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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Lesley University brings degree programs to Georgia teachers

ATLANTA - Teachers in Georgia wishing to pursue a master's degree or to improve their skills through professional development can now enroll in Lesley University's nationally recognized programs here.

Georgia recently became the eighteenth state to endorse Lesley's programs by approving the university's application to serve in-state students. An independent, non-profit university with its main campus in Cambridge, Mass., Lesley University is the national leader in quality graduate education for classroom educators. Lesley faculty will offer courses in classroom settings throughout the Peachtree State.

"After an extensive review, the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission found that the programs being proposed by Lesley University meet the requirements of our standards," according to Dr. Shelvey Holland, standards administrator for the agency. "We look forward to having the university operating in the state serving our citizens with these specialized programs."

Lesley University will initially offer master's of education degree programs in several areas, including: curriculum and instruction - literacy; curriculum and instruction - creative arts and learning; technology in education; conflict resolution and peaceable schools; early childhood education; English as a second language; and teaching, learning and assessment.

According to David Haselkorn, Lesley's dean of national education programs and policy, Georgia is at the cutting edge of the nation's growing teacher quality challenges, and its 91,000 classroom educators are being called upon to do more than ever before.

"Nontraditional program delivery, whether online or face-to-face in innovative weekend formats, can overcome the tyranny of time and geography that keeps so many educators and other adult learners from reaching their potential," he said.

Many Georgia educators have commuted north of the border to South Carolina, where Lesley has offered graduate degree programs since 1995. "Our entry into Georgia comes in response to growing demand across the state, combined with our conviction that Lesley's expertise can be harnessed to help Georgia's educators to improve teaching and learning in the state's K-12 schools," Haselkorn said.

Students are drawn to Lesley's graduate degree programs for their high academic quality and emphasis on the integration of theory and practice. The convenience and flexibility of Lesley's cohort-based, weekend delivery model is also important to adult learners.

To meet state authorization requirements, Lesley demonstrated that it has qualified faculty, financial resources, and the ability to deliver high-quality academic programs for Georgia teachers.

More information about Lesley University's programs in Georgia is available by calling 800 843-4808 or on the Web at http://www.lesley.edu.