Handbook for Supervisors, Mentor Teachers, and Principals
Introduction
Mission
The Mission of the Office of Educator Support (OES) at Oklahoma State University is to prepare professional educators who facilitate life-long learning and enrich the quality of life for people in PK-12 schools and other educational settings.
Leadership: We prepare candidates who are committed to the belief that professional educators providing quality education are the foundation of a prosperous and democratic society.
Ethics and Professionalism: We prepare candidates who demonstrate ethical and professional behavior in their
interactions with students, families, colleagues, and communities.
Academics and Professional Roles: We prepare knowledgeable candidates who reflect upon the connections between academic
research and their professional roles.
Inclusion: We prepare candidates who believe everyone deserves the opportunity to learn and can
learn; candidates possess knowledge, skills, and dispositions to serve as effective
professionals who understand and meet the needs of a diverse society.
Service Orientation and Community Outreach: We prepare candidates who value and engage in service and meaningful involvement with the learners/clients, families, and communities.
PK-12 Partnerships
OSU envisions the internship as a partnership between the university faculty, candidates, students, mentor teachers and principals. This handbook provides guidelines that will assist all stakeholders in developing and maintaining an atmosphere of communication, collaboration and trust among the members of this partnership.
Candidates will be placed in diverse school settings: a variety of socio-economic settings, a variety of geographic settings, and experiences working with diverse groups of students. Previous internship /field experiences will be considered when determining the internship placement.
Data on all field experience and internship placements is maintained by the OES. Initial and Advanced certification programs work directly with the Clinical Experiences Manager to best serve candidates and our partnering school districts with research-based experiences.
OSU is a land-grant institution that cherishes the opportunity to partner with PK-12 schools in the United States and abroad. We value and seek opportunities to collaborate and enhance the various professions that our candidates enter after graduation.
For any questions concerning the policies listed in this handbook, please contact Dr. Kathy Thomas, Clinical Experiences Manager, at 405-744-1088 or kathy.thomas@okstate.edu.