We are committed to preparing individuals to make a profound difference in the lives of all children, their families and the communities in which they live. We recognize the vital ties between theory and practice that serve as the foundation for a lifelong career of service. We care deeply about our students, and we recognize the awesome responsibility we have to model the kind of reflective practice needed in today’s rapidly changing world. Further, we are committed to nurturing growth so our graduates develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to serve children, their families and their communities.

Our faculty and staff work diligently to ensure that our students experience the following:

• A deep understanding of human development and how it relates to teaching, classroom management and communicating with families
• A strong knowledge base related to all pertinent academic disciplines
• High-quality field experiences through strong partnerships with schools and community agencies
• A clear understanding of the performance standards expected of service professionals
• A strong focus on diversity that includes frameworks and strategies for working in diverse communities
• Extensive use of technology
• Meaningful assessments that reflect authentic experiences clearly linked to professional standards
• A pervasive culture of reflective practice where continuous improvement of programs and individual performance is modeled by all