Empire Education: A Historical Perspective of Teacher Certification in New York State

My grandmother attended California University of Pennsylvania in the early 1900’s.  The college was known as California State Normal School at that time and the curriculum focused on training elementary school teachers.  She obtained a degree in teaching and moved back home to Mt. Pleasant, PA (a small town in Western PA) to teach in a one room school house.  Growing up, I was always fascinated that my grandmother attended college at the turn of the century – very much impressed that my great grandfather would send his daughter to college, away from home – and often wondered what she studied.  What did teacher preparation look like back then? 

Now I am a Senior Certification Specialist for the New York State Education Department and still curious about teacher preparation, specifically the history of certification/credentialing – what policies formed early certification regulations?  How has certification changed through the years and what precipitated those changes?