Teaching Programs in Connecticut

Connecticut is a great state to teach in. The state was recently ranked third in the country by Education Week on their Quality Counts annual report card, scoring a B+ rating (compared to a national score of C.) In addition to its high overall ranking, Education Week ranked the state high in areas of student success, school financing, and fifth-highest in per-pupil spending. WalletHub ranks Connecticut as the fifth best place to teach and their overall school systems as the third-best in the country.

How Can I Get a Teaching Degree in Connecticut?

To become a teacher in Connecticut, you must have a teaching license. The two typical pathways to obtaining a license include program preparation and eligibility based on teaching experience. Connecticut also offers an alternative route to teaching through experience-based programs that are distinct from the standard teacher education programs.

Program preparation

Connecticut educator preparation programs (EPP) are undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs approved by the State Board of Education. Acceptance to board-approved program requires a satisfactory score on the Praxis Core in mathematics and reading and writing tests, or any board approved equivalent exams (e.g., SAT, ACT, or GRE). Once you’ve completed a teaching program, you’ll need to pass state assessments specific to your subject matter, such as the Praxis II for specific subjects like art, biology, or early childhood education or Pearson’s reading tests for various elementary education and language arts subjects.

Teaching experience

For educators who earned their degree outside of Connecticut or taught in a private school setting, this is your path to a teaching license in the state. To qualify for certification in this track, you’ll need no fewer than 20 school months of full-time teaching. Additionally, you need to pass the same subject matter assessments and complete all the coursework required for state certification, which might require some additional coursework.

Alternative route

Connecticut’s Alternative Route to Certification (ARC) provides a pathway for someone who might already have a bachelor’s degree that didn’t include the state’s teacher education requirements. The state offers several options for this pathway, including an ARC program through the state’s Office of Higher Education or Teach for America. Alongside teaching practice, ARC seekers take coursework to fulfill teaching credentials. Like all prospective teachers, you must complete all subject matter assessments.

Typical Coursework for Teaching Programs in Connecticut

While coursework will vary by program, there are some common topics that many teaching programs in Connecticut cover. Those can include:

• Educational psychology: These courses provide a foundation in child psychology and help prospective teachers understand how it overlaps with issues in education and learning.
• Curriculum and instruction: In these classes, you will learn curriculum-planning and implementation skills, including topics of classroom management, how students learn best, and new trends in education.
• Technology in the classroom: In these courses, you will learn about using technology effectively and creatively to enhance the learning experience of students in the 21^st century classroom.
• Child development: Classes in this area will explore research, issues, and theories of a child’s emotional, cognitive, and social development.
• Health education: In health educations courses, you will learn about health and safety issues that are relevant to the classroom, including public health concerns and allergies.

Career Outlook and Salary for Educators in Connecticut

The future for Connecticut education professionals is holding steady. O*Net projects a minimal (3%) decrease in the number of teaching jobs at both the secondary and elementary school levels between 2016 and 2026 (2018). Despite that potential downward trend, albeit minimal, O*Net projects that the future is “bright” for elementary teachers and “average” for secondary school teachers.

Salaries are a particularly bright spot for teachers in Connecticut, as salaries tend to be higher than the national averages.

Teacher Training Programs in Connecticut

There are several high-quality Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) approved by the State Board of Education in Connecticut. While most offer more general programming for teacher preparation, you’ll want to look closely at programs that offer specializations in areas such as special education, early childhood education, or physical education.

Here are a few great accredited and board-approved options for education programs in Connecticut:

Mitchell College

Mitchell College is one of the only undergraduate institutions in the state of Connecticut that offers a teaching certification for grades Pre-K to 3. In addition to this program, they provide concentrations in Early Childhood Studies (with optional teacher certification), liberal and professional studies, and physical education and sports fitness.

Albertus Magnus College

This undergraduate program offers coursework that leads to teaching certification at the secondary level (in biology, business, chemistry, general science, English, history and social studies, math, and Spanish) and middle levels (in English, general science history and social studies, and math). They also have an art concentration for Grades pre-K to 12. While the program doesn’t specifically offer elementary education as an option, students interested in that path can meet with the Director of Education Programs to explore a path to fulfilling those state requirements.

Fairfield University

Fairfield offers a unique opportunity for bachelor’s students to enter an accelerated five-year B.A./M.A. teacher preparation program. In this program, students earn both a bachelor’s (in the student’s preferred major) and a master’s in secondary, elementary, or special education, along with Connecticut teaching certifications. The Fairfield’s Graduate School of Education & Allied Sciences also offers a variety of graduate certificates in topics such as educational technology, sexual and gender minority mental health, dyslexia intervention, and various advanced training certificates.

In addition to the programs above, you may want to look into programs that specialize in subjects in which Connecticut has teacher shortages. The following resources list subjects where teachers are in high demand.

• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate or post-baccalaureate programs

Connecticut Teacher Resources

Teaching can be a rewarding career. Getting there, however, may require research and support. Here are some additional resources to help guide you through the process of becoming a teacher in the state of Connecticut:

• Connecticut State Board of Education: This state website provides details on requirements for state certification and guides you through the process of becoming a teacher in the state.
• Connecticut Education Association: CEA is the leading advocacy and organizing organization on behalf of Connecticut state teachers. Their site provides insights into the state of education and issues related to teachers in the state.
• SERC: Formerly known as the Special Education Research Center, SERC describes themselves as a “quasi-public agency” that supports the State Board of Education through providing professional development and disseminating research, with a focus on educational equity.
• Connecticut Parent Teacher Association: The Connecticut PTA engages in advocacy on behalf of children to ensure positive and quality learning environments.
• Connecticut Troops to Teachers Program: This program provides a clear pathway for veterans to pursue a teaching career by providing both guidance and information on programs and financial assistance.

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