Clinical Educators

Thank you for opening up your classroom to a Student Teacher from the Cato College of Education at UNC Charlotte. As a Clinical Educator (CE), you are an integral part of our mission to prepare effective future teachers and your contributions to their develop ensure that our teacher preparation programming meets the rigorous standards and needs of the education community. Because of your willingness to share your classroom expertise and experience we are confident that our Student Teachers will become the next generation of highly knowledgeable and skilled professional educators.

The Office of School & Community Partnerships appreciates the leadership, service, and professionalism of the Clinical Educators who volunteer their time and expertise to mentor student teachers and pre-service educators. 

Justin Armstrong, a special education teacher at Carmel Middle School in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, being presented with the Spring 2023 Outstanding Clinical Educator Award

Individuals who are selected for a coaching role as a Clinical Educator must have the skills, knowledge, and dispositions of highly accomplished professional educators. The Cato College of Education and P-12 partners agree to the following criteria for the selection of the school district’s clinical teacher:

  • Clinical Educators are selected by their principal/liaison.
  • A Clinical Educator must have a minimum of three years of successful teaching experience and hold a SPII license.
  • A Clinical Educator must hold appropriate subject area licensure for the courses in which they teach.
  • A Clinical Educator must have received an overall proficient or higher rating on each standard as reflected on the North Carolina Educator Effectiveness System (NCEES) Evaluation Rubric.
  • A Clinical Educator must willingly undertake the responsibilities of observing and documenting the performance of the candidate and preparing written summary evaluations. This includes completing the Certification of Teaching Capacity (CTC) Form for licensure indicating whether a candidate has or has not met all indicators in the five standards. The Clinical Educator must also agree to reserve time daily and/or weekly to communicate/provide concrete feedback with the candidate.
  • A Clinical Educator must agree to participate in professional development opportunities for Clinical Educators as required by the Office of School and Community Partnerships and Cato College of Education. This may include online and/or face-to-face training.
  • A Clinical Educator must agree to submit all documentation either in paper or electronically as required by the student teaching candidates assigned University Supervisor or Office and School and Community Partnerships Point of Contact.