School’s Open for Summer

©WCS/J.Maher

A new generation of teachers-in-training will soon take their lessons with the lions, as part of a unique joint degree program offered by Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) and the Bronx Zoo’s parent organization, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Having received approval from the New York State Department of Education in December, the program is now accepting applicants for admission in summer 2008.

The new degree, a result of two years of joint effort by Fordham and WCS, offers a specialization in adolescent biology/conservation life science teacher education. It is the first graduate education degree that is an equal partnership between an informal science institution and a degree-granting institution. In addition to graduating with a Fordham Master of Science degree, students of the 36-credit program will earn initial New York State teacher certification in adolescent biology for grades 7 through 12.

Students will take half of their classes at Fordham and half at the zoo. The core courses taught at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus will cover pedagogy and the foundations of American education. The science courses and field experiences at the Bronx Zoo will make use of the park’s world-class exhibits and internationally recognized scientists and educators. Degree candidates will also be able to take advantage of the other local WCS facilities: the Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos, and the New York Aquarium.

The program responds to widespread concern about the state of science education in the U.S. At least half of the eighth graders tested in science in nine of ten major U.S. cities (including New York) failed to demonstrate even a basic understanding of the subject, according to a November 2006 report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress: The Nation’s Report Card. Two of the root causes of this crisis in science education are the shortage of highly trained teachers and the lack of science content that is presented in a way that engages middle and high school students.

“This program came about in response to every federal commission that has studied teacher education in math and sciences,” said James Hennessy, Ph.D., GSE Dean. “Fordham is pleased to partner with WCS to provide this opportunity to graduate-level education students.”

“There is no better way for teachers to be prepared to teach science than to model the work of real scientists,” said Sara Hobel, WCS’s Vice President for Education. “At the Zoo, we use our amazing wildlife and natural habitat exhibits to convey the wonder and excitement at the heart of the scientific process. What better way is there to learn about evolution than to compare the adaptations of tigers and snow leopards? How can data collection and analysis be any more exciting than when you are recording the behavioral interactions between a gorilla mother and her baby? We are excited about how this program and the use of the Zoo can transform urban science education.”

Application materials for Summer 2008 admission are available at https://apply.embark.com/grad/fordham/education/71/.

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