Applying to the Dartmouth College Teacher Education Program

Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program

The secondary and elementary programs are each capped at ten students, and applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early in their college careers. This early application is more likely to ensure a spot in the program and to guarantee that applicants will be able to fulfill program requirements while enjoying a rich and varied college experience.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants should demonstrate:

• An ability to complete required Education foundational courses and content-specific courses as appropriate, either before graduation or utilizing the “Fifth Fall” option.
• Prior relevant experience working with young people.
• A commitment to working in an innovative and demanding program, with a focus on student learning.

Applicants must also:

• Have completed an education course
• Have completed a minimum of 2 terms at Dartmouth
• Have a 3.0 cumulative average
• Have scheduled a meeting with the following Teacher Education Program faculty PRIOR to beginning the application process:
  • Zooey Zullo if interested in elementary teacher education (K-6);
  • Jay Davis if interested in secondary teacher education (7-12); or
  • Andrew Garrod, Co-Director of Teacher Education, if unsure of elementary vs. secondary.
  It is in this meeting that schedules and course requirements will be discussed as well as any potential petitions (see below) if necessary.

Application Process

1. Applicants must submit an application and current transcript to the Education Department Administrator Sandy White.
   
2. Any students unable to meet the application criteria above must also fill out a petition explaining any exceptions to the above criteria. The Education Department will review this petition prior to interview.
   
3. Applicant names are brought to department meetings for discussion.
   
4. Promising applicants are contacted to schedule an interview with the TEP interview committee after the completed application and transcript have been submitted and reviewed.
   
5. After the interview, the interview committee meets to review applications and make a recommendation to the department. At this time, a vote is taken on whether to accept or not.
   
6. All successful applicants receive provisional acceptance into the Teacher Education Program at this time, and are termed “certification candidates.” The acceptance is “provisional” because candidates must ensure that they complete all required coursework, maintain their GPA, and continue in good standing with the college.
   
7. Successful applicants are assigned a tenure-track faculty member as a department advisor in addition to their TEP supervisor.

A fillable pdf application form can be found here.

Advising

The Teacher Education Program, and Education Department in general, are committed to supporting our students as they work to meet a set of rigorous objectives. Teaching is a difficult, complex, and potentially draining (not to mention rewarding and life-transforming!) profession; while not minimizing the challenges, our program believes in providing the necessary scaffolding to ensure that students have every opportunity to succeed:

The following people provide formal advising throughout the certification process:

• Jay Davis and/or Zooey Zullo, Secondary and Elementary Supervisors
  
• Andrew Garrod, Co-Director of Teacher Education and Chair of the Education
  Department
  
• Michael Harris, Co-Director of Teacher Education
  
• Donna Coch and Elise Temple, Assistant Professors of Education
• Sandy White, Department Administrator and Certification Officer
  
• Mentor teachers in our partner schools during the Spring and Fall field placements.

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