Ed.M. in Dance Education: Professional Teacher Advancement

Program Overview

The Ed.M. in Dance Education program at the GSE is designed for experienced PK-12 dance educators who wish to deepen their knowledge in the discipline and advance in the field. Through guidance and instruction from expert faculty and backed by research-driven curriculum, the program serves to transform professional teachers into culturally responsive leaders in dance education within the schools and throughout the state and regional communities they serve. Carefully curated coursework prepares students with the skills and experience needed to pursue alternate and advanced career opportunities in the arts and education.

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited university and a valid K-12 teacher certification are required for (but do not guarantee) entry into this program. Certifications may include the New Jersey Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) and New Jersey Standard certificate, as well as New York Initial and Professional certificates or other comparable certification from other states. The New Jersey Certificate of Eligibility (CE) is not accepted as a qualified teaching credential unless it has reverted to a Standard certificate after one year of validated, full-time PK-12 teaching. Out-of-State certificates must align with New Jersey required internship and qualified PK-12 teaching experience. Applicants who do not currently hold K-12 teacher certification are encouraged to apply to the Ed.M. in Dance Education with Teacher Certification program.

Program Goals as of 2022-2023
(Last updated: 7/19/2022)

Knowledge/Understanding 

• Students will develop professional teacher-learners’ knowledge of dance-as-art as an educational practice, scholarly field, policy landscape, and community of practice. 
• Students will develop professional teacher knowledge about the pedagogy of teaching dance and how individual differences among children in terms of their abilities and their social, economic, and cultural backgrounds influence learning. 

Communication/Community Building 

• Students will recognize and appreciate the multiple communities that are invested in the wellbeing of the school and how they are mutually informing. 
• Students will develop skills to cultivate being in embodied relationships with diverse people toward achieving community goals. 

 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) 

• Students will learn to disrupt educational structures that perpetuate marginalization of non-dominant communities and identities. 
• Students will develop professional teacher knowledge of how individual differences among children in terms of their abilities and their social, economic, and cultural backgrounds influence learning. 
• Students will examine dance learning contexts for the potential to nurture identity formation, engender empathy, embrace diverse perspectives, engage interdisciplinary inquiry, and shape social transformation. 
• Students will be empowered as advocates of dance-as-art state mandates who strive to ensure educational equity for all PK-12 children. 

Research/Professional Practice 

• Students will apply social justice-informed pedagogies that nurture identity formation, engender empathy, embrace diverse perspectives, engage interdisciplinary inquiry, and shape social transformation. 
• Students will develop their knowledge, skills, and dispositions in curriculum development, assessment, research, data-informed decision making, and leadership. 
• Students will reflect on and refine their practice as well as participate in professional development for pre-service and in-service dance and classroom educators. 

Assessment 

• Students will design standards-informed multi-modal assessments that demonstrate embodied learning and are intended for diverse learners. 
• Students will enhance their ability to facilitate equity-informed assessment processes that stimulate student ownership of creating, performing, responding, and connecting in dance. 

Professional Development/Self-Reflection 

• Students will engage in critical conversations in the field of dance education and understand the implications of these conversations for their school community and teaching practice.  
• Students will understand their intersectional identities and positionality, recognizing the implicit biases that may result from that positionality, and mitigate how implicit bias can adversely impact their planning, instruction, and assessment. 
• Students will take on service and leadership responsibilities that help shape practice in the field of dance education.

For more information about this program:

• Download the program guide (includes course list)
• Contact Matt Winkler, Assistant Dean for Advisement in the Office of Student and Academic Services

Program Details