Special Programs and Opportunities

As educators, we believe that learning opportunities outside of the classroom — in our communities, around campus and in other countries — provide invaluable experience.

Some of these opportunities — like student teaching — are part of your degree program. Others provide ways to get involved both on- and off-campus, through research, community involvement, student-run organizations and May Term programs.

OFF-CAMPUS OPPORTUNITIES

May and June Terms

Depending on your specialty and track, spending time off-campus during a May Term is a great way to incorporate time away from Hope without interrupting your course schedule. Our department offers programs:

On the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota dealing with cross-cultural education and Native American studies
In Liverpool, England, on literacy and secondary principles
In Watts, Los Angeles, engaging in urban education

Talk to someone at the Fried Center for Global Engagement or your advisor for more information about May Term programs that could be a good fit for you.

Student Teaching

To receive your teacher certification, you’ll conclude your time at Hope with a semester of student teaching. Depending on your specialty and track, you may be eligible to complete your student teaching through The Philadelphia Center, the Chicago Semester Program, the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota or other cities and countries around the world.

More information about off-campus opportunities

LOCAL PROGRAMS & OPPORTUNITIES

CASA

Hope College offers Children’s After School Achievement (CASA) as a community tutoring program. Through CASA, we help at-risk students with after-school mentoring.

Upward Bound

Hope’s Upward Bound program is a set of seven federally-funded outreach opportunities. Hope offers a pre-college preparatory program for students from first-generation college and low-income families.

PATH

The Program for the Academically Talented at Hope (PATH) was started to serve students in grades 7–9 who showed academic talent and promise, and offers accelerated courses.

Tutoring

We receive requests from teachers and parents in the community hoping to hire a tutor. Submiting your name will add you to a list to be contacted with opportunities.

Community Partnerships

Education students work within the community of Holland and the surrounding areas often, partnering with local organizations and initiatives like:

Holland Christian, a private K–12 district committed to high academics and impacting the world
ZQuest, a K–8 school that operates on a balanced calendar in multi-aged groupings
STREAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), which partners with Hamilton’s STREAM school to promote exchanging ideas across several subject areas

Summer science camps

As a part of the ExploreHope Academic Outreach, Hope College offers Summer Science Camps for students in grades K–12.

Events

We offer events throughout the year to our students and community as a whole, like our community-wide reading program Big Read. Visit Hope’s calendar for up-to-date information.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

ASCD

Our local chapter of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) is the first student-run chapter in the country to be recognized by the ASCD. Our group provides panels, workshops and events to our student members. Contact our student organizers for information on joining. Our faculty advisors are Susan Brondyk and Mihyun Han.

CEC

Our student-run chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children provides fellowship to individuals with special needs. Although the group is supported by the Education Department, our members come from many different disciplines. Our faculty advisor is Jane Finn.

Tech Team

Our Tech Team is comprised of students promoting and implementing technology to enhance teaching and learning with our faculty and classmates, as well as with local school districts. Find out more information on our Educational Technology website.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Research is a hallmark of Hope College and an important part of our education curriculum. Research opportunities within the Hope College Department of Education include grant writing, student attendance at professional meetings, students presenting research at conferences to collaborate with others, peer-reviewed publications and assistance with collecting research data.

Research is an important part of what our faculty do in our department and we love to include education students in this work. Some of us work on our research projects during the academic year, whereas others focus our time on these endeavors during the summer months. We often apply for grants to support our research projects and are often looking for research assistants or collaborators. At times, these can be paid positions. We encourage students to contact any of the faculty listed on our research page for more information.

We also send students to the Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) every year. We also participate in the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) and the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children conference, and we often have students accepted to National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).

View a listing of our faculty and their research