Elementary & Secondary Education

T

he Education Department is committed to the preparation of 21st century teachers who understand the complexity of learning and teaching that encompasses inclusion, equity, and justice. This work is enhanced by a liberal arts foundation that encourages breadth of knowledge, interdisciplinary and international perspectives, engaged inquiry, and intellectual curiosity. 

As professionals and educational leaders, graduates of our program:

• Make informed teaching and learning decisions based on use of best practice, reflection, and new knowledge;
• Act as leaders for positive social change within schools and communities;
• Advocate for their students' intellectual, physical, and emotional well being;
• Understand cultural and linguistic diversity, and promote anti-racist, gender fair, and inclusive educational opportunities for all students;
• Defend their instructional choices on the basis of pedagogical, moral, and ethical grounds;
• View teaching as a journey of learning;
• Proactively profess and advocate well-developed teaching beliefs, and participate in decision-making, not as mere technicians, but as positive agents of change.

The organizing theme of our department's mission is "teaching as principled practice." We strive to help our graduates acquire skills of analysis and reflection, a broad knowledge base, and an array of experiences that will enable them to articulate and examine their own beliefs about teaching and learning and set those beliefs into action.