The Primary Education Prek-5 Licensure Program prepares teachers as learner-centered, inquring professionals. Teacher preparation should be demonstrated through the capacity outcomes of its graduates, their knowledge and ability to teach.  This effectiveness can be further translated in P-12 classrooms, demonstrated by the learning outcomes of the school-age learners.

Good teaching, therefore, should be judged through the perspective of learners engaged in the process of learning.  That is, an effective teacher must 1) teach for understanding that help learners understand ideas and perform proficiently; and 2)  to teach in ways that help diverse learners find productive paths to knowledge so they also learn to live constructively together.  This learner-centered notion culminates in the moral purpose of teaching-that the ultimate commitment of education professionals is to the welfare of all students, in their physical, moral, and intellectual growth.

The Primary Education (Prek-5) Licensure Program prepares students by using the clinical model, which puts the students in Prek-5 classrooms beginning in their first semester in the teaching program. SSU students are required to complete more than 700 field/student teaching hours during their 4-year program-significantly more field experience hours than the 240 hours required by ODHE. 

Further, courses such as Educational Psychology and Exceptional Learning Needs required in the Prek-5 licensure program provide a well-rounded foundation for pre-service teachers who will be teaching in inclusive classrooms.