At a Glance
Peabody Hall
Founded in 1885, the School of Education was one of the first professional schools established at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Our mission is deeply rooted in the commitment to serve the diverse needs of all learners and to improve education in the state of North Carolina and across the nation.
- Teaching, Research & Service
- Academics
- Mission
- Impact
- Rankings & Recognitions
- Faculty & Students
- Alumni
- Administration
Teaching, Research & Service
- Commitment to Teaching
The School offers a broad range of degrees and programs for undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students. Our 51 full-time faculty instruct more than 800 students, preparing them to be leaders in early childhood education, public schools, higher education, policy and public service careers, and their communities. - Innovative Research
Our faculty pursue a vigorous research agenda, attracting hundreds of thousands of dollars in research funding each year. Among our current research initiatives are an interdisciplinary study of the development of children who are growing up in poverty, a longitudinal investigation of student growth as mathematics learners in middle and high school, and a national center that seeks to improve the quality of education in rural schools across the country. - Service to Communities and Schools
Service is integral to the School’s mission. In addition to providing many service-learning opportunities for our students, we offer a wide array of quality resources for North Carolina’s teachers through our centers and programs, including our Web-based network LEARN NC and our Center for Mathematics and Science Education. Our students engage in service with area schools and community organizations as part of their educational experience. - Commitment to Educational Equity
The School of Education is deeply committed to educational opportunity for all. Our students learn to support the optimal development of people from every kind of background and to prepare them for the economy and society of the 21st century. This commitment pervades all aspects of research, teaching and service in our School and our work with North Carolina communities.
Academics
The School of Education is organized around four academic areas:
- Teaching and Learning reflects our core enterprise as a School – to improve teaching and develop methods for unleashing greater learning for all children.
- Educational Leadership prepares leaders who are committed to constructing democratic learning communities and taking action to remove injustice.
- Human Development and Psychological Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to generating and applying research that promotes children’s development, learning and mental health from infancy through early adulthood.
- Culture, Curriculum and Change seeks to transform the educational system so that schools will become more equitable and socially just for all students.
We offer a wide range of programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, as well as many flexible post-baccalaureate programs to accommodate practicing professionals.
Mission
Committed to diverse and democratic communities, the School of Education of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first state university in the nation, recognizes and respects the promise of every child.
Our scholarly efforts, consonant with this distinguished research university, continually generate new knowledge that seeks improvement of education in the state of North Carolina and across the nation.
In our research-based programs, we educate teachers, administrators and other education professionals to become leaders at all levels of education.
We work with our students and with our colleagues in the schools to build learning communities where knowledge and skills, respect, hope and justice can be claimed by children and by the adults who teach and care for them.
Impact
At the UNC School of Education, we are proud to impact educational transformation in North Carolina, the nation, and the world. More than 100 years old, our School of Education has an extensive history of preparing educators and of accomplishing research that makes a difference in children’s lives. Now, as we turn to the pressing needs of the new era, we consistently appear in the top tier of national rankings, currently among the top ten percent of Schools of Education. Our faculty, students and alumni are addressing the most critical challenges facing education including the teacher shortage, student assessment, the achievement gap, rural education and early childhood development.
Our impact upon transformation of schooling has four faces: innovation in educating educators; research that leads to transformed practice; centers and projects engaged in school change; and leading higher education reform.
Rankings & Recognitions
In 2008, U.S. News & World Report ranked the School of Education 22nd among the 242 public and private schools of education in the United States, placing us in the top 10 percent. Recent program recognitions include:
- Four of our program areas were ranked in the top 20 nationwide by U.S. News & World Report: Educational Leadership, Elementary Education, School Counseling and Special Education.
- Our School Counseling program was named the 2006 Outstanding Counselor Education Program by the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision.
Faculty & Students
| Faculty | Number |
|---|---|
| Full-Time Faculty | 51 |
| Level | Enrolled Students Fall 2007 |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Degree Students | 195 |
| Graduate Degree Students | 533 |
| Post-Baccalaureate Students* | 104 |
| Total | 832 |
*Includes lateral entry, licensure only and add-on licensure
Alumni
Our 18,000 alumni contribute to communities throughout North Carolina and across the United States. Notable alumni include:
- North Carolina’s 2008 Teacher of the Year Cindi Rigsbee (A.B.Ed. ’79, M.Ed. ’03)
- North Carolina’s 2005 Superintendent of the Year James Merrill (A.B.Ed. ’73)
- U.S. Department of Education Director of Student Achievement and School Accountability Zollie Stevenson (Ph.D. ’84)
- Senior Research Analyst at the America Institutes for Research Kerstin Carlson LeFloch (Ph.D. ’99)
- Twenty-six presidents of colleges and universities
- Dozens of university faculty members
- Thousands of teachers, principals, superintendents and other school personnel
Administration
Interim Dean Jill Fitzgerald leads the School of Education. A member of the faculty since 1979, she is an internationally renowned literacy scholar as well as an experienced administrator. She advances a vision of public engagement to address significant problems and challenges facing education today.
Other Dean’s Office administrators are Interim Assistant Dean Deborah Eaker-Rich and Assistant Dean for External Relations Wendy Gratz Borman.