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School of Education

Prepare for a Career in Education

Trinity’s education students and graduates impact local communities and bring about positive change for young people and their families. Your professors bring topics to life by drawing on their own experiences as current practitioners creating change in education: locally, regionally, and nationally. Our coursework and practicum experiences provide a competency-based education with school-based support.

  • Convenient catalog of classes that fit your personal and professional schedule
  • Our programs include specific attention to trauma-informed care and inclusive practices.
  • Trinity programs are among the most affordable in the region, and customized financial aid packages are available.
  • We also offer Continuing Education classes for professional development.

Making Your Education Affordable

Your education at Trinity is a great investment in your future success!  Thousands of Trinity graduates report high levels of satisfaction and strong earnings thanks to their Trinity degrees.

Trinity makes your investment affordable by keeping tuition low and providing generous grants, scholarships and other forms of financial aid.

  • Trinity’s tuition is the lowest among private universities in the Washington region;
  • 100% of Trinity’s full-time undergraduates receive financial aid, with many receiving grants and scholarships that cover almost all tuition and even some living expenses;
  • Professional undergraduates and graduate students may be eligible for grants and other forms of financial aid; many employers have tuition support programs as well.

Learn more about how Trinity helps you to get a great return on your investment.

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Quality

The track record of Trinity’s School of Education speaks for itself. Many of the region’s educational administrators and award-winning teachers earned their degrees at Trinity. Let your success story join theirs.

Location in DC

The Washington DC region is a national leader in education, having incubated many innovative educational firsts. Be part of the cutting edge of your field with boundless opportunities.

Convenient Schedule

Earning your degree in Trinity’s School of Education can fit almost any schedule with course formats including daytime, evening, weekend, online and face-to-face classes.

Meet the Dean

Dr. Christine Gorowara has extensive leadership experience in the accreditation of teacher education programs.  She served as vice president of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), and then subsequently as vice president of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).  She also participated in the founding of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).  Dr. Gorowara has recently been elected to the board of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) and has been president of the Delaware Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.  She has been an active leader and participant in many other educational organizations.  She has participated in numerous initiatives addressing diversifying the teacher pipeline, ensuring culturally responsive competence in Delaware educator preparation graduates, and incorporating anti-racist curriculum in PK-12 schools.  She co-led the founding of a Montessori charter school to serve low income families in Delaware.

Dr. Gorowara earned her B.A. in Mathematics at the University of Akron, M.S. in Mathematics at Ohio State, and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Concentration in Mathematics Education at the University of Delaware.  She also holds a certificate in Regulatory Analysis and Decision Making from the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law.

Meet the Faculty

Our faculty and staff reflect our student body; more than 60%  are women and men of color. The talented faculty have developed extensive expertise in the practice of inclusive excellence pedagogy to ensure that you are engaged and supported in your academic program.

Profiles of Success

Eugene Pinkard ’01

Eugene Pinkard is an experienced educator and policy leader who currently serves as director of practice and leadership, at the Aspen Institute’s Education and Society program. The Aspen Institute is an influential, global nonprofit organization...

Dr. Karen Archambault ’03

Dr. Karen Archambault ’03 is vice president of enrollment management and student success at Rowan College at Burlington County. She earned her master of arts in counseling from Trinity in 2003. She received her bachelor’s degree...

Carl Patton ’04

Carl Patton, who has more than 30 years of experience in education, is the principal and chief academic officer of The John Carroll School, a co-educational Catholic high school in Bel Air, Maryland. He previously...

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Your Recruiters

Questions about applying to Trinity? We’re here to help!

Aayanah Booker
bookera@trinitydc.edu

Accreditation

The teacher education preparation program at Trinity Washington University is nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation and advanced educator preparation programs. The 2019 review included the following programs:

  • Bachelors of Arts (BA) in Early Childhood Education
  • Bachelors of Arts (BA) in Elementary Education
  • Masters of Arts In Teaching (MAT) in Early Childhood Education
  • Masters of Arts In Teaching (MAT) in Elementary Education
  • Masters of Arts In Teaching (MAT) in Secondary Education
  • Masters of Arts In Teaching (MAT) in Special Education
  • Masters of Science in Administration (MSA) in Educational Administration

The District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) has examined the quality of Trinity’s programs preparing teachers, service providers and administrators for District of Columbia P-12 schools, and has determined that the programs meet state standards for preparing candidates to enter the profession. State approval is required for programs in the District of Columbia offering professional preparation programs that lead to state teacher, service provider and school administrator licensure.

Teacher Licensure and Certification

Trinity’s licensure-track programs prepare you to pursue initial teacher licensure in the District of Columbia and most states. Some states have additional requirements: contact the appropriate state licensing board for more information, and to determine if Trinity’s program meets your need.

CAEP Accreditation

Annual measures reported here reflect data collected between 9/1/2021 – 8/31/2022. 

Data is reported for both initial certification programs (BA and MAT) and advanced programs (MSA). Data is not disaggregated by licensure area or program in order to protect the confidentiality of our candidates and completers. 

Trinity Washington University completers have a positive impact on P-12 learning and development, and are effective in their employment settings. Trinity triangulates data from five sources to determine the impact and effectiveness of its completers: The EPP Report provided by the District of Columbia Office of State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), Alumni and Employer Evaluations, and Teacher Formal Evaluations. 

Measure 1: Completer Effectiveness

OSSE Data: Percent of Effective Teachers by Ward 

The table below was provided by OSSE on Trinity’s Educator Preparation Provider impact on the District of Columbia School System (DCPS). The table shows the percentage of program completers employed as first-year teachers in DC LEAs during school year 2020-21, who earned ratings of effective or higher for 2020-2021. The evidence shows our completers are 100% effective in Wards 1, 3, and 6 as compared to all EPP completers who scored 88-90% effectiveness in those same wards.   

Alumni and Employer Surveys 

On both the alumni and employer surveys, respondents are asked to assess impact on student learning (Question 11 on the Alumni Survey; Question 15 on the Employer Survey) and to include evidence to support their rating.   

For the alumni survey, the overall mean response was 4.40, which is between “very satisfied” (60% of responses) and “satisfied” (20% of responses).  The means by licensure area were: ECE = 5.00; ELEM = 4.67; Secondary = n/a; Special Ed = 3.00. 

For the employer survey, the overall mean response was 4.75, which is between “very satisfied” (75% of responses) and “satisfied” (25% of responses).  

The alumni survey also asks respondents to rate the degree to which the program prepared them with a variety of knowledge/skills tagged to the InTASC standards and related to their ability to impact P-12 learners. Ratings for each area were between 2.89 and 4.33 on a five-point scale. The lowest rating (2.89) was for “effectively teaching students how to use technology tools safely” which may reflect the students experience teaching during virtual school but Trinity will continue to work to improve candidate ability to model and apply the use of technology. All over ratings were above 3.0 with the majority above 3.5 suggesting alumni generally feel prepared with the knowledge and skills needed to be effective classroom teachers.  

Teacher Formal Evaluations 

Trinity invites alum completers to share their year-end teaching evaluations from the SY 2021-2022. Because our completers work for different school systems (using different rating scales), we cannot aggregate their ratings. Instead, we include their individual ratings (along with the scales) here 

Measure 2: Satisfaction of employers and stake-holder involvement

Initial Programs (BA, MAT) 

Ratings of graduates by their employers suggest that they are demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and behaviors expected of effective teachers and are rated as effective by their Principals. A number of questions ask Principals about their level of satisfaction and the average response is well above 4.0 on a scale of 1-5. For a look at the compiled data, click here.

Advanced Program (MSA) 

Ratings of graduates by their employers suggest that they are demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and behaviors expected of effective administrators and are rated as effective. A number of questions ask employers about their level of satisfaction and the majority the average response is above 4.0 on a scale of 1-5. For a look at the compiled data, click here.

Stakeholder Involvement 

Trinity Washington University Education Programs have established MOUs with the District of Columbia and with Prince George’s County Public Schools. Students in our initial certification programs and advanced programs are placed in these districts. 

The Council met twice in 2021-2022: in the fall semester, on December 2nd and in the spring semester, on May 24, 2022. Agenda items included: 

  • Key assessment data sharing and discussion of areas of focus  
  • Supporting and developing clinical educators 
  • Creating more mutually beneficial partnerships  
  • Discussion of enrollment in graduate teacher education programs  
  • How to increase response rates for alumni and employer surveys  
  • Examine workforce shortages/needs  
  • Review and discussion of Trinity’s inaugural Teacher Support Program  
  • Discussion of best practices for measuring completers impacts on PK-12 student learning  

In 2021-2022, Trinity’s Education Council consisted of 23 invited members (full list here) who represented the interests of Trinity’s school and district partners, faculty, staff, and alumni. We are proud to have had so many committed partners serve on our Council of Education and continue to strive to utilize their expertise to support our continuous improvement work.

Measure 3: Candidate competency at completion

Initial Programs (BA, MAT) 

Candidate competency at completion of our Initial Certification Programs (BA and MAT) is evaluated by triangulating data collected on four EPP-created content and skills assessments, one EPP-created dispositions assessment, and the EPP’s Praxis II pass rates. 

EPP-Created Content and Skills Assessments: 

In 2021-2022, we had 24 students exiting our initial certification programs (16 in fall 2021, 8 in spring 2022). All students were rated as meeting or exceeding the indicators on the InTASC Portfolio and the Action Research Project. The overwhelming majority of students also met or exceeded expectations on the Clinical Student Teaching Evaluation. One student was rated as “approaches” for the indicator “Best Practices: Multiple Teaching Strategies” suggesting a reliance on direct teaching strategies. Similarly, the majority of students were rated as meeting of exceeding the indicators on the Content Portfolio with one student being rated as developing expectations in the area of assessment and one rated as developing expectations in the area of technology. Data was reviewed at the Spring 2022 CAEP data meeting with the following two themes emerging from these conversations: 

  • The Integration of Technology – While students continue to do generally well on the website key assignment, faculty want to examine how to better integrate technology expectations across the entire curriculum and assess it in other assignments (e.g. the lesson plan) to more intentionally develop technology integration skills.  
  • Assessment – Faculty reflected that they continue to see students struggle in this area and there is a need to examine where and how we address this in our programs including more intentional conversations with adjunct faculty.  

Click here to review data collected on EPP-created content and skills assessments. 

Completer Professional Dispositions Assessment Scores: 

100% of Spring 2022 completers met all expectations across the eight dispositions (3 on a scale of 0-3) as evaluated by their university supervisors and cooperating teachers. In the Fall Spring of 2021, all graduates met expectations on five of the eight dispositions. One student was developing in Integrity, Maturity, and Professionalism. See the chart below. 

  Fall 2021 (N = 16)  Spring 2022 (N = 8) 
Commitment to the Profession & Equity  3.00  3.00 
Responsibility  3.00  3.00 
Integrity & Ethical Conduct  2.94  3.00 
Maturity & Professional Demeanor  2.94  3.00 
Interpersonal Skills/Cultural Sensitivity  3.00  3.00 
Professionalism & Judgment  2.94  3.00 
Collaboration  3.00  3.00 
Reflective & Scholarly Practice  3.00  3.00 

 

Praxis II Pass Rates 

Subject Area # Students Testing Area  Pass Rate 
Early Childhood Education  16 5025-126 81%
Elementary Education (reading)  11 5002  91%
Elementary Education (mathematics)  11  5003  63% 
Elementary Education  

(social studies) 

14  5004  71% 
Elementary Education (science)  14  5005  71% 
Special Education  

(non-categorical) 

7  5354-151  100% 

*first time pass rates for our Secondary Candidates are not reported due to small numbers in order to protect student confidentiality 

Trinity requires all candidates to pass Praxis II before they student teach and therefore the Praxis II pass rates for completers = 100% for all subject areas.  

Advanced Programs (MSA) 

Candidate competency at completion of the MSA program is assessed through two key assessments: The Vision Project in EDAD 608 and the Case Study in EDAD 634.  

For the Vision Project in Fall 2021 (n = 3), all candidates (100%) exceeded the standard; in Spring 2022 (n = 7), the majority (86%) of candidates met or exceeded the standard. One student was considered to be approaching the standard. This student received intervention after which their work was considered to meet the standard before completion of the program.  

For the Case Study in Fall 2021 (n = 5), 80% of candidates met or exceeded the standard  One student was considered to be approaching the standard. In Spring 2022 (n = 8), 75% of candidates met or exceeded the standard. Two students were considered to be approaching the standard; these students received intervention after which their work was considered to meet the standard. Therefore, all candidates met or exceeded the standard before completion of the program. 

For compiled data please click here.

In addition, the competency of our MSA candidates is demonstrated by their pass rate on the Educational Administration Praxis Exam (#6990). In 2021-2022, 5 MSA students attempted the exam and all passed it.  

Measure 4: Ability of completers to be hired

Initial Programs (BA, MAT) 

According to our records, 100% of Trinity’s completers in 2020-2021 were hired in the areas for which they were prepared in SY 2021-2022.  

Data provided by OSSE shows that 13% of Trinity’s completers were employed as first year teachers in the District of Columbia. This is higher than the average number of completers employed in the District of Columbia by other EPPs in DC.  It is important to note that many of our completers are already hired as Teachers of Record before they begin our program or while they are candidates and therefore would not be considered First Year Teachers the year after they complete. This means that overall employment in the District for our completers is likely higher than shown here, as was reflected in the data provided by OSSE last year which counted Trinity completer employment in DCPS at 65%. 

Of that 13%, 100% were employed in the District’s Public Schools (see chart below, provided by OSSE). 

A summary of where Trinity’s graduates were hired in is below. 

Program Completion  N  DC/DCPS  MCPS  PGCPS  Other  Unknown 
Spring 2021  7           
Fall 2020  12  59%  8%     8%  25% 
Spring 2020  8  75%           25% 
Fall 2019  5  60%     20%     20% 
Spring 2019  7  71%     14.5%  14.5%   

Advanced Program (MSA) 

100% of Trinity’s completers (10) in 2021-2022 were hired in the areas for which they were prepared in AY 2022-2023.  Nine (9) are working in the District of Columbia and one (1) is working in Maryland.