A Status Survey of the Requirements of Thirteen Teacher Training Institutions Offering Baccalaureate Degrees in Elementary Education

The demand for more and better qualified teachers has risen sharply in the past decade. The increasing population of the United States has been one factor contributing heavily to this demand. Another factor having considerable influence in recent years is the “Sputnik scare” brought forth by the launching of the Russian satellite on October 4, 1957. Particularly since that time, the American public has been more education conscious than in the past. The demand for a better quality in teaching has been more noticeable than in the past. It has been in the field of mathematics and science that the most influence has been felt. Whether or not this is a “passing fancy” or a definite trend in education remains to be seen. However, the writer believes that the increased emphasis in such fields will be with us for some time as evidenced by the federal government’s participation and aid in the programs of mathematics and science institutes across the nation. What preparation has the elementary teacher of today? What variations do we find in four year elementary preparation programs in various colleges of this area? This paper is concerned with the types of programs offered by colleges of the area in preparing four year degree elementary teachers. The writer has often been confronted with the many different types of preparation for secondary school teachers. Considerable interest has been raised concerning the types of training for elementary teachers. This study is an attempt to discover some of the ways that various colleges approach the issue. A two-fold benefit can be derived from the findings reported here. The writer can increase his knowledge of elementary teacher education and there is possibility that the colleges in South Dakota can use the information for comparison and evaluation of their own programs. The chief problem of this study is to determine the type of training that four year elementary teachers receive. To break the general statement down into specifics: (1) What are the requirements for a Baccalaureate degree in the colleges? (2) What are the requirements for admission to teacher’s colleges? (3) What course work is required (professional and subject-matter)? (4) What requirements, if any, are set up for admission to student teaching? (5) How much student teaching must the candidate do? (6) In what manner is this student teaching carried out; with regards to observation time, supervision, length of teaching, and so on? (7) What appears to be the trends in elementary teacher preparation? It is necessary to interpret and present the findings in a manner as helpful as possible and to offer suggestions where possible for the improvement of elementary teacher preparation in South Dakota. Such information might be used to improve elementary teacher preparation in any given institution within the state or might be used for a consolidation of effort to improve teacher preparation in a collection of institutions