College of Education Restructuring Explained

Instructional Innovation and Foundations Approximately 20 faculty members

ü Instructional Technology and Design

ü School Library Media

ü Research

ü Foundations

(Including Law, Ed Psychology & Social

Context)

Contemporary Teaching and Early Learning Approximately 15 faculty members

ü Birth - Five

ü Early Childhood Education

Transformative Support and Intervention Approximately 24 faculty members

ü Counseling

ü Speech-Language Pathology

ü English Language Learners

ü Reading

ü Special Education

Leadership and Specialized Instruction Approximately 22 faculty members

ü Educational Leadership

ü Higher Education Student Affairs

ü Sport Management

ü Middle Grades

ü Secondary Education

ü Health & Physical Education

ü Personal Wellness

Explanation for the Four-Department Model

Rationale – This model clusters programs according to the focus of their work. It is based on our belief that technology, foundations, and research should inform and lead all that we do in the College of Education. It is designed to provide a structure that will enable us to think about 21^st Century learners and redesign our programs to align with emerging research. It puts research (our own and from the field) at the center of programmatic decision-making, modeling the data-driven environment that education is striving for. We envision that this model will help educators be prepared for (and able to lead) schools for the radically different approaches to instruction that are likely in the future.

Innovation, Flexibility, and Responsiveness – This model embraces the belief that students in today’s classrooms think, learn, and communicate differently than past generations. Positioning technology in the center will allow us to keep up with the latest trends and be nimble as things change. This model also locates programs in a way that will encourage collaboration across departmental boundaries. Even the proposed departmental names encourage programs to assess their relevance and the degree to which they are leading innovation in the field.

Alignment with Trends and Policy Initiatives – One key feature of this model is that candidates will develop their knowledge, skill, and dispositions to go beyond their own setting and become advocates in the larger political context. It also retains and enhances our strength in professional clinics. Finally, we hope it motivates all of us to embrace powerful, contemporary models for field experiences and data-driven school improvement.