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.

In addition to being the official home for all teacher education programs in the School of Humanities and Sciences, the Department of Education also serves every teacher education program across campus.

We promote educational outreach for campus-wide teacher education programs by sponsoring seminars, workshops, and conferences for teachers and prospective teachers. We also administer a number of formalized programs and partnerships with area schools, including the Partnership in Teaching program, Access to College Education (ACE), the Ithaca College-South Hill School Partnership, and the Ithaca College-Boynton Middle School Partnership.

While local outreach is central to our mission, we also have a partnership with the Frederick Douglass Academy (FDA) in New York City's Harlem community. FDA is a public middle/secondary school that works with us to promote multicultural opportunities for students and faculty from both institutions.

The Office of Teaching and Certification, located in the Department of Education, assists all teacher education students with issues pertaining to teacher certification. This office also maintains data on all student teaching placements, facilitates mentor teacher placements, and serves as the chief liaison with the New York State Education Department on all teacher education matters.

The Department of Education also offers elective courses that are open to all students on campus. For a current listing of these course offerings please see "Current Course Listing."