Education and Training Cluster

Teaching and Learning in Elementary, Secondary, and Adult Education

This core course provides content related to preparation and credentials as well as statistics, trends and assessment strategies influencing education and training. Also included are challenges confronting education settings, historical background of American Education and influences from around the world, effective teacher attributes, and major philosophies of education.

Issues and Controversies in Education

This course is designed to examine the students’ beliefs about learning and the educational process. The culture and issues in education will be discussed using various methodologies such as Internet, observation, debate, surveys, interviews and research of current literature. This course will provide students with various opportunities to analyze, support and defend their beliefs regarding current issues in education

Child Development

This in-depth semester course is designed to provide knowledge of child development as well as develop skill necessary to care for children and promote children's development, child health, first aid, and nutrition; plus information and activities guiding children's behavior and meeting the needs of special age groups. Careers in early childhood care and education are explored.

Career Orientation

This course has three main objectives: 1) provide students with job seeking and retention skills through research and job shadowing activities; 2) help students in the workforce improve their present work skills and expand career options; 3) help students grasp the concept of balancing a career and a family. Attitudes and perceptions of people toward careers and self-motivation are areas addressed in this course. Emphasis is placed on acquiring conceptual skills such as planning, communication, and problem solving. The importance of basic academic skills is stressed with job-related, practical activities that apply these skills throughout the curriculum. It is recommended that units be added to include ethics and diversity. Wherever Career Orientation course is listed, it is suggested that additional units/supplements be tailored toward that career cluster.

Academic Commitment to Education (ACE)

This course is a one-year course with the first semester structured around classroom lectures, activities and projects. The second semester is designed for students to be placed in teaching like experiences within the school system and under the supervision of the supervising teacher and corresponding classroom teacher. ACE recommends that students be seniors and a limit of 16 in class; if the limitation of only seniors creates a problem, junior can be accepted. The class number limitation is largely due to the strenuous activities during first semester in preparing the students for a teaching like experience. Second semester involves time in working with each student and all other classroom teachers to ensure a quality teacher-student experience for the students in the program and the younger students with which these students interact.

Leadership, Education and Achievement Program (LEAP) Elective

This course is designed for middle school/junior high students. Students will learn about a variety of career opportunities. Students will interview personnel from various career fields including educational systems. They will learn the responsibilities of school personnel such as the superintendent personnel director principal, assistant principal, curriculum coordinator and others. Students will explore the positive and negative aspects of teaching as a career and compare it to other professions in terms of educational commitment and financial reward.