4.9a - Procedures for Facilitating Diverse Experiences for Candidates
Candidates are expected to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to facilitate the learning of all students. In clinical experiences, candidates are not assigned to the high school from which they graduated. Both the first and second pre-labs are tracked, and candidates complete their professional semester in a different school. This process allows the Director of Teacher Education to make sure that each candidate has the opportunity to work with a diverse student body through interaction with diverse students in the PK-12 setting. The PSU College of Education partners with schools with diverse populations in southwestern Missouri, northeastern Oklahoma, southeast Kansas, and the Kansas City Metro area. Demographics from partner schools in each of those states indicate the diversity of the schools. A high percentage of economically disadvantaged families reside in each state; in addition, the number of Hispanic students is increasing in some communities in the three states, providing the opportunity to work with English Language Learners. Also notable is the number of students with American Indian origin who attend Oklahoma schools. As shown on the Kansas report, most schools have at least a 10% population of students with exceptionalities.