Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Summer 2017
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
Catalog Copy
MASTER OF EDUCATION (M.ED.) IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
Description of Program
The M.Ed. in Elementary Education is designed for experienced teachers who wish to become instructional leaders, advanced practitioners, and global educators. Upon completion of the program, students will qualify for the North Carolina advanced Standard Professional II teaching license in Elementary Education.
1) Instructional Leader
This degree program enables graduates to develop leadership skills as well as specialized content knowledge to effectively impact elementary education. Graduates of this program will also be advocates for students’ cultural and academic needs as well as advocates for effective and relevant educational practices and policies.
2) Advanced Practitioners
Completion of this degree program will enable graduates to acquire deep theoretical and content knowledge to become advanced practitioners in specific emphasis areas. Graduates will have the capacity to facilitate student learning through inquiry-based practices. Graduates will also possess knowledge and practice that will prepare them to enter Ph.D. programs throughout the country and world.
3) Global Educators
Graduates of this degree program will contribute to a rigorous and critical analysis of learning in their classroom, the school, and global society. The program enables graduates to promote an educational milieu that values culture, reflective practice, and multiple worldviews.
Program Goals
Master teachers are self-directed and ethical in their personal and professional growth as educators.
Master teachers are responsive to children’s differences as influenced by development, exceptionalities, and diversity.
Master teachers are well-grounded in the technology, content, and pedagogy of the elementary curriculum and emphasis area.
Master teachers are effective in urban, rural, and suburban cultural contexts
Master teachers are self-reflective, educational advocates, and educational researchers.
Master teachers are collaborative and impactful educational leaders. Master teachers are globally aware of the impact of local education.
General Requirements for Admission to the Graduate School
Please refer to the information found in The Graduate School section of this Catalog.
Additional Admission Requirements
1) Official transcripts of all previous academic work beyond high school with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75
2) Completion of a Bachelors in Elementary Education from an approved program
3) Official reports of GRE or MAT examination
4) An essay describing statement of purpose for undertaking graduate study
5) Apply online: graduateschool.uncc.edu
Degree Requirements
The M.Ed. in Elementary Education is a 33‐hour program. The Programs of Study include 18 hours of required courses and 11-15 hours of courses from one of the following concentrations: Academically or Intellectually Gifted, Anti-Racism in Urban Education (ARUE), Elementary Mathematics, Instructional Systems Technology, Literacy, Special Education, and Teaching English to Second Language Learners.
Core Courses (18 hours)
Phase I. Developing Perspectives (9 hours)
ELED 6200 Current Issues in Global and Urban Elementary Schools (3)
ELED 6201 Theories of Human Development and Learning in Cultural Contexts (3)
ELED 6202 Classroom Management and Leadership for Diverse Learners (3)
Phase II. Collaborative Inquiry (6 hours)
ELED 6203 Instructional Differentiation for 21st Century Learners (3)
RSCH 6101 Research Methods (3)
Phase III. Investigative Leadership (3 hours)
ELED 6303 Teacher Inquiry and Data Analysis in the Elementary Classroom (3)
Concentrations (11-15 hours)
Academically or Intellectually Gifted*
SPED 5211 Nature and Needs of Gifted Students (3)
SPED 6124 Methods of Instructing Gifted Students (3)
SPED 6161 Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students (3)
SPED 6224 Adapting Curriculum Material and Classroom Differentiation (3)
Anti-Racism in Urban Education* (ARUE)
ELED 6260 History and Psychology of Racism (3)
ELED 6261 Racial Identity Development (3)
ELED 6262 Race in Education and Schooling (3)
ELED 6263 Anti-Racist Activism in Education (3)
Elementary Mathematics*
ELED 6311 Number Systems and Operations: K-5 Mathematical Tasks (3)
ELED 6312 Geometry and Spatial Visualization: K-5 Assessment (3)
ELED 6313 Algebraic Reasoning: K-5 Discourse and Questioning (3)
ELED 6314 Rational Numbers and Operations: K-5 Learning Trajectories (3)
ELED 6315 Data Analysis and Measurement: K-5 Classroom Interactions (3)
Note: ELED 6316 (Mathematical Modeling: K-5 Leadership) must also be completed in order to earn the North Carolina Add-On License
Instructional Systems Technology (Technology Integration)*
EIST 6101 The Adult Learner (3)
EIST 6100 Readings in EIST (3)
EIST 6110 Instructional Design (3)
EIST 6135 Learning, Media, Resources, & Technology (3)
Literacy
READ 6100 Current Issues and Practices in Literacy Education (3)
READ 6252 K-12 Writing Development and Instruction (3)
READ 6265 Multi-literacies in a Global World: Reading and Writing Texts in New Times (3)
READ 6250 Emergent and Elementary Literacy (3)
READ 6204 Teaching Reading to English Language Learners (3)
Special Education
EDUC 6254 Individualizing Instruction for Diverse Learners (3)
SPED 6502 Advanced Classroom Management (3)
SPED 6503 Instructional Design in Special Education (3)
SPED 6690 Consultation and Collaboration (2)
Teaching English as a Second Language*
ENGL 6161 Introduction to Linguistics (3)
TESL 5104 Authentic Assessment (3)
TESL 5103 Methods in Teaching English as a Second Language (3)
TESL 6205 Second Language Acquisition in K-12 Settings (3)
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
ELED 6210: Current Issues in STEM Education (3)
ELED 6211: Integrating Engineering into the Elementary School Curriculum (3)
ELED 6212: Integrating Digital Learning and STEM with Elementary School Learners (3)
ELED 6213: Global Awareness in STEM Education (3)
ELED 6214: Designing and Developing STEM Curricula (3)
NOTE: PENDING APPROVAL
Elective (3 hours)
Elective may include any non-required course selected from a variety of course offerings designed to support concentration, additional research courses, and advanced knowledge in specific content.
*This concentration leads to the North Carolina Licensure if the student successfully completes all of the related licensure requirements.
Admission to Candidacy
The Candidacy form supplied by the Graduate School must be received no later than the eighth instructional day of the semester in which completion of all degree requirements is expected.
Application for Degree
The Application for Degree/Graduation form supplied by the Graduate School must be received early in the last semester of your program.
Clinical Field Experiences
Students in the M.Ed. program participate in structured field experiences that require them to apply coursework in their classroom settings, analyze K-5 student learning, and reflect on their practice in the context of theories on teaching and learning. Students deepen their understanding of the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions that foster student learning. These experiences broaden their ability to help all students learn, including children with exceptionalities and students from diverse ethnic/racial, linguistic, gender, and socioeconomic groups. These structured field experiences are designed to take place in multiple settings within the candidate’s school community or districts, after-school programs, alternate youth centers, or in the schools and classrooms in which the candidates work.
Capstone Requirements
The capstone experience for the M.Ed. will be fulfilled by successfully completing the Teacher Inquiry Project in the ELED 6303 course.
Advising
All students are assigned an advisor upon formal admission to the program. Students are required to attend the advising seminar at the start of each semester.
Assistantships
The Program typically has a limited number of graduate assistantships with salaries starting at $8,000/academic year. Applications are available from the Department of Reading and Elementary Education.
Licensure
The master’s (M.Ed.) program in Elementary Education is a K-6 instructional degree that leads to the “M” level teaching license.
Research Opportunities/Experiences
Faculty members in the Department of Elementary Education faculty are deeply committed to research in urban schools. As a result, candidates will have opportunities to become involved in classroom-based research.
Financial Aid/Financial Assistance
Information is available from the Office of Teacher Education Advising, Licensure, and Recruitment (TEALR). See education.uncc.edu/TEALR for details. Additional information is available from the Office of Student Financial Aid at finaid.uncc.edu.
Program Approval
All teacher education programs at UNC Charlotte are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The M.Ed. in Elementary Education is awaiting approval by North Carolina State Board of Education.
Course Catalog Descriptions
COURSES IN Anti-Racism in Urban Education (ARUE)
ELED 6260. History and Psychology of Racism. (3). The history and psychology of race and racism will be examined and an analysis of how racism manifests and is sustained by individuals living within systems of power and privilege (micro and macro levels) will be explored. An in-depth examination of unconscious racial bias, awareness of privilege, and the impact of ideologies that sustain racism, including colorblind ideology and meritocracy will be conducted. Course readings will allow students to individually build a knowledge base and develop multiple perspectives. Research methods for the psychology of racism are reviewed as a basis for interpreting research results. Notion of Whiteness as normative in the United States will be investigated. How those notions of race and racist beliefs and practices exist in the US (politics, education, psychological perspectives) are included. Students will consider various approaches to race/racism that ground race in biology, heredity, genetics, culture, or social identity. The course will be taught in the Summer and Fall, On demand.
ELED 6261. Racial Identity. (3). The purpose of this course is to examine (a) how individuals construct and maintain their sense of themselves as raced beings within historical and ideological constructions of race, and (b) personal- and societal-level consequences of such identities. This course includes a review of essential theories pertaining to racial and ethnic identity in the United States and practical applications related to understanding how racial and ethnic identities play a meaningful role in the human experience and in schools and classrooms. Course will be taught in the Spring, On demand.
ELED 6262. Race in Education and Schooling. (3). This course will analyze schooling and education from a historical, sociological, political, economic, and contemporary perspective with institutional racism at the center. By examining schooling and education from these perspectives, investigations of urban schools will occur to understand how these schools were formed based on White supremacist ideologies. Contributions to the movement of improving schools for students of color will be discussed. Course will be taught in Summer and Spring, On Demand.
ELED 6263. Anti-Racist Activism in Education. (3). The purpose of this course is to examine (a) the long and inspiring history of anti-racist movements and resistance to racist practices and policies among both people of color and white people throughout American history, (b) explore the characterizations and impetus for contemporary anti-racist movements, particularly the role of social media as a vehicle for organizing momentum and disseminating information, and (c) analyze how systems, including education, can organize for lasting social change in effort to create a more equitable and just society. The course will be offered in the Spring, On Demand.