Graduate Certificate in Urban Education

OVERVIEW
REQUIREMENTS
FAST FACTS
FACULTY & STAFF
RESOURCES

Get Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Education and college graduate degree information

Graduate Certificate in Urban Education Overview

New Jersey licensed teachers have an opportunity to study issues of urban education in greater depth through the Graduate Certificate in Urban Education program at Bloomfield College.

Urban education is teaching and learning in urban contexts that serve students who have been historically disenfranchised and traditionally marginalized by systems of inequality based primarily on race, ethnicity, culture, gender, social class, language, and disability. Urban schools are always in need of teachers who are committed and knowledgeable. These are the teachers who strive to make a difference in the lives of their students and seek meaningful and research- based measures to accomplish these goals. This program has been developed to help them attain these goals for their students.

What you'll study

Developing and expanding upon graduate students' critical understanding and analysis of urban education in this country.

Admission requirements

A bachelor’s degree with 60 or more credits in the liberal arts or sciences with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher (official transcripts from all higher education institutions attended must be provided)
A New Jersey State-approved teaching license
A list of any current New Jersey teacher certification(s), including certification in special education
Two professional letters of recommendation from supervisors, teachers and/or co- workers.
A personal statement describing your philosophy of education and reasons for applying to this graduate program at Bloomfield College (250 – 500 words)
Your professional resume/curriculum vitae
In some cases, an interview may be required

Fast Facts

Through current research and statistics regarding urban education, it is apparent that teachers currently in or entering into urban education need greater preparation. The Graduate Certificate in Urban Education will develop and expand graduate students critical understanding and analysis of urban education in this country.

Research indicates that high-needs urban schools employ 40% novice teachers..¹
Many teachers who enter the field take a number of years before they fully understand the context of urban schools. These teachers feel inadequate and often create high-turnover thereby, creating high-needs schools.²

References

Gonzalez, G., & Jenlink, P. M. (2002, Spring/Summer). The challenges of urban education: A conversation with Gerardo Gonzalez, university dean of the school of education at Indiana University. Teacher Education and Practice, 15(1/2), 105-117. Retrieved from education.indiana.edu
Gomes, G. (2017). Teacher preparation: Perceptions of preparedness for high-needs urban schools a qualitative study. (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd.

Contact Information

Resources

To earn a graduate certificate in urban education from Bloomfield College, students must possess an initial teaching certificate and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in their undergraduate course of study. Graduate students are required to complete 4 CUs (16 credits) of specified coursework. Courses include: Foundations of Urban Education, Critical Perspectives in Urban Education, Urban Education and Diverse Exceptional Learners, and Culturally Responsive Classroom Management.

Foundations of Urban Education 1CU (4 credits):
Foundations of Urban Education is designed to develop and expand graduate students’ critical understanding and analysis of the issues and problems that impact urban education. The topics outlined in this course will provide a framework of the historical and contemporary facets of urban education.

Critical Perspectives in Urban Education 1 CU (4 credits):
Critical Perspectives in Education offers perspectives on urban education as a critical field of inquiry. The readings, assignments, and activities are designed to explore the significance of inequality in urban cities and the public schools within them. Graduate students will develop a complex understanding of the major issues in urban education including: economic inequality; the social ecology of urban areas; school segregation; racial, ethnic, and class minorities; opportunity gaps; and education reform.

Urban Education and Diverse Exceptional Learners 1CU (4 credits):
Urban Education and Diverse Exceptional Learners is designed to celebrate the diversity of learners in the urban setting. Graduate students will develop research- based teaching methods and instructional strategies that will address the needs of all learners in the urban school.

Culturally Responsive Classroom Management 1 CU (4 credits):
Culturally Responsive Classroom Management is designed to help graduate students create and maintain caring, respectful classroom communities in which learners feel safe, valued, cared about, respected, and empowered in urban contexts. The course addresses the challenges and opportunities in creating community in the increasingly diverse classroom.