In recognition of exemplary contributions through a teacher education collaborative, Lone Star College-CyFair’s education program was recently awarded the 2010 Texas Higher Education Star Award.
“The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board established the Star Award to recognize exemplary contributions toward closing the higher education gaps that challenge the state,” said LSC-CyFair’s Dean Anne Albarelli. “This year’s award was presented at the annual State of Higher Education Luncheon/Awards Ceremony Nov. 9 to LSC-CyFair in conjunction with the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) and LSC-Kingwood.”
The Modeling Excellence in Collaborative Teacher Education teacher certification partnership redefines seamless transition from the community college to the university, said Albarelli. By enhancing the UHD/ LSC joint admissions program already in place, this teacher education collaborative focuses on recruiting paraprofessionals already known to the school district, as well as high school seniors and area adults who might not otherwise enter higher education due to work and family constraints.
Offered entirely on each of the LSC-CyFair and LSC-Kingwood campuses, this education program enables students to earn credits toward LSC’s Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) while seamlessly transferring to the UHD’s Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (BAIS) with Teacher Certification. Through a process that jointly admits students to education programs at both institutions simultaneously, this collaborative also reduces the cost for students who want to become certified teachers.
“The UHD/LSC-CyFair and UHD/LSC-Kingwood collaborative for teacher education are equal partners seeking a common goal of maximizing production of excellent teachers, with an understanding that vigilant quality control is key,” said Albarelli. “The integrated transfer, joint admissions and local program offering all enable those interested in teaching to do so as inexpensively as possible.”
For program details and upcoming information sessions, go to LoneStar.edu/cyfair-atcp or LoneStar.edu/kingwood-atcp.