School of education

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In the United States and Canada, a school of education (or college of education; ed school) is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences encompassing sociology, psychology, linguistics, economics, political science, public policy, history, and others, all applied to the topic of elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education. The U.S. has 1,206 schools, colleges and departments of education and they exist in 78 per cent of all universities and colleges. [1] According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 176,572 individuals were conferred master's degrees in education by degree-granting institutions in the United States in 2006–2007. The number of master's degrees conferred has grown immensely since the 1990s and accounts for one of the discipline areas that awards the highest number of master's degrees in the United States. [2]

Contents

History and areas of interest

Schools of education are historically rooted in the 19th-century normal schools. After the Civil War, universities began to include instruction in pedagogy, competing with normal schools in the preparation of teachers. Teachers College, Columbia University is the oldest graduate school of education in the United States, founded in 1887. Pedagogy and psychology, which previously were considered to be subsets of philosophy, gained status of legitimate collegiate academic disciplines thanks to William James and John Dewey. By 1900, most universities had some formal instruction in pedagogy. [3] For a long time teacher education, curriculum, and instruction remained the core offering of schools of education.[ citation needed ]

By the 1930s, schools of education started training educational administrators such as principals and superintendents, and specialists such as guidance counselors for elementary and secondary schools.[ citation needed ]

Many graduates of schools of education become involved in education policy. As such, issues such as equity, teacher quality, and education assessment have become focuses of many schools of education. The issue of equitable access to education, specifically focusing on low-income, minority, and immigrant communities, is central to many areas of research within the education field. [4] [5]

Types of programs

Typically, a school of education offers research-based programs leading to Master of Arts (MA), Master of Education (MEd), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Education (EdD) or Educational Specialist (EdS) degrees, as well as professional teacher-education programs leading to Master of Arts (MA), Master of Education (MEd), or Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degrees. Schools of education also offer teacher certification or licensure programs to undergraduate students. Generally schools of education have graduate programs related to teacher preparation, curriculum and instruction (or curriculum and teaching), public policy and education, and educational administration. In addition, some schools of education offer programs in school counseling and counseling psychology.[ citation needed ]

Criticism

Low academic standards

Schools of education have been blamed for low academic standards. Critics argue that earning an advanced degree in education, specifically a master level degree, doesn't seem to actually make someone a better teacher. [6] George Pólya quoted a typical pre-service secondary school mathematics teacher, "The mathematics department offers us tough steak which we cannot chew and the school of education [feeds us] vapid soup with no meat in it". Polya suggested that a college instructor who offered a methods course to mathematics teachers knew mathematics at least on the level of a master's degree and had some experience of mathematical research. [7] Katherine Merseth, director of the teacher education program at Harvard University, described her opinion that graduate schools of education as the "cash cows of universities". [8] [9]

Emphasis on administration

Abraham Flexner called courses like "the supervision of the teaching staff", "duties of school officers", "awareness of situations and planning of behavior", "reflective thought as a basis for teaching method" to be "absurdities and trivialities". He admonished the attention "devoted to tests, measurements, organization, administration—including administration of the teaching staff and how to organize for planning the curriculum". [10]

Lyell Asher blames the surge of residential life "curricula" on the selfish motives of the ed schools' administrators to present themselves not as resident advisers but as residence-hall "educators". He supports the argument of E. D. Hirsch that professors of education, "surrounded in the universities by prestigious colleagues whose strong suit is thought to be knowledge, have translated resentment against this elite cadre into resentment against the knowledge from which it draws its prestige". [11] Mr. Hirsch warns that it is "never a healthy circumstance when people who are held in low esteem exercise dominant influence in an important sphere. The conjunction of power with resentment is deadly". [11]

Notable schools of education in the US

The annual rankings of U.S. News & World Report placed the following schools of education in the top 20 of all graduate education institutions in the United States for 2022. [12] They follow here, with identical numbers indicating ties:

  1. Harvard University
  3. University of Pennsylvania
  5. University of California—Los Angeles
  7. University of Wisconsin–Madison
  9. Vanderbilt University
  11. New York University
  14. Stanford University
  17. Northwestern University
  20. Teachers College, Columbia University
  23. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
  25. Arizona State University
  27. University of Southern California
  30. University of Washington
  32. University of Oregon
  35. University of California—Irvine
  38. University of Texas—Austin
  41. Johns Hopkins University
  44. University of Kansas
  47. University of California—Berkeley
  50. University of Virginia

Notable scholars within schools of education

See also

Related Research Articles

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The University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development is a public school of education in the United States in Charlottesville, Virginia. The School of Education and Human Development offers professional programs designed to prepare individuals for a variety of careers related to the practice of education. The current Dean of the School of Education and Human Development is Stephanie J. Rowley.

This is an index of education articles.

The specialist degree is an academic degree conferred by a college or university. The degree is formatted differently worldwide and may be either a five-year program or a doctoral level graduate program that occurs after a master's degree but before a doctoral degree.

The Master of Education is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, school psychology, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in their field. Similar degrees include the Master of Arts in Education and the Master of Science in Education.

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development is the professional school of education at Boston College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yogyakarta State University</span> University in Indonesia

State University of Yogyakarta is a state university established in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Illinois College of Education</span> College of the University of Illinois

The College of Education is the undergraduate and graduate education school of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It was founded in 1905 and took on its current name in 1918 after previously being known as the School of Education. The college offers undergraduate, graduate, and online programs in areas including elementary education, early childhood education, special education, and Educational Organization and Leadership. It began with six departments; three of them merged and formed the largest department in the college. All departments offer masters and doctoral degrees. However, only two departments offer undergraduate degree programs: Special Education and Curriculum & Instruction. The college also offers 16 online programs. Students seeking an undergraduate degree in the college must meet the minimum graduation requirement set forth by the university. To obtain a certification, students must also meet the requirements of the Council on Teacher Education, a professional educational administration at the University of Illinois. The total enrollment is 1,361 students as of 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNLV College of Education</span>

The UNLV College of Education is an academic unit of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School of Pedagogical and Technological Education</span>

The School of Pedagogical and Technological Education or ASPETE (Α.Σ.ΠΑΙ.Τ.Ε.) is a Greek University which specializes in training teachers.

Catholic University of Brasília is a private, non-profit, Roman Catholic university located in Taguatinga, in the Federal District, in Brazil. As the only private university in the Federal District, it ranks sixth in the list of private institutions in Brazil. It is maintained by the Catholic Archdiocese of Brasília.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedagogical University of Kraków</span> University in Kraków, Poland

The Pedagogical University of Kraków, is named after the Commission of National Education created by King Stanisław August Poniatowski. It is a public university located in Kraków, Poland. It was founded soon after the conclusion of World War II, on May 11, 1946, originally as the National Higher College of Teacher Training. Its aim is the training of highly qualified teaching staff for the Polish educational system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certified teacher</span>

A certified teacher is an educator who has earned credentials from an authoritative source, such as the government, a higher education institution or a private body or source. This teacher qualification gives a teacher authorization to teach and grade in pre-schools, primary or secondary education in countries, schools, content areas or curricula where authorization is required. While many authorizing entities require student teaching experience before earning teacher certification, routes vary from country to country.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Taichung University of Education</span> Education university in Taichung, Taiwan

The National Taichung University of Education is a university in West District, Taichung, Taiwan. Founded in 1899 at the Confucian Temple in Changhwa county, it moved to the current site in 1923.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Kentucky College of Education</span> College of Education of University of the Kentucky in Lexington, KY, USA

The University of Kentucky College of Education is an NCATE and Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board accredited, public school of education located on the campus of the University of Kentucky. The College of Education teaches about 3,000 students with approximately 90 faculty members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Texas at Austin College of Education</span> College of Education

One of 18 colleges and schools at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, the College of Education provides a variety of academic degrees in education fields, as well as certification programs at all levels. It has consistently ranked among the top public university graduate education programs by U.S. News & World Report. The 2014 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools" ranks the College of Education fourth behind Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard University. The College employs 105 full-time tenured/tenure track professors and 84 non-tenure track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Tech University College of Education</span>

The College of Education at Louisiana Tech University is one of the five colleges comprising Louisiana Tech University. The mission of the College traces back to the origins of Louisiana Tech in 1894, where the preparation of teachers was a mission of the institution. Today, the College of Education consists of three separate departments awarding thirty-five different academic degrees ranging from the baccalaureate to the doctoral levels.

The University of Connecticut (UConn) Neag School of Education offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in education, sport management, and leadership across four campuses, with the main campus located in Storrs, Connecticut. The Storrs location is the main UConn campus and is home to the Renzulli Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, and additional locations are in Hartford, Waterbury, and Groton. It is ranked number 16 among public graduate schools of education in the nation. The schools' research and teaching programs have been funded by a wide number of institutions, such as the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Far Eastern University Institute of Education</span>

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References

  1. ↑ Levine, A. (2007). Educating researchers. New York: Education Schools Project.
  2. ↑ Digest of Education Statistics - National Center for Education Statistics Web Site. Accessed on December 4, 2009.
  3. ↑ David B. Tyack, Turning points in American educational history (1967), pp. 415-416
  4. ↑ Labaree, David F. (1 February 2005). "Progressivism, schools and schools of education: An American romance" (PDF). Paedagogica Historica. Routledge. 41 (1–2): 275–288. doi:10.1080/0030923042000335583. ISSN   1477-674X. S2CID   17219998 . Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Deborah J. Stipek (2007). "Message from the Dean" . Retrieved 30 March 2007.
  6. ↑ Luzer, Daniel (22 February 2010). "The Pedagogy Con". Washington Monthly . Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  7. ↑ Pólya, George. "Mathematical Discovery".
  8. ↑ Eddie Ramirez (25 March 2009). "What You Should Consider Before Education Graduate School". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 28 April 2013. We need to hold graduate schools of education more accountable." Merseth says that of the 1,300 graduate teacher training programs in the country, about 100 or so are adequately preparing teachers and "the others could be shut down tomorrow.
  9. ↑ Jesse Scaccia (31 March 2009). "Graduate Schools of Education: "Cash Cows" says Harvard lecturer". Teacher, Revised. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  10. ↑ Flexner, Abraham (1930). Universities: American, English, German. p. 101.
  11. 1 2 Hirsch, E.D. (1996). The schools we need, and why we don't have them. pp. 115–116.
  12. ↑ "2023-2024 Best Graduate Education Schools". US News Rankings. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
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