April 8, 2005
College of Education looks to future in anniversary celebration
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University on Friday (April 15) will celebrate nearly a century of turning out teachers – and the 15th anniversary of its College of Education – with plans to meet the challenges of the 21st century classroom.
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Dean George Hynd said the future includes new centers that concentrate on math and science education as well as on outreach to students, faculty and the community. Special emphasis will be placed on literacy and educational technology as well as one emerging priority: educational leadership.
"Research shows that the climate of educational systems is set by the superintendent," Hynd said. "Schools are being held accountable in the legislature, and if we want to have impact in the state, we have to work with leaders. One of the ways we are doing this is through our doctoral program, in partnership with the Indiana Association of School Principals."
Purdue's College of Education and College of Science also have partnered for another outreach effort: the Center for Research and Engagement in Science and Mathematics Education. The center will transform Purdue's existing School Mathematics and Science Center to improve science and math initiatives in the state using the strong outreach component in both colleges.
To better provide assessment of students based on performance, a program called the Purdue University Psychometric Instructional Laboratory (PUPIL) was initiated in 2004 through a grant from the provost's Program for Instructional Innovation.
"PUPIL provides services to the larger educational community," Hynd said. "It's an assessment center that provides research statisticians and evaluative services to students or faculty, and eventually we hope to reach out to the entire state so school principals can take advantage of our expertise."
The college also wants to learn from the community, said Sidney Moon, associate dean for learning and engagement in the College of Education. Purdue Vice Provost of Engagement Victor L. Lechtenberg is helping by calling together educators, legislators and community leaders to discuss Indiana's most pressing education needs.
They will come together for the P-12 Engagement Forum from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 22 at the University Inn in West Lafayette. One possible outcome of the forum, Hynd said, is a Purdue Center for Education Engagement.
"The College of Education is very excited about this initiative," Moon said. "I see this as an opportunity to take education out of the ivory tower and into the schools."
Students continue to be a priority, and Hynd said that what sets Purdue's secondary education program apart from most schools in the nation is that students are grounded in two academic branches: the College of Education and one of more than 30 programs in other Purdue colleges. This means graduates will be prepared in education and also fully knowledgeable in the specific subject they plan to teach.
Moon said this interdisciplinary approach has major benefits.
"Our students not only get a background in teacher education, but they learn another program's curriculum," Moon said. "This strong emphasis on content trains them to work in a wider variety of education areas, including multicultural, gifted and talented."
The college's study abroad program also gives students exposure to new ideas, Hynd said.
"Our students go to these countries not to be tourists, but to work," he said. "The sites are selected because they represent different cultures and provide a different view of the world to our students."
Students have taken study abroad courses in countries such as Honduras, the Netherlands, South Africa and Russia.
"The program helps sensitize our students to diverse populations," Hynd said. "What better place to study government and economics than in Russia, or education in Honduras?"
At the graduate level, the new program in counseling psychology recently was accredited by the American Psychological Association.
The biggest challenges come in the recruitment of students and in raising money to support scholarships and internships, Moon said.
"We are seeking to address these challenges by soliciting endowments for graduate student scholarships and securing grants that include graduate assistantships," Moon said.
The Department of Education was established as the School of Education in 1989, and was renamed the College of Education effective in January. It was recently named one of the top schools of education by U.S.News and World Report, ranking No. 49 out of nearly 200 schools that responded to the survey.
As of fall semester, there were 994 undergraduates and 569 graduate students enrolled in the college. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Indiana Professional Standards Board recently reaccredited the college for the next seven years.
Purdue will celebrate the College of Education's anniversary with distinguished education alumni awards, a presentation and special announcements from 6-8:30 p.m. Friday (April 15) at Maize Catering, 625 Columbia St., Lafayette. There also will be an alumni breakfast from 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday (April 16) outside the east entrance of the Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education.
Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
Sources: George Hynd, (765) 494-2336, ghynd@purdue.edu
Sidney Moon, (765) 494-7301, Sidney@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: To attend the dinner, please contact Maggie Morris, Purdue News Service, at (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue student-teacher Hirra McNeal, a senior in elementary education from Indianapolis, works with Tori Misner, a student in a mixed-age first- and second-grade class at Lafayette's Murdock Elementary School, as professor Gerald Krockover watches via a television monitor. McNeal was part of a project that lets professors observe student-teachers in the classroom via the Internet from the College of Education. (Purdue News Service file photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality file photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2005/krockover-ed15th.jpg
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