We prepare teachers to transform lives.
As the first teacher preparation and initial licensure program of its kind to earn approval with distinction from the Massachusetts Department of Education, our M.A. in Teaching enables candidates to become effective, long-term teachers in urban settings. Qualified Clark undergraduates can earn an accelerated B.A./MAT with the fifth year of study tuition-free.
Program Overview
Our intensive program — which runs for one year from May to May — includes full immersion at one of five partner schools in Main South Worcester. You will learn from a team of scholar-practitioners dedicated to transforming urban education.
State Recognition: ‘Approval With Distinction’
The Clark University Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program has been granted “approval with distinction” by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “Approval with distinction” is the highest level of approval granted by the state.
In granting “approval with distinction,” the commissioner of elementary and secondary education noted:
“Based on the evidence and judgments outlined with the enclosed Formal Review Report, I have determined that Clark University is granted approval with distinction. A sponsoring organization or program granted approval with distinction has exceeded the already high bar for approval and has demonstrated exemplary performance. The sponsoring organization or program is operating at such a high level that it could serve as a model for other providers in the state and nation. I extend my congratulations to you and the Clark University community for achieving full approval of your educator preparation programs.”
Clark’s MAT program has the added distinction of being the first program in Massachusetts to achieve the highest level of approval.
To earn this distinction, Clark’s program underwent a rigorous and comprehensive approval process over a period of 16 months that included a three-day site visit. The process examined the program through various lenses, including school partnerships, instruction, field-based experiences, candidate experience, and organization. The on-site visiting team used surveys and interviews with a variety of stakeholders, including school personnel, current students, and alumni, in making its assessment.
Where, according to state personnel, most programs in the state earn two or three commendations in this process, Clark’s program received 17.
National Recognition
Nationally, the MAT program has been at the forefront of change in teacher education. The Adam Institute’s recent book — “Partnership and Powerful Teacher Education: Growth and Challenge in an Urban Neighborhood Program” — traces the development of the program toward a more neighborhood-based (or community-based) as well as partnership-based model, and delves into the clinical and collaborative learning practices that have evolved. The book has received critical endorsements from leading scholars in teacher education.
The program’s Teacher Rounds model was cited in the 2010 report by the National Council of Accreditation for Teacher Education advocating a more practice-based or “clinical” approach to teacher education. In 2007, the Society of Education Professors recognized the program with the annual Richard Wisniewski Award for innovation in teacher education. The program was mentioned in Linda Darling-Hammond’s book, “The Flat World and Education” (2010):
“… a growing number of universities — including Clark University, Stanford University, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and others — have actually created new urban schools and developed partnerships that support and help transform existing schools to demonstrate state-of-the-art practices and to serve as training grounds for teachers.”
The program is represented as well in “Teacher Rounds: A Guide to Collaborative Learning in and from Practice” by Tom Del Prete (2013).
Testimonials from Recent MAT Graduates
This is what some of our recent graduates had to say:
- “This program will push you past what you think you are capable of achieving, but at every step of the way you will have numerous support systems that will enhance your teaching practice throughout this challenging yet rewarding year.”
- “This program gave me the tools, resources, experiences and mode of reflective thinking to start me off on my teaching journey.”
- “I can’t think of a better way to learn how to become an effective educator than this program! You get to discover who you are as a teacher while being continually supported, encouraged and pushed to be the best teacher you can be.”
- “This year-long process is unlike any other, the amount of growth as both a person and an educator is immeasurable. You become a teacher.”
- “Without a doubt the most rigorous and rewarding year of my life.”
