School of Education

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Supporting theSchool of Education

Through innovative teaching, research, and service, the School of Education nurtures talented, critical thinkers to become effective educators. SOE tackles todayâ€™s pressing issues of access to education, teacher shortages, and inequities. With increased philanthropic support, SOE now offers multiple pathways for students to become educators and advances groundbreaking research that will shape the future of education. Thanks to Change Canâ€™t Wait, SOE is poised to advance its core values of excellence, equity, diversity and inclusion, antiracism and social justice, collaboration, and innovation.

Change Created

Invested in inclusive scholarship and faculty retention through National Science Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grants. SOE scholars are examining undergraduate Black studentsâ€™ postsecondary STEM experiences, equity-based teaching at the college level, and how curiosity affects learning. They are also developing strategies to retain and nurture women and underrepresented STEM faculty at AU.
Advanced opportunities for future educators through increased scholarships for students pursuing degrees in early childhood education as well as for the Teacher Pipeline Project, which aims to solve Americaâ€™s teacher shortage by offering pathways to teaching careers for high school students.
Developed new opportunities for students dedicated to early childhood and elementary special education through the US Department of Educationâ€™s Residency for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and in partnership with AUâ€™s College of Arts and Sciences and the Friendship Public Charter Schools. SOE students will receive enhanced firsthand classroom experiences and mentoring by practitioners in the field.
Improved teacher development abroad through Panama Teach, a program that incorporates evidence-based, professional development for Panamanian educators and leaders. It includes a research component to inform legislative policy in support of advancing teacher training and well-being.

Thanks to investments through the Change Canâ€™t Wait campaign, SOE is at the forefront of addressing issues of race, gender, culture, and more in todayâ€™s diverse classroom environments by nurturing a generation of teachers that is as varied in backgrounds and experiences. Our graduates leave AU equipped with the strategies and tools to teach effectively for all students.

Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, Dean, School of Education