Welcome from Dr. Hillary Merk

In the School of Education, faculty work to prepare candidates at the undergraduate (BA & BSSE) and graduate (MAT) levels to receive their Oregon initial teaching license. This teaching license permits candidates to teach at the elementary, middle school, or high school level. As part of the School of Education’s conceptual framework, we believe that candidates must be knowledgeable about both theory and practice, have a broad and deep knowledge about students, the curriculum, and learning and the required skills to organize classrooms and employ instructional strategies to meet the diverse needs of learners. Alongside School of Education coursework, candidates will be applying that knowledge in a variety of clinical experiences. Undergraduate candidates will complete anywhere from 36-72 hours of field experience each semester, followed by student teaching during their final fall and spring semesters on campus, while our graduate students will complete an initial field experience in our Summer Learning Program and then engage in student teaching for both the fall and spring semesters. We work together with our partners to establish mutually agreeable expectations for candidate entry, preparation, and exit; ensure that theory and practice are linked; maintain coherence across clinical and academic components of preparation; and share accountability for candidate outcomes. 

Joining the School of Education means gaining theoretical understandings of teaching, learning, and assessment practices to ensure all K-12 learners succeed academically and socially in the classroom. As part of your experiences in the School of Education, you will develop practical knowledge, skills, and dispositions to successfully implement the theories gained in coursework. If you want to be an exceptional professional teacher, the School of Education is a welcoming and supportive environment with high expectations that will ensure your future success as a teacher.

Hillary Merk, PhD
Associate Professor and Division Chair, School of Education
Undergraduate and Graduate Initial Licensure Programming & Accreditation