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Bethel University student working in an area school

As part of a Christian learning community at Bethel University, the Department of Education seeks to prepare educational leaders for service in public and private schools:

who are reflective practitioners pursuing continued personal learning and professional renewal;

who are knowledgeable and competent in their subject matter;
who understand how students learn and develop, and who facilitate learning through effective teaching;
who establish collaborative relationships with students, staff, parents, and community members of varying personalities, racial/ethnic backgrounds, family characteristics, socioeconomic statuses, and abilities; and
whose Christian worldview provides a strong moral framework characterized by integrity and compassion.

Bethel's education department provides programs that offer students the opportunity to attain licensure for teaching early childhood education (birth - age 8), elementary education with a preprimary specialty (age 3 - grade 6), elementary education with a middle level specialty (K - 8), education for grades 5 - 12, and education for grades K - 12. The college is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) and approved by the Minnesota Board of Teaching, having met the standards set by the State of Minnesota through a rigorous review process. In addition, our teacher candidates must demonstrate competency in Pre-Professional Skill areas of reading, writing, and mathematics before graduation from the program. These results are reported to the Minnesota Board of Teaching, which in turn reports to the United States Secretary of Education under Title II of the Higher Education Act, an annual reporting requirement. The most recent reporting was for students who completed the program during the 2003-2004 school year. Our education program graduates had a 100th percentile pass rate, placing Bethel's program in the first quartile of all college education programs in the State of Minnesota. A complete report of this information is available from the Education Department upon request.