"Education without social action is a one-sided value because it has no true power potential. Social action without education is a weak expression of pure energy." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If who we are tells something about where we have been, then how we teach tells something about where we want to go." -- Ushma Shah
 

The Ithaca College Education Department offers courses, programs, and experiences that explore and support a wide range of interests and professional pursuits in the field of education.  We run undergraduate and graduate programs for students desiring teacher certification, and we teach courses and coordinate exciting programs open to all students.

Our Vision Statement
We believe that true excellence in education requires a commitment to equity and social justice.  Thus, we strive to prepare creative, culturally competent, critically reflective graduates who possess deep knowledge in their fields of study and work collaboratively to achieve high quality education for all.

Our Mission Statement
Grounded in the rich traditions of the liberal arts and social sciences, and in keeping with the Ithaca College mission statement, the Department of Education prepares students to take responsibility for citizenship and service in the global community.  This preparation takes place in several ways. The Department seeks to develop future teachers who are not only well-educated in their disciplines, but are also culturally responsive, caring, and knowledgeable in their interactions with students and their families. The Department also reaches out to the larger Ithaca College student body through courses and programs designed to equip them with the necessary skills for well-informed, critically reflective, participatory citizenship and service in their neighborhood schools and communities.  In addition, faculty and students in the Department of Education value, support, and engage in collaboration, discussion, and dialogue with a variety of local and regional community partners in order to be of assistance in addressing educational issues of concern and importance to them. In these ways, knowledge, competence, and service come together in our students to nurture a lifelong commitment to the democratic quest for excellence and equity in our schools and society.