ABOUT THE SOE

Syracuse University School of Education advances the future of teaching and learning through inclusive, equitable, and antiracist research and practice. Led by internationally recognized faculty who are dedicated to student-centered instruction and cutting-edge research, the School advances knowledge and expertise to promote dynamic, effective, and engaging learning experiences for all.

By supporting a welcoming learning community that fosters collaboration and promotes human thriving, the School mentors and nurtures the next generation of educators, scholars, and leaders who will have meaningful and sustained impact in their communities.

Vision

By leveraging its historic legacy as a global leader in inclusive and equitable education, the School of Education aspires to be the pre-eminent institution for scholarship and instruction across its three signatures: inclusive and antiracist pedagogy and practice, digital learning technologies, and experiential learning that harnesses relationships across campus, community, and beyond. The impact of this work will enhance the School’s global reputation for producing impactful research and for attracting and preparing equity-minded and transformative teachers, counselors, and other professionals who support student success across diverse learning contexts.

Academic Strategic Plan 2023: Toward an Equitable and Sustainable Future

Topline Commitments

1. The School of Education will coalesce intentionally around three signatures—inclusive and antiracist pedagogy and practice, digital pedagogy and practice, and experiential pedagogy and practice—as areas of distinction.
2. SOE will adopt a “one school” perspective and organizational structure to improve equity, promote efficiency and interdisciplinarity, and strengthen community and belonging.
3. SOE will promote its three centers—Center for Academic Achievement and Student Development, Center on Disability and Inclusion, and Center for Experiential Pedagogy and Practice—as hubs of connection and collaboration for faculty, staff, and students engaging in ambitious, impactful, and grant-funded research.
4. SOE will enroll and retain more students in efficiently run programs to allow us to make values-driven choices.
5. SOE will center attention to diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility in all aspects of our enterprise.

History

The School of Education was founded in 1906 as the Margaret Olivia Slocum Teachers’ College, with a primary focus on training teachers. Several decades later, with increased student enrollment and an expanded purview, Dean Harry Ganders (1930-1953) led an effort to reframe the organization as the “All-University” School of Education.

Since that time, SOE has made notable contributions to the campus, Central New York, and the field of education, and is a pioneer on many fronts:

• Understood to be the first teachers’ college to offer student teaching in public schools.
• Among the oldest literacy and special education programs in the United States.
• The first university to offer a full range of degrees for teachers of special education.
• A leader in the right to education, deinstitutionalization, communication rights, and school inclusion movements.
• The first graduate disability studies program.
• The first joint degree in law and disability studies.
• The first fully integrated inclusive education program offered at a research university.

More of Our History