College in the Schools - Teacher Qualifications

Political Science

(POL 1001: American Democracy in a Changing World)

To qualify for selection, teachers must have significant post-secondary course work in political science, with an emphasis on American politics. They must exhibit excellence in teaching high school students, especially upper level courses. Work toward a graduate degree, and ultimately a master's degree, is preferred.

New CIS teachers must participate in a mentoring program before teaching their first course. This usually involves meeting three to four times during the summer before the first course begins (or during the year before joining the CIS faculty) with the faculty coordinator, in addition to CIS summer workshops. The new faculty will read and discuss several American politics texts, and write an essay that compares and contrasts at least three books. This exercise is meant to help prepare new teachers for this class.

College in the Schools teachers are approved by the University of Minnesota academic department from which the course is offered. CIS teachers are typically lifelong learners who are committed to staying current with pedagogy and political science through ongoing professional development. These teachers also are committed to challenging themselves as well as their students.

At least a few years of experience at the site where they teach the CIS course is helpful for identifying potential CIS students and for managing administrative tasks.