A Program Model of Field-Based Graduate Study in Elementary Education.

The School of Education and the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Virginia have jointly developed and implemented a Master of Education program, in elementary education, which is conducted on-site in three regions: Appalachia, rural southside Virginia, and northern Virginia. The field-based program was centralized into a single set of course offerings and a single program of study, guided by specific objectives which were determined with the cooperation of the local school districts in which the program operates. The 2-year course offers instruction to a cohort of no less than 60 elementary school teachers who meet with a team, drawn from the University faculty, on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. An integral part of the program is two 6-week summer school sessions which feature clinical experience in a laboratory school. An outline of the course content and the activities of the academic year are included in this description of the program. (JD)