Winona State University, Riverland Community College and Austin Public Schools will partner to offer students the chance to earn an associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree, all without leaving the Austin community.
The Elementary Education Program in Austin will be based at Sumner Elementary School, a year-round school with a culturally diverse background. Students will have the opportunity to work with general and special education teachers, teachers for English Learners, a gifted and talented specialist, reading and math intervention teachers, a cultural liaison, and an instructional coach.
Riverland Community College will offer teacher candidates early clinical experiences working with children. Students will have the ability to complete their Associate in Arts degree by choosing electives that will emphasize teaching goals.
Students will finish the program through WSU, earning a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. The fully accredited program will focus on STEM content, Ethnographers of Language, Global Studies and Action Research. In addition to these semester themes, there will also be a focus on Data Collection & Interpretation, Student Development and Clinical Practice.
Clinical Practice will begin at Riverland Community College and get progressively more advanced as students continue through the program at WSU.
The minors available through this program are middle level education, science, math, communication arts & literature and social studies.
Some coursework in this program can be completed at Riverland Community College or at WSU-Rochester. Some coursework for minors is only available on the WSU campus in Winona.
This program can be completed within two to three years, but completion is dependent on the student. A sample course sequence can be found online.
More information on this program can be found on the WSU-Rochester website.
For more information contact Carrie Brouse, cbrouse@winona.edu
