Jersey City, NJ – Saint Peter’s College has announced the establishment of a formal School of Education, an initiative designed in order to help meet growing education challenges in the state of New Jersey. Developed from the existing education programs at Saint Peter’s, this new School joins the College’s three other academic units: the College of Arts and Sciences/School of Business Administration, the School of Nursing and the School of Professional and Continuing Studies. The School of Education is expected to enroll approximately 450 students in the fall of 2009.
“There is a greater demand for accountability in New Jersey classrooms now, where teachers are expected to do more with less resources,” noted College President Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D. “Saint Peter’s is proud not only to be part of a movement that is responding to societal needs, but to be molding our students into responsible educators.”
Also added to the College’s academic portfolio is a Master of Arts in Education degree, with a concentration in school counseling. According to Anthony Sciarrillo, Ed.S., J.D., the director for the School of Education, this concentration was developed by the administration to ensure that students had the opportunity to complete certification programs at Saint Peter’s in the five key areas of education: educational leadership, reading, teaching, special education and counseling.
“Although it is not required of our students, becoming certified in the five crucial areas of education makes our graduates more attractive and valuable to employers in this economy, as we see schools close and budgets tighten,” noted Sciarrillo.
In addition to the school counseling concentration, the College also offers a Master of Arts degree in special education with the option to specialize in applied behavior analysis (ABA) or literacy. Saint Peter’s added these two components to its programming after New Jersey saw an explosion of demand for special education teachers as a result of the establishment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Saint Peter’s College, founded in 1872, is a Jesuit, Catholic college in the liberal arts tradition located in the heart of Jersey City, N.J., with a branch campus in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and course offerings on the Jersey City Waterfront and at various corporate sites throughout New Jersey. Educating over 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 50 programs, Saint Peter’s College is committed to academic excellence and individual attention, preparing students for a lifetime of learning, leadership and service in a diverse and global society.