Welcome to the Elementary Education Department homepage.  Whether you are a current student in our program or someone who is just inquiring, we encourage you to review the information on our website.  Earning a teaching certificate can be a complex process at times and it is to your advantage to familiarize yourself with the various forms, deadlines, requirements and materials to make your time in our program successful.

Students are reminded to frequently check for messages on the Elementary Education ListServ.  The department uses this as the primary means of notifying students of changes in schedules, reminders of deadlines, and other important information.  Students subscribe to this ListServ their first quarter in the program and are asked to remain subscribed until completion of the program – including student teaching.  To subscribe, send a message to listproc@lists.wwu.edu with the following message: 

sub eled Yourfirstname Yourlastname (fill in your first and last name)

You will find a link to FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) listed under the "Advising" button.  This is an area where common questions have been answered for those who are seeking pre-application information or for those who have been admitted to the program and are wondering about what comes next.

Click the following hyperlink to view the Pacific Northwest Children's Literature Clearinghouse pages.

The Department of Elementary Education offers professional education programs that lead to recommendation to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for residency certification in the state of Washington.  The department offers courses and certification sequences on the Western campus and at off-campus sites in Everett, Seattle, Kitsap County, and Oak Harbor.  Students are encouraged to visit the departmental offices in Miller Hall 262 for information on program offerings that meet the needs of individual students.

The programs in elementary education are designed to prepare thoughtful, knowledgeable, and effective educators for a diverse society.  Consistent with national and state standards for what teachers should know and be able to do, the elementary education curriculum is a carefully sequenced professional program that is firmly backed by current research on effective teaching and learning.