The Elementary Education Program, working in partnership with schools, communities, and state organizations, prepares exemplary teachers, teacher educators, and scholars who work for the continual betterment of society through education. As community members, teachers, and scholars, students, and faculty actively generate, apply, and disseminate knowledge about teaching and learning that will enable all people to become citizens who successfully participate in the global community of the twenty-first century.

The Elementary Teacher Education Program is designed to enable students to build upon the knowledge gained in university classrooms by experiencing it in the elementary learning environment. The program exemplifies the relationship between theory and practice, as explained in the Scholar-Practitioner Model, by offering of a series of three field experiences taken in conjunction with other education courses. Preparation for a career in education is culminated during the student teaching semester, which students can complete locally, statewide, nationally, or internationally, depending upon their interests and goals.

The Elementary Teacher Education Program combines a solid foundation of courses in humanities, communication, mathematics, science, and social sciences with professional education courses. Professional courses include the foundations of education, child growth and development, multicultural education, instructional technology, and the principles and practices of teaching in all subject areas. The centrepiece of the Elementary Teacher Education Program is the set of five field experiences culminating with student teaching. The program is designed to enable students to build upon the knowledge gained in the university classrooms by experiencing it in the elementary classrooms.