What is SEAT?

The Southeast Asian Teacher licensure Program at Concordia University, St. Paul, is a bachelor's degree completion program.   Students with a bachelor's degree will do a post-baccalaureate program leading to teacher licensure.

This program is for individuals currently employed in Minnesota school districts as educational assistants and teaching assistants who are seeking elementary education teacher licensure. 

The program started in 1998 when the Minnesota State Legislature appropriated funds to assist in the training of under-represented populations, with a focus on Southeast Asians.  The initiative was prompted by the scarcity of fully-licensed Southeast Asian educators in Minnesota schools.  

The Southeast Asian Teacher Licensure Program (SEAT) will provide individuals with partial tuition funding, course books and a stipend.  SEAT is designed as a modified cohort model, where students remain employed full-time as educational or teaching assistants in a school district and are enrolled in late afternoon and evening courses.  Given their variety of backgrounds, students do not move through the program in lockstep as in a strict cohort model.  Students admitted into the program take some classes as a group and others mixed with the general university population.

Goals of the Program:

• Prepare persons of color, especially those of Southeast Asian background, for elementary teacher licensure. 
• Identify a focused baccalaureate program designed to provide intensive instruction to individuals interested in moving from paraeducator to educational professional.
• Develop curricular and delivery options that meet the needs of minority students, particularly those of Southeast Asian background.
• Utilize existing resources of Concordia University and the community.
• Partner with educators in schools where student populations continue to reflect growth in diversity.
• Design models of mentoring in natural settings utilizing individuals and team collaborative decision-making.
• Assess individual needs of students for successfully completing teacher education program and licensure requirements.
• Provide transition services to integrate students into the university and the educational setting.