Standard 1
Institutional Infrastructure to Support Educator Preparation
Each Commission-approved institution has the infrastructure in place to operate effective educator preparation programs. Within this overall infrastructure:
Embedded Files
1. The institution and education unit create and articulate a research-based vision of teaching and learning that fosters coherence among, and is clearly represented in all educator preparation programs. This vision is consistent with preparing educators for California public schools and the effective implementation of California’s adopted standards and curricular frameworks.
Vision Statement
Vision Statement
The vision of the Mills College credential programs is to prepare educators to shape the future of urban education by serving diverse constituencies and evaluating and using new ideas for teaching and learning.
The Mills College School of Education is built on the concept of principled practice which is reflected in six core beliefs:
Our practice is reflective and requires active and systematic inquiry for learning throughout our career.
Our practice is inherently moral and guided by an ethic of care.
Our practice is collegial in that professional learning happens in the context of relationships that matter. Colleagues and community are central.
Professional practice is political in that, by definition, it is concerned with matters of change that are neither neutral nor inconsequential.
Professional practice is connected in deep and important ways to the content of our work. A central goal is to prepare others to acquire deep understandings of the content of their practice.
Learning is developmental and constructivist and thus best guided by developmental conceptions of how learners come to know.
This vision provides direction for the programs, courses, teaching and research. It also forms the basis for guidelines of candidate performance, scholarship, service, collaboration and accountability.
2. The institution actively involves faculty, instructional personnel, and relevant stakeholders in the organization, coordination, and decision making for all educator preparation programs.
3. The education unit ensures that faculty and instructional personnel regularly and systematically collaborate with colleagues in P-12 settings, college and university units and members of the broader educational community to improve educator preparation.
No college level policy exists that mandate faculty collaboration with the community. However, the School of Education requests its faculty to regularly engage and collaborate within the P-12 settings in our immediately community of Oakland and other surrounding cities. The following chart showcases some of the collaboration:
The following documents also provide evidence of collaboration between Mills faculty and community partners with the goal of improving our educator preparation programs.
4. The institution provides the unit with sufficient resources for the effective operation of each educator preparation program, including, but not limited to, coordination, admission, advisement, curriculum, professional development/ instruction, field based supervision and clinical experiences.
Yes, Mills College supports the teacher education programs with means for effective operation. The School of Education Programs are prominently displayed on the college website.
5. The Unit Leadership has the authority and institutional support required to address the needs of all educator preparation programs and considers the interests of each program within the institution.
The Dean of the School of Education has the authority and Mills College's support to address the needs of all educator preparation programs and consider the interest of each program within the institution.
6. Recruitment and faculty development efforts support hiring and retention of faculty who represent and support diversity.
In order to ensure a broader and increasingly diverse group of students and faculty, the School of Education follows Mills College affirmative action efforts and undertakes initiatives to enhance diversity as posted on the website Diversity & Social Justice at Mills.
Compliance with College affirmative action policies.
Support of College policies for institutional maintenance of academic records for post baccalaureate admissions and their use in program admission.
Maintain College record as evidence of College’s adherence to academic standards.
The faculty handbook states (p.47):
"To promote the College’s commitment to increasing faculty diversity, the Chair of the search committee should consult, throughout the search process, with the Academic Affirmative Action Officer, who will provide information about the diversity of the applicant pool. After the application deadline, the search committee shall select a small group of finalists from the applicant pool, taking care to ensure that these finalists meet the criteria for initial appointment (2.5). The search committee should check references by telephone or in person before any finalists are invited for interviews on campus. At least three finalists should be interviewed; exceptions to this requirement may be made by the Provost/Dean of the Faculty in consultation with the search committee."
Evidence of faculty recruitment: new professors hired in the 2016-2017 academic year.
Evidence of faculty professional development: Google folder of professional development in 2016-2017 academic year.
7. The institution employs, assigns and retains only qualified persons to teach courses, provide professional development, and supervise field-based and clinical experiences. Qualifications of faculty and other instructional personnel must include, but are not limited to: a) current knowledge of the content; b) knowledge of the current context of public schooling including the California adopted P-12 content standards, frameworks, and accountability systems; c) knowledge of diversity in society, including diverse abilities, culture, language, ethnicity, and gender orientation; and d) demonstration of effective professional practices in teaching and learning, scholarship, and service.
Faculty Qualification & Evaluation
Faculty Qualification & Evaluation
All full and part-time faculty in the credential program have research, teaching or administrative experience in areas specifically related to educator preparation. Each faculty member is matched with teaching and supervising assignments for which s/he has advanced preparation and/or recent relevant professional experience. We are conscientious about delegating academic responsibilities to faculty who are specifically qualified for and enthusiastic about their assignments.
Professors participate in developing courses and they teach courses in their respective areas of professional preparation and experience. Professor assignment to courses is done by consensus at program meetings or by program directors or the Dean of the School of Education.
A diverse group of part-time faculty have been selected because of the match between their academic preparation and professional experience with the Commission standards incorporated into the course they teach. The part-time faculty complement the strengths and experiences of the full-time faculty to provide the range and depth of knowledge and capabilities we seek for the Mills College credentialing programs. Here is a copy of the job description for visiting assistant professors.
Every effort is made to ensure a good selection at the outset. Faculty must demonstrate their consistent high performance over the course of 6 years in order to retain their positions with tenure.
All courses in credential programs will be taught by persons who meet the criteria cited below. Instructors and supervisors possess either earned doctorate degrees or a Master’s degree in a relevant field. All Instructors and supervisors must:
Possess a strong command of theory and practice in courses taught.
Have current knowledge of culturally diverse schools and classrooms and have recent experience in the knowledge of culturally diverse schools and classrooms.
Have strong recommendations by peers and/or Mills professors or other qualified sources.
Advance Mills’ compliance with all College affirmative action policies and goals. Mills College adheres to clear and comprehensive hiring practices as articulated by State law.
Offer a diversity of experience to our credential candidates.
The Mills College programs ensure that all faculty members and field supervisors have current knowledge of schools and classrooms. Faculty and field supervisors are selected on several criteria:
They should have ample, successful, and relevant experience.
They should be viewed as exemplary professionals by their peers and the community.
They should be willing and able to commit time to the process.
They should understand the process of mentoring and tutoring a colleague.
They should exhibit knowledge of theory and exemplary practice.
They should demonstrate willingness to participate in orientation and training seminars to become team members, to share program goals, engage with School philosophy and contribute ideas to program design.
Full-time tenure track faculty participate in the campus tenure peer-review process. At the end of each course, students complete an electronic course evaluation form.
Program directors observe and monitor the effectiveness of part-time faculty through teacher observations, a review of syllabi, course evaluations, candidate input, and informal conversation with instructors. Part-time faculty and supervising field administrators are also evaluated according to: knowledge of subject area and ability to plan coursework; the supervisor’s helpfulness, knowledge, attention to candidate’s needs, and participation in the planning, evaluation, and guidance activities with Mills College and the candidates.
Part-time faculty and field supervisors are involved at all levels of the programs, including: participation in field experience seminars; planning of the field experience; evaluation of the candidate’s performance, and assessment of the suitability of placement sites. They are considered critical members of the professional team.
Faculty are evaluated on a regular basis, and even after tenure they continue to be evaluated for merit review and/or promotion to full professor. Course evaluations from students are consistently compiled each semester. Review by colleagues for professional contributions occurs on a three-year cycle. Criteria for faculty evaluation include teaching effectiveness, research and scholarly work, contributions to the mission of the College, and supportive work in the School of Education.
Part-time faculty are evaluated by most of the same measures as full-time faculty, namely: student evaluations, collegiate review using the same criteria of teaching effectiveness, contributions to the mission of the College, and work supportive of the School of Education goals.
The College does not offer additional contracts and teaching opportunities to instructors and field supervisors whose work is found unsatisfactory. The removal of instructors and supervisors as a consequence of poor performance happens on occasion, but infrequently.
8. The education unit monitors a credential recommendation process that ensures that candidates recommended for a credential have met all requirements.
Petition Process
Petition Process
Program chairs and directors serve as the auditors for candidate progress. Each candidate submits a petition for candidacy to their program chair or director for review. When the chair or director has reviewed the form and determines requirements have been met, they sign the form and submit it for the Dean's signature. Program coordinators collect the signed petitions, copy them, and electronically submit them to the Mills Center where the Records Office reviews the forms. A favorable review of the petition results in a determination by the Records Office to reflect that course work for a credential was completed by a student and that it is reflected on their transcript.
In order for a student to apply for a credential, they must submit their required credential paperwork, including an official transcript reflecting the completion of the program coursework to the Credential Analyst, who tracks the process.
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