The College of Education and Psychology includes the programs in Undergraduate
Education and Psychology and Graduate Education and Counseling.
Heritage University, according to its mission statement, strives to provide
a quality education for multicultural populations who have not traditionally
had access to higher education. It was the need for such access and the desire
to create an environment in which individuals could develop their human potential
and a sense of empowerment that brought people together to create the institution.
The goal is personal transformation within a supportive, pluralistic community
of learners, which will result in improvement in the community at large. Implied
within its mission statement and the University's motto, Knowledge Brings
Us Together, are the valuing of a richly diverse learning community, active
engagement in the learning process, and the continuing development of a just
and pluralistic society through service.
The College of Education and Psychology, including the certification programs
for teachers, education administrators, and school counselors, has devised
a conceptual framework to guide the development and ongoing improvement of
its programs. Following from the mission statement and motto of the University,
as well as a knowledge base reflecting research-based models of best practice,
faculty of the College have expressed the heart of the conceptual framework
in the following statement: Knowledge Brings Us Together: Building Community
while Constructing Knowledge to Serve a Pluralistic Society.
According to this conception, a safe, caring, and diverse community in which
each is respected allows people to collaborate in the socially mediated process
of constructing knowledge. This leads to a sense of individual and collective
empowerment allowing one the confidence, courage, and desire to reflect on
one's aims and practices, as well as the context in which these occur. This
process of critical reflection is essential if one is to improve the quality
and appropriateness of one's future actions or the context in which those actions
will occur. Educators serve the needs of a pluralistic society by working
to meet the needs of all students; they serve the needs of a just society by
challenging the inequities of the status quo.
This conceptual framework must not only define what is expected of the University's
students and graduates, but also what is expected of the faculty. For example,
this is reflected in the statement of philosophy for the College. The statement
reads, The College of Education and Psychology is a community of learners”faculty,
staff, and students”committed to encouraging dialogue and cooperation, to facilitating
a process by which learners actively construct meaning, and to continuing improvement
through critical reflection and action.
The certification programs in Teacher Education, Educational Administration,
Program Administration, and School Counseling are approved by the Professional
Educator Standards Board (PESB). Furthermore, all Heritage programs in education,
psychology, and counseling are part of the University's accreditation through
the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NASC). In conjunction with
other departments, the Teacher Preparation Program prepares students in both
the academic subjects and the professional teaching areas. The College of
Education and Psychology also provides in-service courses and programs for
teachers and other education personnel.
The annual Heritage University report on teacher preparation, which is filed
with OSPI and the U.S. Department of Education in accordance with Title II
Reporting Guidelines, is available in hard copy upon request. The report includes
indicators of program quality that may be of interest to potential students,
current students, parents, school district administrators and teachers, and
high school and community college counselors. Requests should be addressed
to the Certification Officer at the University address. A summary of the report
is also available on the Heritage University website: www.heritage.edu.