU, and Centenary.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Grambling State, Dillard, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Louisiana College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Dillard, Loyola University, Centenary, and Xavier University of Louisiana.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Lafayette • Lafayette, LA
Studying Elementary Education (completion in 2002)
• 6/28/2011
"The university I attended adequately prepared me to be a successful teacher. I still was nervous, but that's normal."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend my school to others searching for a university for elementary education. The teachers were very supportive and helpful, the classes were informative and useful, and the courses were offered multiple times to fit around students who may work. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The university has a great education program. I feel like it does adequately prepare one in the field of teaching. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I work at a very small school which provides a sense of family. My principal and the staff are very supportive and encouraging. |
| Instruction | 9 | My mom was/is a school teacher, so I had a good mentor through the years. In addition to great mentorship, my courses prepared me through the advice of experienced teachers. Student teaching was one of the greatest avenues that prepared me. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I did not find the courses to be that difficult. Most of the classes reiterated what I had witnessed from helping my mom. I did have a hard time, however, in biology. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The undergraduate courses were mostly book learning (biology, math, English, history, psychology), but the education courses were mostly hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I was able to schedule all of the classes I needed in a timely fashion, and always had full hours. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | I did not feel crowded or like I was "falling through the cracks" within my education classes. My classes were very "hands on" and my teachers were very supportive. The university had a vast library with lots of resources and computers. |
| Social Life | 7 | There were lots of school activities to participate in. I, however, did not choose to participate in them. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I was offered a job at the school where I student taught, but I had already signed a contract with another school before I was approached. In the class with which I student taught , we all were placed in schools. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I have not heard from the university since graduation, but this does not bother me. |
Nicholls State University • Thibodaux, LA
Studying Elementary Education (completion in 2010)
• 8/16/2011
"I was very satisfied with my school. I got a great education, met great friends, and learned a lot."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend my school to other education majors! The faculty is so helpful and always around when you need them, not to mention they give you an excellent education. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | I think my school is rated as one of the highest in the state for it's education program. Education is the second best degree you can get there after culinary arts. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My school helped me very much to be the best teacher I could be. I have learned how to interact with students in a way I didn't think I had in me. |
| Instruction | 10 | My teachers helped us students a lot in learning how to be great teachers. I think if I didn't have the certain teachers that I had, I would be lost. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I think we had the appropriate amount of work load for what we were to do in our careers. You do need to work a lot in order to be an excellent teacher. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We learned a lot through textbooks, but we also did a lot of hands on learning. Going through the student teacher program helped me realize that I had made the correct choice in majoring Elementary Education. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | Most of the classes are during the week which makes it extremely flexible for me as I did not have to take classes during the weekend. You could schedule your own classes at any time, since there are so many education classes going on. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The school doesn't have a very big library, but it is a rather small school. The accessibility of professors was amazing! Some professors even gave you their phone numbers if you absolutely needed them. |
| Social Life | 4 | I was so interested and involved in my studying that I didn't get involved in many other activities. The school had many clubs, but I just didn't feel the need to conform or join any. |
| Placement Services | 9 | I think most people who graduate with an education degree get jobs. The education system is so hard to get a job in these days. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | We did have a great deal of alumni at my college. A lot of things were sponsored by the alumni For example, all of the fraternities and football games were sponsored by alumni, along with other organizations. |
Louisiana College • Pineville, LA
Studying Education (completion in 2007)
• 11/7/2011
"I was dissatisfied with the quality of the professors, especially in their knowledge of progressive, contemporary issues in the modern classroom. However, I was very satisfied with my job placement."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If for no other reason than job placement, I would recommend the program. Much of a teacher's education takes place once he or she enters the classroom setting. So, why not go somewhere that will get you there quickly? |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The regional reputation of the Louisiana College education program is esteemed very highly. Though not much is known about the small private college outside of Louisiana and East Texas, it is afforded a great deal of respect in those areas. |
| Program Quality | 6 | My school certifies the large majority of teachers in the area, many of which obtain certification through an alternative certification program at the school, TEACH LC. The instruction of that program is decent, though sometimes overly traditional or fad-oriented in its approaches to the classroom. |
| Instruction | 7 | As mentioned above, the instruction is decent. At the same time, however, Louisiana College has a direct line to the majority of surrounding parishes regarding job vacancies, student teaching, and the like. So, the job placement is very effective. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Most courses were project-oriented. And, though many of them were time-consuming, the grading criteria for the finished product always seemed very lax. Also, any projects that require before and after instructional data could be easily fabricated. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program is careful to get students out and into the classroom whenever possible. Still, especially given the size of the school and the community, this could be done much more often. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | For the Education major, Louisiana College is still a very traditional, text-based campus. There are few, if any, weekend options and very few summer offerings. That being said, the alternative certification course works with teachers currently employed during the school year. However, it is still an on-campus program. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Louisiana College suffers from its small size and budget in that the library and technological resources are somewhat limited. However, the staff is very accessible. |
| Social Life | 7 | Though Louisiana College's size makes for a shorter list of social options than most state universities, the small student body also makes for a more personal experience with most of your classmates. For example, in the upper-level courses for my major, you were usually confronted with the same group of classmates again and again. |
| Placement Services | 8 | As mentioned above, the size of the surrounding community makes Louisiana College excellent at job placement, especially for teachers and nurses. The Rapides Parish School Board, the largest parish in the surrounding area, works hand-in-hand with Louisiana College, particularly regarding their alternative certification program. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | As mentioned above, Central Louisiana is a small community. So, the social networking provided by Louisiana College is very effective, if for no other reason than that it cannot help but be effective. |
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