Dean's Message

Dear College of Education community,

As we move into the spring semester, I am proud of the progress that we are making as we implement our strategic plan, and I recognize that our effectiveness as a college of education is enhanced by productive collaborations. Our College of Education is uniquely positioned, adjacent to the nation’s capital and some of the nation’s most diverse and successful school districts, to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships that have the potential to reshape the educational landscape through research, instructional programs, and outreach activities. Quite simply, we are stronger for working together.

Our strategic partnerships are many.  Consider a few recent examples:

• This fall, the College’s Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement, in partnership with the Prince George’s County Public Schools Leadership Center and Johns Hopkins University, hosted the Greater Impact II conference. The conference brought together university faculty and K-12 educators from the region and beyond, and education policymakers to discuss district-university partnerships and how productive partnerships can promote the goals of educational excellence and equity. 
• In collaboration with our local school district partners, we have developed instructional programs focused on the preparation and development of a high quality and diverse educator workforce that helps to meet staffing needs of local school districts. These programs include:
  • Our “Grow your own” programs tap into local populations who may be interested in a teaching career, but need a pathway that works for their circumstances.
  • Our Terrapin Teachers program is focused on preparing more math and science teachers – a critical shortage area across the state.
  • Our dual certification programs are in direct response to district leaders who have stressed the need for new teachers to be prepared in multiple areas – like early childhood and special education.
  • Our Ed.D. cohort programs prepare leaders for the challenges of education leadership – by using a model that bases dissertations on real-life local challenges that school districts are facing – these studies not only prepare doctoral candidates in research methods and design, but the results of these studies are directly applicable to the environments in which they work.
• Our new Center for Transition and Career Innovation, in collaboration with the state  of Maryland, fosters partnerships among university faculty and local, state and national agencies and organizations to promote research, improvements in practice, and supportive governmental policies that advance workforce readiness for youth with disabilities.
• Our College, along with the University of Maryland School of Social Work, comprises the Maryland Longitudinal Data System’s Research Services Branch. MLDS is a state database that tracks student performance from PK-12^th grade, postsecondary institution attendance and outcomes, income and labor data. To fulfill MLDS’ mission to gather data that can be used to improve the state’s education system and guide decision makers, College faculty collaborate with researchers across the University System of Maryland. Our partnership with MLDS is also a key resource for graduate students interested in using quantitative methods and big data to understand effective policies in education.

As we begin the spring semester, I am pleased to see the growth and strength of our collaborations with our many valued partners. I also look forward to continuing to grow our community and contribute to, engage with, and learn from our communities within and outside of the university.

Sincerely,

Jennifer King Rice
Dean and Professor
University of Maryland College of Education