College of Education

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Current Priorities for the College of Education

The UW College of Education believes that an effective public education system for a diverse citizenry is the cornerstone of a democratic society. To that end, we dedicate ourselves to helping make an excellent education a daily reality for every student in every community across this state and country.

We are focused on finding solutions to real issues facing real teachers and students every day. Plans for the next few years are exciting. Targeted investments will expand the College's leadership in addressing the most pressing needs of public education. A model for early career support for educators will be completed, critical research on learning will expand, and the faculty and student body will become more diverse.

Research at the College has a national and international impact, and new funds that sustain and expand research are key to continued recruitment of top faculty, staff and students. Strong research programs will have an immediate positive impact on the College's current recruitment of faculty who will serve Washington educators for the next 30 years. The top problem faced by urban public schools across the country is the achievement gap between white students and most ethnic/minority group students. Along with other UW schools, the College is actively seeking ways to close this gap. Development funds will help target recruitment, training and support of ethnic and racial minority students, faculty, and staff.

Research

The College is conducting relevant, world-class research focused on what works and why:

• Creating an endowed Chair for Outstanding Research to expand the scope of research in critical and emerging areas, such as closing the achievement gap.
• Increasing the number of partnerships with colleges across campus and in the community to support interdisciplinary study of teaching and learning.
• Increasing research assistantship and scholarship support for students to more directly engage with the work of faculty within the College.
• Adding an Early Career Professorship to recruit outstanding young faculty and provide them with adequate release time to work in local schools.
• Recruiting and retaining distinguished educators.

Training

The College is preparing educators and supporting them throughout their career:

• Increasing the College's capacity for recruiting more teachers especially from minority groups, but also in the fields of math, science, special education and bilingual education.
• Expanding opportunities for teachers to participate in summer institutes and to join UW research projects within their field of study.
• Providing additional fellowships for practicing teachers to bring them to the College.
• Creating a rotating endowed distinguished educator position to bring outstanding teachers to the College to teach students and engage with faculty.

Leaders

With a focus on high-needs schools and diversity issues, the College is preparing the next generation of education leaders to create great schools and classrooms:

• Conducting outreach to increase diversity among principals and administrators, as well as the faculty and staff at UW.
• Building a scholarship fund for principal and teacher candidates to spend an interim period teaching with College faculty.
• Expanding the Center for Educational Leadership to close the achievement gap.
• Establishing a Distinguished Educators Endowment to support teachers-in-residence and principals-in-residence to connect COE faculty more directly with experience field educators.

Tools

The College is nationally recognized for breaking new ground in using technology and addressing math and science learning issues:

• Upgrading technology in Miller Hall to include a wireless environment, video streaming to allow K-12 classroom interaction and observation, and a computer lab.
• Expanding the ability of the College to connect research, policy, and practice through projects.
• Creating a new Learning Sciences endowment to support the development of new technology focused on how students learn.

Annual Support

The College of Education trains teachers, special educators, researchers, school and district leaders, curriculum designers, and school psychologists that will ultimately provide an excellent education for every student in every community across this state and country. To help our students tackle the 21st century classroom and the 21st century economy, we are focusing on:

• Scholarships to create a pathway for underrepresented students to become teachers. A well-prepared, ethnically-diverse teacher corps helps increase the number of diverse students graduating from high school and attending college.
• Providing additional resources, training, and support for teachers at 20 high-need schools to improve student learning and increase teacher retention. Our collaboration in two local high school math programs has led to dramatic improvements in student performance. In one case, the number of students passing math rose from 20% to 60% in one year. The following year, the school almost doubled their WASL math pass rates for African-American and low-income students.
• Long-term funding for teacher support, research, and training for the Experimental Education Unit (EEU) to ensure its programs and services continue to make a powerful impact on early childhood education in Washington and beyond. The EEU is an international leader in special education and early childhood learning. Last year alone, educators from 17 different countries came to the EEU for training.

We strive to create innovative learning opportunities and real-world experiences for its students. But without the help of our alumni, many students wouldn't be able to afford their education. Scholarship support makes a real difference in the lives of students.

• Ian Sample relied on scholarship support to make a career change from the business sector to teaching math. As a first year teacher at Garfield High School, Ian is helping students succeed in algebra. His enthusiasm for empowering students is evidenced in his classroom every day.
• In June, Debra Hudson completed her Ph.D. in Special Education. The scholarship support she received allowed her to not only conduct important research, but to make a positive, lasting impact on hundreds of children with special needs and their families.
• Rocio Mendoza, a recent masters graduate in the Higher Education Program, was recognized with a 2008 Bonderman Fellowship for her research and exploration of how undocumented and immigrant students at the UW access student services. Scholarship funding helped her complete this important work.

You can help make more success stories like these possible. Please support our Education students by making.

Help us strengthen schools, support teachers, and encourage learning for students of all backgrounds by making a gift to the College of Education. Your gift will provide critical funds to meet emerging needs and opportunities as they arise, improving the excellence of the College and the University.

Recognition Levels

The President's Club ($2,000+)
Dean's Circle ($1000+)

Contact Information

To learn more about how you can help the School of Education, please contact:

Margaret Ann Bollmeier
Director of Development
College of Education
Box 353600
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-4600
206.685.2678

More Information

For more information on the College of Education, visit our web site at http://www.educ.washington.edu.