Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Secondary School Teachers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at The Evergreen State College, Bellevue College, Seattle Central, and Washington State University.
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 Gonzaga, Eastern Washington University, Walla Walla University, and Northwest University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Bates, Heritage, Seattle Central, and Shoreline Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider City University of Seattle, Walla Walla Community College, Heritage, and Bates.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Puget Sound, Antioch, Walla Walla University, and Gonzaga.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Walla Walla University, Northwest University, University of Puget Sound, and Saint Martin's University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Puget Sound, University of Washington Seattle, Gonzaga, and Whitworth University.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Whitworth University.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Puget Sound, Walla Walla University, Gonzaga, and Antioch.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying EDTEP Secondary Education (completion in 2010)
• 1/6/2012
"I thought the school gave me a well-looked-upon degree and prepared me to work independently in the classroom. However, I definitely needed more support in trying to secure a teaching position."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If they are willing to work very hard with little to no support and make outstanding connections within the program and surrounding school districts, it might be worth it. However, the overall cost (some $30,000) is very steep. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | When I began, it was one of the top 10 schools for education. I don't know where it stands now, but judging from cohorts that followed mine, it seems to have gone downhill. |
| Program Quality | 6 | While I felt more than prepared to have my own classroom, I think that the College of Education did little to nothing to prepare me or aid me in securing a job. The program was also in a transition year, and students in my cohort were overburdened by what was poor planning on the administrators' part. |
| Instruction | 9 | I felt that my methods teacher for English was amazing. My assessment course was too rigorous, albeit helpful. Supplementary courses like all-day lecture workshops and practicum meetings were superfluous. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Too much work to balance with student teaching. I was working 8-hour days as a student teacher, on top of taking 12 credits. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Lots of in-classroom work. Lots of book-based homework. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | We were overburdened in one semester when student teaching. The program has apparently since rectified that, as all of my cohort held that as the major complaint of the program. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Decent academic support. Great support from cohort. Good tech resources. |
| Social Life | 7 | I can't say I had heaps of school spirit, as it was a graduate program. Otherwise, our cohort was very close. School-organized events were silly, though. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I have received little to no support from my school. I worked as a temp through UW for a summer and had one teacher boost my confidence in trying to secure a job, but the career resources and job placement abilities of UW are nil. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have no association with any alumni, other than friends from the program. Half of us are without work after two years, and half have moved on to other careers. |
Central Washington University • Ellensburg, WA
Studying Broad Area History Teaching (completion in 2010)
• 3/29/2012
"I think back fondly to my years in school. The campus was great as were the services that it provided. I had access to excellent professors and others who helped me prepare for my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend the school because it was affordable yet provided a high quality education. It cost less than $15,000 per year total and still provided awesome services and access to professors. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | My school's reputation is high in Education/Social Studies. It regularly graduates excellent teaching candidates who quickly become teachers. Furthermore, those teachers often win statewide awards for their teaching techniques. |
| Program Quality | 7 | My school had high standards for graduating, which means they graduate higher quality candidates that are better prepared for the workforce. I benefitted from the high standards and am grateful for that. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors challenged students to think critically about the topics being discussed. Additionally, they brought real world applications of the material which enriched learning. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The program was difficult because it involved History, Social Studies, Psychology, and Education classes. Some of these courses were difficult and required a large amount of effort outside the classroom. Additionally, the tests for some of the classes were extremely difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school offered adequate classroom instruction but is also gave opportunities to apply the learning to real situations. As an Education major I had the opportunity to teach lessons in front of actual classes which helped my hone my skills. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The school provides various outlets for completing the degree. They include evening classes, online classes, day classes and summer classes. They are also open to being flexible with individual students. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The school has excellent libraries that are open late. There are also numerous computer labs and equipment to use when necessary. Advisors are easily accessible as are the professors. |
| Social Life | 2 | My social experience at the school was poor. I stuck to myself and focused on academics. The school as a whole is very open socially and there are many opportunities to interact with the student body. |
| Placement Services | 4 | My school has adequate Career Services. They provide resume checks and interview prep. They also have career fairs and workshops. The area they are lacking in is job placement. There is little follow through in making sure students find employment after they graduate. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The school I attended was average size, but the alumni were not particularly connected to the school so the alumni association was rather small. However the service provided by the alumni foundation are extensive if one chooses to use them. |
Pacific Lutheran University • Tacoma, WA
Studying Education (completion in 2011)
• 4/5/2012
"PLU is a wonderful school that genuinely aspires to give students a meaningful, well-rounded, socially conscious and globally focused education. As I stated earlier, the Education department was somewhat lacking for my particular area of secondary teaching, which was somewhat disappointing. However, my earlier classes and my work with the History department was top-notch."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Any students wanting to pursue History are strongly encouraged to do so. The History department at PLU is extremely focused on research and writing, which many universities tend to neglect until the final semester. If a student wishes to major in Elementary Education, PLU has a tremendous Education Department that caters specifically to that purpose. However, if a student wishes to major in Secondary Education, I would recommend going to a different university, or majoring in their desired content area and pursuing a Masters in Education through PLU instead. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | In Western Washington, PLU's education program is known as one of the most effective in the state. There is a 98-100% employment rate in the year following graduation on any given year and school districts are reportedly eager to hire graduates due to the rigorous standards set by the program. |
| Program Quality | 5 | PLU has a tremendous education program with talented and experienced professors. The standards are very high for all student teachers. However, the program is largely oriented towards Elementary Education majors. For those of us pursuing secondary endorsements, the program was somewhat lacking. While it was a fantastic experience for many of my peers with an elementary focus, it was average for those of us with a secondary focus. |
| Instruction | 6 | Again, the staff and curriculum is tremendous for Elementary majors. Secondary Education is not the primary focus, and thus the curriculum felt more oriented towards elementary folks, not us. |
| How Difficult | 9 | PLU has some of the highest standards for teachers in the nation. The program is extremely selective in terms of Admissions and once in the program, the workload is significant. All four semesters are full and the expectation of work quality is very high. It is extremely rare to be awarded full points on an assignment, as they believe there is always room for improvement. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a very good mix of hands-on and book learning. Early courses, such as 100 and 200 level courses, tended to be more focused on book learning. 300 and 400 level classes often got students into their particular fields (in my case, a lot of research for history and practicum/student teaching experiences for education). | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Classes are offered during the regular semesters, in a one-month term known as "January Term", and in two separate summer terms. Some classes are competitive and it was difficult to get into the classes you wanted sometimes. Most students manage to get into all the classes they need in a timely manner, but there occasionally are scheduling frustrations. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | PLU provides many forms of technology to its students, from computers and copiers to video cameras and projectors. They have various tech support experts who help students with any problems, such as phone, Internet, or personal computer troubles. The library is medium in size and scale and there is a small special collections department as well. All departments offer tutors in that area (generally seniors who are majors) and there is a writing center for all students to use. Professors provide clear office hours and are always willing to meet with students. Academic advisors, in my experience, vary greatly between departments. My advisor in the Education department was somewhat lacking, but my History advisor was very knowledgeable and always available to help. |
| Social Life | 8 | Very high school spirit and pride on campus. Lots of events, clubs, and groups exist to bring students together and promote a sense of community. All athletic and social events are advertised in a timely manner and well-planned. On campus parties and events were carefully regulated and always safe. |
| Placement Services | 7 | They do offer career and job services on campus. I have not used them, but have been told by students who have that they work extremely hard for their graduates and are quite successful in helping them find work. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The school makes a lot of effort to stay in contact with its alumni. There is regular correspondence through email and post informing alumni of new developments and events on campus. PLU takes a lot of pride in maintaining close ties with graduated students and does so throughout the years. |
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