San Francisco State University and Elk Grove Unified School District

The Teacher Education Institute (TEI), which was established in 1994-1995, is a joint collaborative teacher credential program between the San Francisco State University School of Education and the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD). Under the auspices of the institute, a multiple subject credential program and a single subject credential program are provided on-site in the EGUSD. All students are enrolled through San Francisco State, and SFSU faculty are assigned along with qualified school district personnel to teach in the program. The credential programs offered are similar to the credential programs offered to the students on campus. Students are assigned to field placements in the school district during the school day, and they take their university course work during the late afternoons and evenings. Students proceed through the program in cohort groups, starting in June and completing the program in May of the following year.

The College of Education and the EGUSD are co-equal partners in the management and operation of the TEI program. Early in the program’s development, a Memorandum of Understanding was established between the university and the school district, covering the joint responsibilities of the university, the school district, and the joint responsibilities of both institutions. To date, 10 years after its inception, the school district and the university continue to function harmoniously in a spirit of collegiality and cooperation.

David Gordon, former superintendent for the EGUSD, was instrumental in the initiation and development of the TEI with San Francisco State. Throughout the years of its operation, at numerous meetings and conferences, he has stressed how important the program has been for him in his efforts to recruit and hire the high-quality teachers he has needed for his rapidly growing school district. He states, “It’s been a win-win program for both the school district and the university over the years.”