Education Departments Combine at Utah State
The elementary and secondary education departments at USU will possibly combine July 1 to form the School of Teaching Education and Leadership, said Martha Dever, department head and associate dean of the future School of Teacher Education and Leadership at USU.
The decision to combine has been debated for about a year and was finally approved by the Board of Trustees on March 7, but approval from regional representatives is still being awaited, Dever said.
“The goal is to make teacher education more effective and efficient by combining these two departments,” said Carol Strong, dean of the College of Education and Human Services.
By combining departments, everything will be under one budget and governance, with equal fairness and easier interaction between USU and education officials, Dever said. Most education programs around the nation combine their elementary and secondary education departments and find that more successful to them, she said.
The college hopes that by streamlining, it will enhance initiatives and make all processes within and without the college more systematic. This will provide better communication with public school partners and better recruitment initiatives so they are able to look at teacher education at USU more comprehensively, Dever said.
The nation is experiencing a state and national shortage of teachers, and by combining departments, it will help in the efforts to train and hire future teachers, Strong said. Although there is a shortage of teachers, USU is still the top producer of early childhood, elementary and special education teachers from Utah’s public institutions, she said.
USU is ranked in the top two percent of graduate schools of education and 26th in a field of 1,200, Dever said. USU’s College of Education is ranked second in the nation in external funding and has eight academic departments, Dever said.
“We hope this will bring a more prominent face to teacher education at Utah State,” Dever said. “We want other programs to see what we do and recognize us as successful leaders and educators.”
The College of Education wants to elevate the leadership preparation component at USU because it will help in education overall, Strong said. There is currently a leadership team composed of USU faculty members that teach a graduate leadership program. That program culminates in receiving an Administration Supervisory Certificate, where students can pursue careers as principals, district superintendents and other leadership positions in education.
Strong said the College of Education hopes to have a kick-off event and celebration in the fall to draw attention and create excitement about the School of Teaching Education and Leadership. The college wants to get all students in other colleges aware of the possibility of teaching as well, she said. This new school will enhance programs and efforts in response to whatever the needs of the college may be.
“This is a good opportunity for the College of Education to combine strengths and become an exemplary teacher education program,” Dever said.
-monica.swapp@aggiemail.usu.edu