SBC grad program could involve some student teaching

By Christa Desrets

Published: August 13, 2008

Sweet Briar College hopes to improve on a statewide shortage of special education teachers after receiving conditional approval to license students.

As part of the program, graduate students at Sweet Briar could help teach in Amherst County schools.

The Virginia Board of Education recently approved a recommendation to grant conditional approval for the college to license special education teachers through its master of arts in teaching program.

“We’re really excited about that, it took quite a while to accomplish,” said Jim Alouf, director of the college’s graduate programs.

He said the conditional status is likely to be dropped, as recommended by the Advisory Board for Teacher Education and Licensure.

“We’re good to go,” he said. “It just gives our students so many more options, and we have a lot of interest in young women in special education.”

The approval allows students in Sweet Briar’s five-year Master of Arts in Teaching program, starting this fall, to be licensed to teach special ed. Students complete five courses on different topics.

Then, they spend part of their graduate year teaching in special ed and inclusive classrooms at the Sweet Briar Campus School or in Amherst County public schools.

“If you’re not out there working with kids, then you’re not going to learn how to be a teacher,” Alouf said.

The college’s relationships with those schools is what led to the creation of the special ed program.

“We’re not a huge program, but anytime we can add to the potential applicant pool, we’re really interested in that,” Alouf said. “We want to help area school districts meet their needs. That’s what we’re here for.”