Enhance Your Education

Distinctive Programs in Education

Teacher Certification
Knox offers programs leading to certification or endorsement by the State of Illinois in four areas:

• Elementary Education (K-9)
• Art Education (K-12)
• Middle School
• Secondary Education, with endorsements available in biology, chemistry, English, French, German, history, Latin, mathematics, physics, social studies, and Spanish.

Students qualify for certification by completing a major in educational studies, a major in the subject field in which they want to be certified (for secondary and art education), student teaching, and successful passage of State of Illinois Certification tests.

Reciprocity agreements between the State of Illinois and 33 other states facilitate the process of certification for those who plan to teach in a state other than Illinois.

Student Research and Creative Projects
Knox is a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. In fact, more than 90% of all Knox students complete an independent research or creative project by the time they graduate. Many students' projects are supported by an unusually rich array of Knox College funding programs that together provide students more than $200,000 each year in support of their work. These sources include: Richter Memorial Scholars Program, Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, Ronald E. McNair Fellows Program and departmentally supported independent studies. In addition, special fellowships awarded to Knox through national competitions and through the research grants of Knox faculty make Knox a leader in promoting undergraduate research. Examples of some recent student research projects include:

• "Language Tutoring," Mary Andrews, '07, secondary education major.
• "Technology for Disabled Teachers II," Corinna Dooha-Chambers, '07, secondary education and English major.
• "Landscaping," Michael Wood, '07, secondary education major.
• "How Public High School Student Non-Compliance Affects School Policy and Structure," Erika Barrish, '06, educational social studies major, independent study/senior research funded by McNair program.
• "Curriculum Planning and Technology," Aleza Berube, '06, secondary education major.
• "Students' Voices," Ann Hernandez, '06, secondary education major, independent study/senior research funded by Richter program.
• "PE in the Early Years," Matthew Jasper, '06, secondary education major.
• "Experiential Teaching and Learning," Dana Johnson, '06, educational social studies and art major.
• "Foreign Language Teaching and Learning," Nina Neitzke, '06, educational social studies and Spanish major.
• "Tropical Field Research: Teaching Fiction Writing, A Comparison of Costa Rica and the United States," Steven Yasukawa, '06, educational social studies, independent study/senior research funded by Richter program.

College Honors
Outstanding students may elect to undertake College Honors in their senior year, carrying out an advanced research project presented and defended to a faculty committee that includes a distinguished outside examiner. Examples of recent Honors projects include:

• Educational Studies: "'Chicago Kids': Voices from Galesburg High School," Haley Lynn Gallagher, '09.
• Educational Policy: "'When Schools Compete and Parents Choose, Students Win': A Case Study of the School Choice Movement in Racine, Wisconsin," Meghan Rehberg, '06.
• Anthropology & Sociology and Education: "'It's a Small School and You Know Everyone': Two Small Schools and Their Sense of Community," Julia Wilson, '01.
• Education and Sociology: "What are Our Children Really Learning?: Exclusion and Attitudes on Race and Class in Three Illinois Public School Classrooms," Lynne Wymore, '99.

Internships
Few experiences can prepare you better for life after Knox than conducting an internship. As a Knox education student, you can conduct an internship for course credit either during the academic year or the summer, working closely with a faculty supervisor while engaging in fieldwork and completing an academic paper. Recent internships by education students include:

• Summer Service with World Peace Program, Hluboka, Czech Republic. Sicily Ann Bua, '07, elementary education major.
• Sports Instructor and Camp Counselor, Camp Winaukee, Center Harbor, New Hampshire. Jason Maclin, '07, English and educational studies major.
• Computer Intern, Downers Grove Grade School District 58, Downers Grove, Illinois. Laura Wentink, '07, educational studies and biology major.
• Head Counselor, Camp Tapawingo, Metamora, Illinois. Anna Berlinski, '06, elementary education major.
• Summer Project Intern, Global Project, Moscow, Russia. Dana Johnson, '06, educational studies and art major.
• Intern, Children's Ministry at the First Church of the Nazarene, Galesburg, Illinois. Molly Peterson, '06, elementary education major.

Teacher Certification Tuition Scholarship
While more than 95 percent of Knox graduates, including educational studies majors, complete their degrees in 12 terms over four years, it occasionally happens that a student is unable to complete all the requirements for teacher certification within that period of time. Knox offers a scholarship to students who have completed all requirements for Knox graduation, but who require one additional term to complete the requirements for teacher certification because of scheduling conflicts or because of study abroad.