The University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education and Human Development is a graduate school of education at a research-intensive university that offers master’s and doctoral degrees in teaching and curriculum, counseling and human development, and educational leadership. Warner School students, faculty, and staff believe that education can transform lives and make the world more just and humane. Toward those ends, the school’s mission is to: (a) prepare change-making educators and leaders who are caring, knowledgeable, reflective, and highly skilled; (b) generate and disseminate new knowledge on which just, equitable, and effective educational practices and policies can be grounded; and (c) collaborate across disciplines, professions, and constituencies to significantly improve learning and development for individuals and their communities.

The Warner School fulfills that mission through teacher education programs that provide master’s degrees leading to New York State teaching certifications in reading and literacies, elementary and early childhood education, inclusive education, and adolescence education in mathematics, science, English language arts, social studies, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and languages other than English (LOTE). Teaching candidates in those programs also can pursue advanced certificates in urban teaching and leadership and digitally-rich teaching in K-12 schools; and degree programs are flexibly constructed to enable candidates to pursue multiple New York State teaching certifications and advanced certificates if they so choose.

The Warner School’s teacher education programs treat clinical experiences and coursework reciprocally; candidates concurrently enroll in both, in order to bring what they learn in their coursework to the field for enactment and, in turn, so that they may reflect on their teaching experiences in P-12 classrooms with program colleagues, faculty, and clinical supervisors.

Tuition

Programs range from 30 to 51 credit hours depending on certifications and advanced certificates sought. Most initial teacher preparation programs require 39 to 45 credit hours.

Scholarships and tuition assistance available include:

Byron Williams Teacher Scholarships (50% tuition support for master’s degrees in teaching leading to certification)Robert Noyce Scholarships for Math and Science Teaching (100% tuition support for master’s degrees in adolescence education in math and science leading to certification)

Fifth Year in Teaching Scholarships (100% tuition support, plus room and board, for diverse University of Rochester undergraduates who go on to pursue master’s degrees in teaching leading to certification)

Additional scholarship opportunities associated with veterans’ benefits, University of Rochester employee benefits, and regional institutional partnerships.

Advising

The University of Rochester offers continuous support from teacher education program directors, who also teach program courses and serve as academic advisors; continuous support from clinical practice supervisors, who work with candidates throughout all field experiences and student teaching placements; program directors, clinical practice supervisors, and school-based mentors function as a support network to guide candidates as they simultaneously take graduate-level courses and scaffolded clinical experiences; continuous support from the Warner School’s certification officer to help candidates successfully complete New York State certification requirements and procedures; access to alumni-mentor and professional-organizational networks; program orientation staff, writing support consultants, and library support specialists who exclusively serve the Warner School of Education.

Support for Teachers of Color

The Warner School has a student-centered approach to “meeting candidates where they are,” individually and socioculturally, and building systems to support their success accordingly. In addition to our support services, the Warner School has a formalized network of Diversity and Equity Ambassadors, led by graduate students, focusing on strengthening the school’s culture and climate, anti-racist curriculum and teaching practices, and support resources for racially and ethnically diverse students. The Warner School’s Council for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion also prioritizes workshops, speakers, and institutional changes efforts focused on equity, inclusion, and anti-racism, including student advising and diversifying the Warner School’s cohorts of teaching candidates.

Partnerships

Alongside the ongoing relationships with Rochester regional schools that are needed to establish and grow effective clinical placements for teaching candidates, the Warner School maintains the following partnerships: Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) with the RCSD’s East High School; Project READ with the RCSD’s School 33; Horizons at Warner summer enrichment program for RCSD students in grades K-8; Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Project with East Irondequoit, Geneva, and Newark Schools; Genesee Valley Writing Project Young Writer’s Camp and College, Career, and Community Writers’ Program at East High School.