Elementary Education (M.Ed.)

Join a program ranked among the top five in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

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Program Overview

Our multifaceted partnerships with local schools and community-based organizations help you connect theory to practice as you gain experience in such initiatives as trauma-influenced practices and Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM).

Our master's degree in Elementary Education begins in July during the second summer session.  At the beginning of your journey you will learn subject-specific content (arts education, children's literature, and social studies methods) while also exploring Nashville as a place for learning.  In the fall, you will focus on subject-matter foundations and methods in reading, English language arts, and mathematics. Your coursework will be grounded by a learning ecologies class and a practicum experience in schools where you will work with populations of multilingual learners and serve students who come from neighborhoods that have been under-resourced.

From January through May, you will complete student teaching, and during May, you will take courses linked by a focus on serving learners with specific learning needs in reading and science. Capstone projects are submitted and presented in May.

Completing the master's degree in Elementary Education leads to a recommendation to the state for a teaching license in K-5.

Careers

Of job-seeking Elementary Education graduates, 100% were employed or attending graduate school within four months of graduation. Career outcomes include:

  • Computer Science & SEL Interventionist, Carter Lawrence Elementary School, Nashville, Tennessee
  • English Teacher, Haile Manas Academy, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
  • English Teaching Assistant, Fulbright Program, Mulhouse, France
  • Fifth Grade Teacher, Bloomington Elementary School, St. George, Utah
  • Second Grade Head Teacher, New York city Department of Education, New York, New York
Nupur Singh

"Through Peabody, I learned to provide education of both the mind and heart."

Nupur Singh
M.Ed., Elementary Education

Program Facts

Program Director: Brian Kissel
Admissions Coordinator: Erica Bodden
Admission Term: Summer
Credit Hours: 33

Application Dates

  • Application Deadline 1

    January 3

  • Application Deadline 2

    February 3

  • Rolling Admissions

    After February 3*

    *Applications received after the Feb 3 second deadline are reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted as space and funds allow.

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Program Curriculum

You will be able to earn a master's degree in Elementary Education with licensure in 13 months by completing 31 credit hours at Peabody College. The coursework begins in July with an intensive 8-week experience that combines:

  • An introduction to the social, historical, and political context of elementary education, emphasizing the values of equity, access, and inclusion
  • Subject matter foundations and methods in science, social studies, and math
  • Clinical experience in high-quality summer programs for children with inquiry-focused academic experiences

Coursework

  • Sample Course Sequence

    Sample Course Sequence

    Summer Semester: 9 credit hours

    • SSED 6250: Social Studies Methods
    • SCED 6200: Science Concepts
    • MTED 6200: Mathematics Concepts
    • EDUC 6211: Learning Ecologies I - Equity, Access, and Inclusion in Context

    Fall Semester: 10 credit hours

    • MTED 6250: Advanced Teaching of Mathematics in Elementary Schools
    • EDUC 6210: Theory/Practice of Literacy Education in Elementary Grades
    • EDUC 6220: Theory and Practice of Writing in Elementary Grades
    • EDUC 6200: Teaching Literature in Elementary Classrooms
    • EDUC 6212: Learning Ecologies II - Advanced Practicum in Literacy and Mathematics

    Spring Semester: 5 credit hours

    • EDUC 7970: Internship (student teaching)
    • EDUC 7971: Internship Seminar / Learning Ecologies III

    Maymester: 4 credit hours

    • EDUC 6230: Teaching Literacy for Diverse Learners
    • EDUC 6214: Learning Ecologies IV - Situating Special Education
    • EDUC 7970: Internship (student teaching)

    June Module: 4 credit hours

    • SCED 6250: Advanced Teaching of Science in Elementary Schools
      Includes embedded practicum.
    • HMED 6250: Introduction to Arts Education
  • Practicum

    You will be working with children throughout the program, starting in your first few weeks. Summer practica provide you a unique opportunity to engage with students in community-based summer programs so you will understand how to support learning in informal and academic settings.

    In the fall, you will spend two days a week at an elementary school in the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) district. In conjunction with a mentor teacher, you will observe and participate in all aspects of the classroom. You will observe several grades and interact with school staff, including administrators, family resource providers, and support staff. This authentic experience grounds the theories and strategies explored in your coursework.

    You will be paired with a mentor teacher for your internship teaching and spend five days a week in one of our partner elementary schools from early January through May. During this time, you will gradually take on more teaching responsibilities and have a 2-week period during which you plan, teach, and assess on your own. You will also have the opportunity to observe and support teachers in other classrooms and participate in after-school events.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Our program addresses justice, equity, and inclusion through our preservice teachers' deep immersion in K-5 subject matter knowledge, their understanding of learners and the various homes and communities from which they come to school, and their participation in varied practicum and student teaching experiences that take them into local schools and communities. We strive to center equity, diversity, and inclusive practices in our program while weaving the tenets of culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogies throughout each course and practicum.

Selected Faculty Research

 Luis Leyva, assistant professor of mathematics education

Luis Leyva, assistant professor of mathematics education

Professor Leyva's research examines historically marginalized students' narratives as engineering, computing, and mathematical science majors. These narratives reveal how interlocking systems of power-including racism, sexism, and heterosexism-shape unique experiences of oppression and resistance in undergraduate STEM education across intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and other identities.

 Brian Kissel, professor of the practice of literacy

Brian Kissel, professor of the practice of literacy

Professor Kissel regularly teaches courses that center literacy instruction on culturally responsive and sustaining practices.  His research focuses on writing instruction and the intersection of writing development and the socio-cultural interactions that influence young writers.  

Anita Wager, professor of the practice and associate dean for undergraduate academic affairs

Anita Wager, professor of the practice and associate dean for undergraduate academic affairs

Professor Wager's research focuses on teaching that supports culturally relevant and socially just mathematics practices.  She teaches mathematics courses for pre-service teachers and graduate courses in mathematics education and social justice.

Faculty

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