Areas of Study - School of Education

Effective advocates require extensive knowledge of both the needs of individuals and the services available to individuals for support in all aspects of life. Preparation as an advocate allows graduates to empower individuals who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind or hard of hearing to advocate for themselves, and to assist in the matching of their needs with services available to them. Students have sufficient opportunities to work with distinguished faculty and collaborate with service providers from multiple agencies to develop skills critical to recognizing an individual’s needs (e.g., related to age, gender, ethnicity, language ability), as well as to match that individual’s needs to appropriate services where needed. As part of this collaboration students participate in the development of rehabilitation/habilitation plans that meet the needs of individuals.

Learn more about our degree programs here:

B.S. in Professions in Deafness, concentration in Advocacy and Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters are professionals who serve as sign language interpreters between individuals who are D/deaf and individuals who can hear in a variety of settings. ASL Interpreters use a combination of critical thinking skills, bilingual language proficiency, and sociolinguistic and multicultural competence as they provide interpreting services throughout the community. Jobs in this area are found with agencies and organizations that coordinate ASL interpreting services requested by citizens in all walks of life. Students have ample opportunity to work with distinguished faculty and, upon graduation, to apply for and obtain nationally recognized certifications, such as the EIPA and NIC.

Our degree programs related to ASL Interpreting include:

B.S. in Professions in Deafness, concentration in Interpreter Preparation

Assessment and accountability are a major part of the current educational landscape at both the k12 and postsecondary levels. People working in this area will often have a combination of measurement (sometimes called psychometrics) and statistical analysis skills. Training in program evaluation provides another, highly-related, avenue to working in assessment and accountability. Jobs in the area of assessment and accountability are found in school districts, state departments of education, institutions of higher education, and private testing companies.

Students interested in this field often come from education, psychology or other social science backgrounds, but students from almost any undergraduate discipline can be successful. Our graduates enter the workforce with a deep understanding of statistical methods, classical test theory (CTT), and modern test theories (e.g., item response theory, IRT).

Students have ample opportunity to develop deeper understanding through real-world experiences in our Office of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Services (OAERS) and to work on cutting edge theoretical work with our distinguished faculty.

Our degree programs related to Assessment and Accountability include:

Early childhood education (i.e., services for infants and toddlers both with and without disabilities from birth through kindergarten and their families) is one of the most important factors that influence a child’s readiness for school and success in future educational experiences. Professionals in the field of early childhood education have a significant impact on the lives of every child they serve, as well as their families. They provide services to young children and their families across diverse early childhood settings, including inclusive early childhood programs (e.g., Early Intervention, Head Start/Early Head Start), public and private preschools, inclusive kindergarten classrooms, and programs for exceptional children. They also can be prepared to assume leadership roles across these types of services, as well as technical assistance to such programs.

Our degree programs related to Birth Through Kindergarten & Early Childhood Education include:

Clinical Mental Health Counseling requires knowledge and skills to work with diverse clients from a strength based developmental perspective. Clinical Mental Health Counselors (CMHCs) are trained to understand, conceptualize, diagnose, assess, and intervene with individuals, groups, and families. CMHCs help clients improve their life functioning through evidence-based interventions in work settings such as counseling agencies; substance use and addictions programs; trauma recovery; inpatient and outpatient counseling services; in-home counseling to children, adolescents, and families; hospital and integrated care settings; hospice; schools; crisis centers; alternative schools; or group homes.

Our degree programs related to Clinical Mental Health Counseling include:

Counselor Education and Supervision is advanced training that prepares students to work in higher education settings as Counselor Educators. Areas of emphasis in the doctoral curriculum include teaching, research, clinical supervision, leadership, and clinical work. There is a heavy emphasis on the informal curriculum where, as part of the Graduate Assistantship, students engage in all activities of a faculty member (teaching, research, supervision, and leadership). Graduates are positioned to transition seamlessly into a faculty position.

Our degree programs related to Counseling and Counselor Education include:

Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education

Couple and Family Counseling requires knowledge and skills to work with diverse clients from a strength based developmental perspective. Couple and Family counselors are trained to understand, conceptualize, diagnose, assess, and intervene with individuals, groups, couples and families. These counselors help clients improve their life functioning through evidence-based interventions and systemic conceptualizations through work in settings such as counseling agencies; substance use and addictions programs; trauma recovery; inpatient and outpatient counseling services; in-home counseling to children, adolescents, and families; hospital and integrated care settings; hospice; schools; crisis centers; alternative schools; or group homes.

Our degree programs related to Couple and Family Counseling include:

Critical pedagogy is a teaching approach inspired by critical theory and other radical philosophies. It attempts to help students question and challenge posited “domination,” and to undermine the beliefs and practices that are alleged to dominate. Some of the key themes within critical pedagogy are the relationship of education to power; issues of difference and pluralism; the crisis of democratic culture; what it means to teach for democratic citizenship; the social construction of knowledge; dialogic relations in the classroom; teaching for social justice; teaching history against the grain; education and the existential life; popular culture and the curriculum; education and the public space; postmodernism and the end of certainty; and the moral and spiritual dimensions of education. Scholars in the field analyze education’s connections to the economy, state, and culture, as well as how the classroom itself is both a site that reproduces the social relations and values of the culture, and also a place that can subvert or transgress conventional relations, practices and forms of knowledge.

Our degree programs related to Critical Pedagogy include:

Ph.D. in Educational Studies, concentration in Cultural Studies

Scholars in Cultural Studies are concerned with the breadth and depth of what is fundamental to educational practice: its ideology, philosophical assumptions, and moral claims. Cultural Studies is grounded in the scholarly examination of education and culture with a particular interest in the integration of social analysis, cultural analysis, and praxis. Cultural Studies represents an inherently interdisciplinary means of academic inquiry, thus scholars engage with philosophy, sociology, history, critical theory and pedagogy as they pertain to issues of power, equity, access, and privilege. Cultural Studies informs and is informed by the impact of current important intellectual movements in educational theory, including feminist theory, gender studies, queer studies, Critical Race Theory, and neoliberal critiques.

Our degree programs directly related to Cultural Studies include:

In addition, students may engage in the study of culturally responsive evaluation, assessment, and research methodology through the following degree programs:

To be an outstanding teacher for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students requires knowledge and skills in first and second language acquisition, content area development (math, science, social studies, language arts, etc.), and lesson design and instruction, as well as proficiency in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Deaf education teachers work in classroom settings in schools for the deaf, classroom and resource room settings in public schools, and as itinerant professionals serving students of various levels of hearing/deafness at multiple locations, PK-12. Given the great diversity among DHH students in language, culture, and experiences, a bilingual (ASL and English) approach that is multimodal (sign, written, and speech, as appropriate) and multicultural (Deaf and the home culture) is critical, providing them full access to the curriculum and acknowledging, honoring, and fostering their identity and self-worth.

Candidates in Deaf Education learn to meet each student’s needs based on appropriate and valid assessments, and to design differentiated instruction that builds on strengths and recognizes the individual as a deaf learner. Candidates learn to effectively work as team members with fellow professionals in deaf education, general education, special education and related fields, paraprofessionals, and the deaf community, as well as parents/families to provide students’ academic, social, and emotional growth and success.

Our degree programs related to Deaf Education include:

B.S. in Professions in Deafness, concentration in K-12 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Licensure

Disability Studies refers to identifying different theoretical frameworks that help students analyze how concepts of disability and ability vary according to intersection (e.g. sex/gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, and class) and culture. It is both inter- and multi-disciplinary, meaning that the knowledge from many academic disciplines (e.g., sociology, psychology, recreation, counseling, special education) are useful to help students find meaningful application for theory. Students challenge their own understandings of disability, different aspects of special education and other services offered in society, and their own role in enforcing and sustaining constructs of disability. For instance, students might learn how gender affects society’s view of disability, how minority students are overrepresented in special education. Ultimately, the goal of Disability Studies education is to produce superior special educators, advocates for people with disabilities, and allies in the fight for equity, access, and different forms of inclusion. Graduates might use Disability Studies content in any profession, including those related to education, ASL interpretation, social work, therapeutic recreation, communication systems, nursing, visual and performing arts, and counseling.

Our degree programs related to Disability Studies include:

Early childhood education (i.e., services for infants and toddlers, both with and without disabilities from birth through kindergarten and their families) is one of the most important factors that influence a child’s readiness for school and success in future educational experiences. Professionals in the field of early childhood education have a significant impact on the lives of every child they serve, as well as their families. They provide services to young children and their families across diverse early childhood settings, including inclusive early childhood programs (e.g., Early Intervention, Head Start/Early Head Start), public and private preschools, inclusive kindergarten classrooms, and programs for exceptional children.

The leaders of early childhood services are critical to developing and implementing effective services for both young children and their parents across various types of organizations and settings, as well as to provide technical assistance to such programs. In collaboration with teachers, directors/administrators, technical assistance providers, and other early childhood professionals, students prepare to assume leadership roles in diverse education and community-based settings serving young children with and without disabilities, ages birth to five, and their families.

Our degree programs related to Early Childhood Leadership include:

Early Childhood Special Education (i.e., services for infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth through kindergarten and their families) is one of the most important factors influencing a child’s readiness for school and success in future educational experiences. Professionals in the field of Early Childhood Special Education have a significant impact on the lives of every child they serve, as well as their families. They provide services to young children and their families across diverse early childhood settings, including inclusive early childhood programs (e.g., Early Intervention, Head Start/Early Head Start), public and private preschools, inclusive kindergarten classrooms, and programs for exceptional children.

Professionals in this field also can be prepared to assume leadership roles across various types of services, as well as technical assistance to such programs. In collaboration with teachers, directors/administrators, technical assistance providers, and other early childhood professionals, students prepare to assume leadership roles in diverse education and community-based settings serving young children with and without disabilities, ages birth to five, and their families.

Our degree programs related to Early Childhood Special Education include:

Early Intervention is a system of services for infants and toddlers from birth to three years of age, who have, or are at-risk of developing developmental delays or disabilities. In addition, Early Intervention programs provide support to the families of these infants and toddlers. Students prepare to create an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) based on the needs and priorities of each child and his/her family. Students also prepare to provide developmental therapy, technical assistance, and coordination of interdisciplinary service and supports across a variety of natural and inclusive settings (e.g. home, school, community).

Our degree programs related to Early Intervention include:

The study of Educational Leadership involves in-depth inquiry into issues and topics such as educational administration and governance, leadership for improvement in teaching and learning, equity and social justice for all students, and the development of schools as democratic communities. Studies in this field seek to understand and interrogate the actions and motivations of educational leaders, such as students, teachers, principals, and superintendents, as they work with school boards, district personnel, school staff, students, parents and guardians, and other stakeholders in efforts to encourage positive change in schools. In conceptualizing their research, scholars in the field benefit from prominent educational leadership theories including distributed leadership, transformative leadership, and culturally responsive school leadership.

Our degree programs related to Educational Leadership include:

The study of educational policy involves understanding how and why governments, organizations, educational institutions, community groups, advocacy organizations, and other entities and individuals pursue the adoption and implementation of laws, regulations, and initiatives meant to support, alter, and/or fundamentally change educational governance. Though educational policy extends from preK-12 to higher education, scholars tend to focus specifically on educational policy as it operationalizes at the levels of early childhood education, elementary and secondary schooling, or colleges and universities. At the root core of educational policy scholarship is a desire to understand how and why particular policies emerge and how they affect educational institutions. Critical policy analysis enriches the field by allowing scholars to examine how and why factors such as race, class, and gender can and do affect the formation and implementation of educational policy. Two ultimate goals shared by many scholars of educational policy are to expose the reasons that current policy problems exist and to make policy recommendations meant to improve education and educational governance in the future.

Our degree programs related to Educational Policy include:

Elementary education entails a deep understanding of a broad array of subjects, including reading, language arts, science, social studies, and math, as well as extensive internships in K through 5 classrooms. In addition, beginning teachers understand learning, curriculum and instruction, equitable behavior management, the needs of diverse learners, differentiated instruction, North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, working with parents, collaborating with ESL and special education teachers, project-based learning, school policies, school improvement plans, and assessment. Elementary teachers also require deep knowledge in materials that support learning, including appropriate books, curriculum resources, and professional development opportunities across the subject areas they teach. These understandings support teachers in providing instructional practices that provide multiple ways of learning and meet the needs of their students irrespective of students’ backgrounds or previous experiences in school. The goal of elementary education is to ensure that all students have the requisite knowledge, skills, and love of learning to support their continued success in school.

Our degree programs related to Elementary Education include:

English Language Arts Education acquaints prospective teachers with modern concepts and practices of English instruction in secondary schools. Emphasis is placed on teaching four fundamental language arts: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. English educators learn about traditional issues of teaching writing, language and literature with newly emerging practices and research in adolescent literacy, new literacies, multimodal technologies and teaching and learning in 21st century classrooms. English education prepares quality teachers who understand the role of language, texts and culture in education and the significance of supporting students in developing the literacy skills they need to have meaningful lives. Research in English Education aims to study students’ literate identities, teachers’ interactions, connections between reading and writing, pedagogical practices, and equity in instruction and interactions in classrooms among other topics.

Our degree programs related to English Language Arts Education include:

Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education is a diverse community of scholar-researchers, leaders, and educators who have joined together in order to develop effective and principled leadership, to promote transformative learning, and to advance and disseminate cutting-edge knowledge that addresses problems of theory and practice in the fields of higher education and student affairs. Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education prepares entry-level college student educators to implement holistic, transformative, and integrated learning experiences in colleges, universities, and other postsecondary settings. At the doctoral level, Educational Studies in Higher Education develops scholar-practitioners who value issues of equity, diversity, social justice, and inclusion in their work with the college students of today and tomorrow. We build upon the scholar-practitioner identity, honoring work experience as a critical part of the theory to practice dialogue. We seek to help our students develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for investigating, understanding, and shaping the dynamic relations among students, institutions of higher education, and society. In particular, we seek to enhance their understanding of the most current theories of student development, ways to promote equity in higher education, educational research, and organizational and legal frameworks for practice.

Our degree programs related to Higher Education Administration include:

Inclusive Education refers to students with and without disabilities being educated together in grade-appropriate general education classes and other inclusive contexts. This evidence-based practice supports students with disabilities having access to the general curriculum in contexts that use general education teachers’ expertise, along with expertise of special education teachers and other educational personnel. Special education teachers having expertise in Inclusive Education are able to collaborate with general education teachers to support all students, including those with disabilities, in both instructional and non-instructional inclusive general education contexts. To do so, education teams develop instruction based on the principles of universal design for learning, provide differentiated instruction for all students in the classroom, and use co-teaching/support facilitation instruction approaches with other education team members. Special education teachers on such teams use strategies (e.g., using accommodations and modifications in inclusive general education settings; adapting instruction to meet students’ needs in inclusive contexts) for students both with and without disabilities, and promote self-determination and independence for all students.

Our degree programs related to Inclusive Education include:

Learning Science is a broad interdisciplinary field that explores a wide range of factors that influence learning, teaching, and the design of transformative learning environments and educational policies (e.g., identity, social, cultural, critical, motivational, developmental, and cognitive factors). The breath of this field allows a wide range of possibilities including concentrations as traditional as differentiated instruction, self-regulation, or achievement motivation, and as contemporary, critical and socio-cultural as cultural studies, equity education, identity studies, or urban education. Informing theory, practice, research and/or policy, Learning Science appeals to both practicing teachers, researchers, educational leaders/professionals/practitioners, and policy makers. These pathways allow for contributions to educational practice, original research, theory development, and educational policy that lead to the co-construction of learning spaces that facilitate equitable and transformational: (a) access, (b) achievement, (c) connection to student identity/culture/community, and (d) student power/agency.

Our degree programs related to Learning Sciences include:

Library and information professionals work in a wide variety of libraries and information agencies. The core functions of the field include knowledge description and organization, reference and information services, information literacy education, leadership and management of information agencies and the leveraging of emerging technologies to provide access to information. A wide variety of specializations exist within the discipline, including archives and special collections, academic, public, school and special librarianship, cataloging, information services, and systems and technology management. Library and information professionals across all specializations work to transform lives through the power of equitable access to information and culture, create information-powered communities, and support data driven decision making and problem solving. While the proliferation of information technology has transformed the way librarians and information professionals work, it has not altered this central mission and has increased the need for professionals with these skills.

Our degree programs related to Library and Information Science include:

Master of Library and Information Studies [Online and Main Campus]

Teaching in K-12 settings includes the teaching of English Language Arts (ELA), which broadly encompasses the language and literacy skills necessary to engage with, comprehend, analyze, and compose diverse texts. Beyond the classroom, literacy instruction should attend to literacy across the lifespan and acknowledge that literacy learning begins well before students enter grade school and extends through middle grades, high school and for the entirety of their lives. Further, literacy instruction should reach beyond the teaching and acquiring of skills to also address issues of justice, equity, and diversity in ways that inform approaches to teaching, the content that is taught, assessments, and daily practices. To do so, teachers need deep knowledge of language, reading, reading comprehension, writing, digital resources, assessment, students’ cultural and community backgrounds and practices. They also must have practical skills and effective methods for engaging students in the curriculum through traditional literacy practices as well as the creation of digital, visual, and multimedia texts.

Effective literacy instruction for students with disabilities includes the use of evidence-based practice that considers student characteristics, along with the contextual factors and literacy materials. Instruction is provided using evidence-based practices (EBPs). EBPs are instructional practices that have been found to be effective for most learners by research. Literacy instruction for students with disabilities is informed by valid and reliable assessment procedures, sometimes referred to as data driven instruction (e.g., formal and informal). Effective instruction is comprehensive. For example, comprehensive reading instruction includes explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Writing instruction includes explicit instruction to improve the overall quality of students’ written expression and explicit instruction in age-appropriate genres. Spelling is also addressed using explicit instructional practices to draw students’ attention to orthographic patterns used in English. For learners with complex learning needs, effective literacy instruction is provided in the context of developing communication skills.

Our degree programs related to Literacy and Reading include:

Teaching mathematics in K–12 settings should support mathematical sense making, including the development of conceptual understanding, accurate and efficient computing, logical reasoning, and problem solving skills. Mathematics is a powerful language that students need regular opportunities to express verbally and in writing. Also critical is the development of students’ identities as individuals who see mathematics as useful and doable. Reaching these goals for every student—including students in groups that have been historically marginalized—requires a range of knowledge and teaching practices. Special attention needs to be paid to understanding and appreciating students’ ways of reasoning in mathematics (as opposed to adults’ ways of reasoning). By eliciting students’ formal and informal mathematical ideas, teachers can customize their instruction to build on students’ existing understandings in strength-based ways. In addition, teachers should get to know students holistically to also draw on students’ linguistic, cultural, and community-based resources. Given the gatekeeper role that mathematics plays for many careers and late-life opportunities, high-quality mathematics teaching is a matter of social justice and teachers cannot do this work alone. Instead, collaborations among teachers, parents, researchers, and other education professionals can provide powerful resources for enhancing mathematics teaching and learning.

Our degree programs related to Math Education include:

Measurement and psychometrics is a branch of applied statistics that addresses the development and improvement of tests and assessments and the appropriate use of testing data. Expertise in measurement and psychometrics opens up professional opportunities in education, k12 accountability, educational assessment, certification and licensure, and many other fields related to testing. These jobs are found in both the public (e.g., state departments of education) and private (e.g., testing companies) sectors.

Students interested in this field often come from psychology or other social science backgrounds, but students from almost any undergraduate discipline can be successful. Our graduates enter the workforce with a deep understanding of statistical methods, classical test theory (CTT), and modern test theories (e.g., item response theory, IRT).

Students have ample opportunity to develop deeper understanding through real-world experiences in our Office of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Services (OAERS) and to work on cutting edge theoretical work with our distinguished faculty.

Our degree programs related to Measurement and Psychometrics include:

School principals are crucial educational actors. They must function as effective instructional leaders who ensure teachers receive authentic, ongoing feedback regarding their practice. At the same time, principals must be competent building managers who execute multiple organizational mandates and navigate myriad legal and policy-related issues. Principals engage with a variety of stakeholders inside and outside of their schools in their efforts to encourage and ensure student safety, community involvement, and increased academic achievement. Preparation for the principalship includes: learning about key theories such as distributed leadership, ethical leadership, and culturally responsive school leadership; gaining knowledge and tips related to fostering instructional improvement and managing organizations; and, completing a school-based administration internship to gain practical experience.

Our degree programs related to Principal Preparation include:

Program evaluation is a systematic process of gathering evidence to inform judgments of whether a program, product, policy, or system is meeting its goals. That information can be used in a formative (program improvement) or summative (program continuation/cancellation) fashion. Expertise in program evaluation opens up professional opportunities in education, k12 accountability, higher education administration, program evaluation companies, and many other areas of social science research (most grants require a program evaluation component). These jobs are found in both the public (e.g., state departments of education) and private (e.g., research consultants) sectors.

Students interested in this field often come from psychology or other social science backgrounds, but students from almost any undergraduate discipline can be successful. Our graduates enter the workforce with a deep understanding of program evaluation, culturally responsive practices, and mixed methods research.

Students have ample opportunity to develop deeper understanding through real-world experiences in our Office of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Services (OAERS) and to work on cutting edge theoretical work with our distinguished faculty.

Our degree programs related to Program Evaluation include:

Quantitative methods and statistical modeling are key aspects of large-scale research. Whether conducted as part of a research project or used for exploring “big data” collected for other reasons, quantitative methods and statistical modeling methods comprise an ever increasing set of sophisticated tools. Expertise in quantitative methods and statistical modeling opens up professional opportunities in education, k12 accountability, educational assessment, certification and licensure, and many areas of private industry. These jobs are found in both the public (e.g., state departments of education) and private (e.g., research firms) sectors.

Students interested in this field often come from psychology or other social science backgrounds, but students from almost any undergraduate discipline can be successful. Our graduates enter the workforce with a deep understanding of modern statistical methods.

Students have ample opportunity to develop deeper understanding through real-world experiences in our Office of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Services (OAERS) and to work on cutting edge theoretical work with our distinguished faculty.

Our degree programs related to Quantitative Methods and Statistical Modeling include:

In this area of study, researchers orient toward examining how the contours of race, class, and gender affect and are affected by education and schooling. For example, scholars investigate how (to paraphrase Cornel West [1992]) race has mattered and does matter in American education, as evidenced most prominently by the long struggles for integration and the ongoing efforts to stem resegregation in U.S. schools. Scholars also examine the ways in which members of different social and economic classes are and are not able to access and benefit from schooling. Similarly, researchers seek to understand the ways in which gender and sexual orientation enhance or inhibit individuals’ educational experiences as well as investigate specific reforms meant to empower those who have traditionally been excluded or oppressed due to their gender or sexual orientation. Scholars in this field use a variety of research methods, including qualitative approaches such as case study, ethnography, grounded theory, narrative inquiry, and phenomenology.

Our degree programs related to Cultural Studies include:

In addition, students may engage in the study of culturally responsive evaluation, assessment, and research methodology through the following degree programs:

School counselors are certified/ licensed educators with a minimum of a master’s degree in school counseling, who are qualified to address all students’ academic, career and social/emotional development needs by designing, implementing, evaluating and enhancing a comprehensive school counseling program that promotes and enhances student success. School counselors are employed in elementary, middle/junior high and high schools, in district supervisory positions, and counselor education positions.

Our degree programs related to School Counseling include:

The field of School Organization focuses on fundamental questions about the nature of and interrelations among different educational institutions. To wit, how are institutions such as schools, school districts, state boards and departments of education, and the federal Department of Education organized? How do various School Organizations operate and interact? How can School Organizations change and improve? Scholars in the field employ a variety of qualitative methods (such as case study, ethnography, phenomenology, document analysis, and historical inquiry) as well as quantitative techniques in their studies. Experts in School Organization benefit from employing a critical lens in their analysis in order to surface how issues attendant to race, class, gender and other factors can and do affect school organization. The field’s abiding concern for the organization and reorganization of educational institutions often leads scholars to focus on the substance and effects of school reform.

Our degree programs related to School Organization include:

Science Education at the K-12 level includes engaging K-12 students with the practices of science across multiple settings, including the formal classroom, informal science programs and the outdoors. Students’ development of scientific literacy should encompass not only their competencies in inquiry-based science practices and knowledge, but also their understanding about the nature of the scientific enterprise, and what science values as undergirding principles. Teachers not only need to be robust learners and doers of science themselves, they also must be adept at drawing on students’ science experiences holistically across areas of their everyday lives in order to integrate students’ funds of knowledge with disciplinary content and to continually pursue students’ ideas and questions in ways that position all students as capable thinkers and doers of science. Teachers need deep disciplinary content knowledge, scientific-inquiry know-how in terms of science practices, children-responsive pedagogical approaches and assessments, undergirded in the pursuit of equitable outcomes for all students.

Our degree programs related to Science Education include:

Social justice, diversity, and equity constitute the conceptual cornerstones of a framework for critically engaged interdisciplinary scholarship, in which: social justice represents the concept of fair and just relations between and among individuals and society; diversity represents appreciating and honoring differences in race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and ability; and, equity represents the fair provision of resources such that individuals have what they need to achieve social, economic, and educational success. Scholars in this field use a variety of research approaches drawn from areas of study such as philosophy, history, sociology, critical pedagogy, critical multicultural education, feminist theory, and qualitative methods. Using these varied techniques, scholars investigate the ways in which schools serve as centers of inquiry and forces for social transformation and seek to understand how good schooling and a good society create occasions for people to build human, intellectual, and spiritual connection. Marilyn Cochran-Smith, a leading scholar in education, notes, “working for social justice in education means guiding students [and often being guided by students] in critical self-reflection of their socialization into this matrix of unequal relationships and its implications, analysis of the mechanisms of oppression, and the ability to challenge these hierarchies” (as quoted in Sensoy, O and DiAngelo, R. [2009], Developing social justice literacy: An open letter to our faculty colleagues, Phi Delta Kappan, 90[5], 345-352).

Our degree programs related to social justice, diversity, and equity include:

In addition, students may engage in the study of culturally responsive evaluation, assessment, and research methodology through the following degree programs:

The K-12 curriculum includes the teaching of Social Studies, which typically encompasses the following areas of study: history, civics/government, economics, geography, sociology, and psychology. In addition to developing a better understanding of these content areas, quality Social Studies education teaches students to engage with informational texts, such as primary and secondary sources, and construct arguments based on evidence. Social Studies education also encourages an awareness of and engagement with social/political issues, diversity, and disciplinary inquiry. Social Studies teachers need deep knowledge of the various content areas, as well as relevant pedagogical strategies for making complex and often controversial content approachable for students.

Our degree programs related to Social Studies include:

Special Education is a service provided to students with identified disabilities that may impact their educational performance. Characteristics of students with disabilities may involve areas of academic, behavioral, social-emotional, language, intellectual, motor, and sensory development. Special Education emphasizes education designed to meet students’ individual needs in various contexts. Students develop knowledge about key legislation and litigation that impacts the delivery of services to students with disabilities, the referral and evaluation process for students’ eligibility for special education services, procedures for developing and implementing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), evidence-based practices for effective instruction, practices and resources for collaborating with families and other professionals on support teams, and current research-based models for providing Special Education services. Special Education teachers use specialized, evidence-based practices to help students achieve educational goals. Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Response to Intervention (RTI), and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) are specific frameworks implemented to support all students and are grounded in Special Education.

Our degree programs related to Special Education include:

Special Education is specially designed instruction provided to students with identified disabilities, to meet their unique learning needs. The General Curriculum is the content expected for all P-12 students to learn, whether or not they have identified disabilities. The General Curriculum is taught by general education teachers in general education classes. Special Education teachers develop the knowledge and skills to collaborate with general education teachers to provide effective instruction on the General Curriculum to students with disabilities. This area of study within the field of special education prepares educators to teach and support students with disabilities, especially in the general education classes.

Special Educators who provide services to students with disabilities related to instruction on the General Curriculum have expertise to meet the needs of students with various learning needs, including developmental, cognitive, motor, processing, attention deficits, emotional and behavioral needs. Special Educators develop expertise to teach and support students with disabilities by designing or adapting lessons, assessments, and instructional activities that assist their access to and acquisition of the General Curriculum. Services might include co-teaching and collaboration with other educational personnel, and working with families to develop and implement an effective Individualized Education Programs (IEP), which a written statement of the educational program to meet an individual student’s needs.

Our degree programs related to Special Education and General Curriculum include:

Special Education services include services for students working on both the general education curriculum and other curriculum needs, such as communication, mobility, social interactions, engagement in school and other inclusive settings (e.g., the community), and alternate assessment content based on the general education curriculum. These services focus on both short- and long-term outcomes, with an emphasis on full engagement with same-aged classmates and peers across inclusive contexts in school, when accessing the community, at work, and in living contexts. K-12 students might have physical, social, cognitive, or other health impairments. Graduates prepare to support students with extensive and pervasive support needs described as significant cognitive disabilities, severe intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, or autism. Graduates will develop expertise in evidence-based practices to meet students’ learning needs, including grade-appropriate academic standards. To ensure each student has opportunities to learn both the general education curriculum and other educational content graduates will develop expertise related to augmentative and alternative communication systems, assistive technology, and options for providing support for students to have meaningful access to the curriculum. Finally, graduates will develop expertise to collaborate with families, occupational and physical therapists, speech/language pathologists, and families and other supporters in the students’ lives, to prepare each student to transition across different settings (e.g., class to class, school to school) and life stages (e.g., early childhood services to education systems; schools to postsecondary contexts, community living contexts, and work contexts) to improve post school outcomes.

Our degree programs related to Special Education and Adapted Curriculum include:

The superintendent stands at the apex of the school district organizational chart. Usually hired by an elected school board to which he or she directly reports, the superintendent is ultimately responsible for the personnel as well as events and outcomes in the district. Given the high-profile, public nature of the position, superintendents must interact with parents, students, school staff, district personnel, elected officials, news media, community advocates, clergy, business representatives, and various other stakeholders. Superintendents demonstrate substantial skills in areas such as: human relations; instructional leadership; human, physical, and financial resource management; political awareness; and, strategic planning. Preparation for the superintendency includes: learning about key theories such as distributed leadership, ethical leadership, and culturally responsive school leadership; gaining knowledge and tips related to the varied aspects of a superintendent’s leadership and management responsibilities; and, completing a district-office-based internship to gain practical experience.

Our degree programs related to superintendent preparation include:

Teacher Education encompasses learning theory, developing supportive relationships with students, deep understanding of curriculum and instruction, demonstrated proficiency in teaching practices and dispositions required of teachers. Teacher candidates need knowledge of students’ development, cultural and family practices, academic strengths, and the ability to adapt instruction to support individual students’ learning. For middle and high school students, teachers must also have a deep knowledge of the content. In order to ensure student learning, teachers must also know the principles and uses of formative and summative assess to students’ progress and plan instruction for students’ continued growth. An essential part of ensuring student success entails creating a classroom culture that fosters all students’ growth and requires knowledge of, respect for, and inclusion of students from a broad range of backgrounds, ethnicities, communities, language communities, and abilities. Given the diversity of student backgrounds and abilities, it is critical that teachers have expertise in how to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners to maximize students’ access to instruction by developing flexible learning environments using universal designs for learning (UDL) to accommodate each student’s learning differences.

An essential area within the broader field of Teacher Education is the preparation of licensed educators with specific expertise to provide specially designed instruction to meet the unique learning needs of students with identified disabilities, widely referred to as special education. Licensed educators in the field of special education have expertise to provide positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) or behavior management, and have a comprehensive understanding of special education policy, litigation, and legislation.

Our degree programs related to Teacher Education include:

TESOL educators have expertise in developing curriculum and applying instructional methods that support adult and K-12 students to develop their English language capabilities in a variety of settings, including dedicated TESOL classrooms, inclusive classrooms, and community programs. TESOL educators include those working with K-12 English learners in public or private schools, those working with adult English learners in non-profit settings, language institutes, and community colleges, and those teaching English as a foreign language overseas. TESOL educators understand linguistic principles and language development theories; support learners’ language, academic, and identity development in multilingual settings; collaborate with families and communities; and advocate for students and families from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Our degree programs related to TESOL include:

School of Education

School of Education

+Advocacy for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

+American Signage Language Interpreting

+Assessment & Accountability

+Birth Through Kindergarten & Early Childhood Education

+Clinical Mental Health Counseling

+Counseling and Counselor Education

+Couple and Family Counseling

+Critical Pedagogy

+Cultural Studies

+Deaf Education

+Disability Studies

+Early Childhood Leadership

+Early Childhood Special Education

+Early Intervention

+Educational Leadership

+Educational Policy

+Elementary Education

+English Language Arts Education

+Higher Education Administration

+Inclusive Education

+Learning Sciences

+Library and Information Science

+Literacy and Reading

+Math Education

+Measurement & Psychometrics

+Principal Preparation

+Program Evaluation

+Quantitative Methods & Statistical Modeling

+Race, Class, and Gender

+School Counseling

+School Organization

+Science Education

+Social Justice, Diversity, and Equity

+Social Studies

+Special Education

+Special Education & General Curriculum

+Special Education & Adapted Curriculum

+Superintendent Preparation

+Teacher Education

+Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL)

Academics