As future educators hone their skills for interacting with a variety of cultures, they also must prepare for interacting with the business world. Dwindling public education funds and the desire for more hands-on learning has made school partnerships with business and community organizations increasingly popular, and future teachers may find themselves helping their students prepare for internships or welcoming businesspeople into the classroom as mentors. To address these trends, the school will begin by expanding the faculty. Cordeiro hopes the temporary relocation will emphasize the need for a new School of Education facility, which she would like to include the latest technology, such as counseling rooms with two way mirrors for observation. In order to do that, our facilities have to change to reflect the dramatic changes in education.
Expansion applies also to the course requirements.
Internships will be mandatory for all undergraduate and graduate students as a way to better connect their studies to work in the community. And international experiences, whether studying abroad or student teaching in a school across the U.S.-Mexico border, also will be offered. To further meet the needs of potential students, many of whom are working professionals, the school plans to significantly change class scheduling. Saturday classes and summer sessions in the master's and doctoral programs will better serve teachers and working professionals. Distance learning courses, taught online with computer and video technology, also will enable students in remote locations to take USD classes.