Reception Recap and BHSU College of Education

Hola! What a night we had at the Rapid City Reception. I just really love those events and this one was as good as all the rest. The guests left with tons of information, had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with different faculty and staff, and talk with current students and even alumni. It was a full night! Congratulations Rachel on winning the $500 scholarship. The Office of Admissions next reception is in Sioux Falls, SD on November 9 starting at 6:30pm. Register now www.BHSU.edu/SiouxFalls for your own chance to learn more about BHSU and win a $500 scholarship.
One of Black Hills State University’s 3 colleges is the College of Education. We offer education degrees in early childhood, special education, elementary education, and secondary education. We also offer a masters degree in curriculum and instruction. BHSU started as a teaching college 126 years ago, so we have had a lot of practice training future teachers. We were just nationally recognized this week for our innovative programs that the College of Education has to offer!
A program at Black Hills State University, known as Project PRIME, was singled out by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today in a speech at Columbia University.

Below is a segment of the speech that Duncan made at Columbia University today in which he mentions BHSU as an example of high-quality innovative teacher preparation programs.

“There are many other first-rate teacher preparation programs—Stanford, the University of Washington, and Michigan, just to name a few. But I want to be clear that it doesn't take an elite university and a big endowment to create a good teacher education program...At Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota, Project Prime, a partnership with the Rapid City Schools uses school-based math coaches and graduate level courses for teachers to successfully boost math achievement among Native American students,” Duncan says as part of his speech. “I cite all these examples to point out that, with courage and commitment, our teacher preparation programs absolutely can provide dynamic and effective teacher preparation for the 21st century.”

There are many ways that BHSU prepares their students to be ready to teach in their own classroom. Education students are placed into classrooms as early as their sophomore year in order to receive hands on experience. They have access to the Learning Center located at West Elementary School, across the street from campus, where they can observe student behavior and teaching methods. Clubs and organizations also help the students expand upon their classroom experiences. Teammates pairs BHSU members with an elementary student and they spend an hour a week with the student working on schoolwork or just having fun. The opportunities are endless and we are leaders in the use of innovative teacher preparation. Check out the College of Education for yourself.

Laura Weber – Assistant Director Admissions
Black Hills State University – GO YELLOWJACKETS