Collaboration with University, Schools, & Community Agencies

EMU works closely with cooperating schools and teachers. The teacher education program at EMU has collaborative relationships with area public and private schools for field experience assignments, research, and service projects. In addition, the EMU Early Learning Center located at nearby Park View Mennonite Church provides quality laboratory experiences. On occasion, accredited private and public schools in selected stateside and international settings have been used for student teaching assignments.

The Mid-Valley Consortium for Teacher Education, a clinical faculty program, is a partnership with EMU, Bridgewater College, Mary Baldwin University, James Madison University, and the public school divisions of Augusta, Harrisonburg, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Staunton, and Waynesboro.

A goal of the Clinical Faculty Program is to establish teams consisting of a university consultant, clinical faculty, and a student teacher, which focus on agreed-upon objectives, teaching techniques, and evaluative criteria.

While EMU values all of its relationships with area schools, several have been selected for particular field experiences in order to ensure a diversity of placements for each teacher candidate throughout the program. Middle and high schools in Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County Public Schools provide placements for EMU's secondary programs, while elementary schools from both divisions serve as centers for the PreK-3 and PreK-6 programs. Occasional student teaching placements extend beyond the two local school divisions to include the other MVC member institutions: Augusta County, Page County, Shenandoah County, Staunton City, and Waynesboro City Public Schools.