The College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas has hired Leah Chamberlain to direct the office of field placement, which places about 300 students each year in student teaching internships at local schools.

The college also coordinates the placement of about 1,200 students in observation settings. To accomplish this, the office of field placement partners with 16 school districts and about 120 schools, Chamberlain said.

Chamberlain earned a master’s degree in higher education administration and policy from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and a bachelor’s degree in education and psychology from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. Chamberlain formerly worked as senior assistant director of financial aid and assistant director of study abroad financial services at Northwestern. She held that position for three years until last summer when her husband, Benjamin, accepted a position as associate director of bands at the University of Arkansas.

Chamberlain also worked at Louisiana State University and before that taught in public schools in both Louisiana and Minnesota.

“I’m thrilled to join the College of Education and Health Professions team,” Chamberlain said. “I’m looking forward to collaborating and building relationships with local school administrators.”

Throughout their undergraduate program, students majoring in education take courses that require them to be in local classrooms for experiences that include tutoring, observation and teaching lessons. Students in the Master of Arts in Teaching program and in the four-year elementary licensure program spend a full year in local schools doing teaching internships. Students in the elementary education program rotate through three grade-level placements within one school while students in the secondary education program are placed at three different locations during the year.

The office of field placement works with all professional education units throughout the university, also securing placements for students majoring in physical education and career and technical education, and coordinating with department heads in agricultural, art and music education.

“Field experience is an essential part of our teacher-education programs, providing candidates the opportunity to put theory into practice in the classroom,” Chamberlain said. “Our goal is to place students in a diverse array of schools so they become well-rounded teachers. Pre-service teachers will be placed in both rural and urban schools and will observe and teach diverse students throughout their time as University of Arkansas students. The partnerships our office builds and sustains will be critical in preparing highly effective classroom teachers and, we hope, instrumental as our students eventually search for jobs.”