The purpose of this handbook is to describe the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK), College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) Bailey Graduate School of Education/Office of Professional Licensure's Educator Preparation Program’s policies, procedures, expectations, and practices from admission to completion. This handbook is applicable to candidates seeking to enter and to advance in the teaching profession through the Job-Embedded Practitioner pathway and the Grow Your Own pathway.
The Office of Professional Licensure is responsible for the coordination of all educator preparation programs for UTK. All UTK professional licensure programs are approved by the Tennessee State Department of Education and are nationally accredited by CAEP (Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation). The majority of initial teacher preparation programs are housed in departments affiliated with the CEHHS. Additionally, the Office of Professional Licensure coordinates initial educator preparation programs retained in Herbert College of Agriculture (Agriculture Education), College of Communication and Information (Library Science), and the College of Arts and Sciences’ School of Music (Music Education).
Both the Job-Embedded Practitioner program and the Grow Your Own Program are graduate-level programs in education. The mission of the Bailey Graduate School of Education (BGSE) is to promote a healthy, educated, and civil society; to encourage life-long learning; and to enhance the quality of life within the diverse, global community by preparing professionals to educate and lead for the changing landscape of 21st-century schools and classrooms.
The BGSE, as a professional school, promotes critical inquiry, reflection, and social action. The BGSE values are reflected in our mission and our educator preparation goals. These goals are as follows:
● Promote excellence in teaching and mastery of professional competencies
● Assure ethics, integrity, and professional attitudes and dispositions
● Cultivate collaboration among multiple stakeholders to ensure well-rounded educational preparation from various viewpoints
● Advance cultural relevance and responsiveness
● Uphold effective use of educational technology
Over the last 45 years, UTK programs have become known for and identified by several distinguishing characteristics, the combination of which produces and strengthens professional educators and leaders. These are reflection, mentoring, collaboration, and success.
The BGSE is an evolving, dynamic community composed of individuals dedicated to teaching, learning, leading, partnering, and self-reflecting for continuous improvement. The BGSE is committed to working toward educational equity. We honor and seek both intellectual and individual diversity. We view differences of opinion, theory, politics, religion, creed, gender, color, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, family or cultural background, national origin, marital or economic status, and physical ability as enrichments of the BGSE and College culture and as opportunities for growth. The BGSE aspires to treat all members of the community with respect, kindness, fairness, and understanding, and afford all members the opportunity to flourish within an emotionally supportive and intellectually challenging environment.
As the state’s public, land-grant, and research-intensive institution, UTK educator graduates exemplify the qualities and characteristics not only of highly effective educators, but also of professional leaders in their fields. Thus, the framework that guides BGSE’s educator preparation programs is to support our developing professional educators with the tools necessary to also become educators as leaders. Candidates who complete UTK’s licensure programs emerge with the knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions to provide the highest-quality educational experiences in their professional roles. Candidates are prepared to work in the always changing, multicultural, 21st-century schools and classrooms to enhance Tennessee children’s opportunities and outcomes.