From the Dean

With this issue of the New Educator, we take the opportunity to introduce two new programs separately funded by the Broad Foundation and the Sun Wah Foundation. Each builds on strengths and priorities we have established, and I hope you see the exciting possibilities these awards afford our future.
We are very pleased to announce a $6 million award from the Broad Foundation that serves to establish a Broad Partnership between the College of Education and the Detroit Public Schools (dps). This collaboration will focus on the recruitment and preparation of high-quality students from the Detroit Public Schools who aspire to become teachers and then, when they graduate, return to the district to teach. This initiative is a wonderful opportunity for the college to partner with the largest district in Michigan to prepare the next generation of teachers committed to teaching in Detroit.

The three components of this
program are intricately linked and together will contribute to achieving a goal of high quality preparation for urban educators. The Summer High School Scholars program will bring more than 100 9th and 10th graders to campus for a three-week summer program. This program is focused on students who wish to pursue a career in education and will introduce them to the academic and social dimensions of college. The Broad Future Teachers Scholarship program will provide full-ride scholarships to 10 to 15 DPS students each year who are committed to becoming teachers and returning to the Detroit schools to teach. The scholarship operates as a loan forgiveness for each year that a graduate of our program teaches in the Detroit school district. Finally,
the Broad Summer Teaching Fellows program will support current MSU
students who will spend seven weeks with the Detroit summer school program. As part of this summer immersion experience, juniors and seniors will be mentored by MSU faculty and DPS teachers as they work with students in the schools.

Meanwhile, the Sun Wah Foundation has committed $5 million to fund a new Center for Research on Educational Excellence with Professor Yong Zhao as its director. This center will support research on schools in the United States and China to identify a range of best practices related to, for example, school leadership, teaching, assessment of student learning, and parent and community involvement. The center will also be involved in dissemination through professional development and a wide range of information technologies. Central to the work of this center is a collaboration with top universities in China to facilitate both the research and dissemination efforts.

The partnerships established through the Broad and Sun Wah foundations underscore our involvement in research and professional preparation from the more local level to the international arena. Moreover, because the funding for these partnerships extends over five years, we will build a strong foundation for sustainability.

On Page 5 of the magazine, you will find the 2005 U.S. News & World Report graduate program rankings. We hope you share our pride that our programs in elementary and secondary education have been ranked first in the nation for the 10th consecutive year. As a professional school, we take the

Carole Ames
Dean, College of Education

preparation of teachers and educational leaders as one of our most important responsibilities. In the last Spring issue of the New Educator, you read about our involvement in the Carnegie Corporation’s Teachers for a New Era program. Through this program, we are engaged in a re-visioning of the disciplinary and pedagogical preparation of our students and working to establish an induction program that helps our graduates make the transition from the novice to the professional. Preparing teachers for tomorrow’s schools requires sustained commitment, innovation, and resources. We continue to believe that we excel in all three categories.

We are additionally very proud
of our many graduate programs that were also ranked in the top ten nationally, including curriculum and instruction (2nd), educational psychology (3rd), higher education (4th), education policy (9th), and educational administration (9th). Rehabilitation counseling retains its 2004 number one national ranking because this discipline was not ranked this year. Overall, the College of Education was ranked 13th in the nation. It goes without saying that these rankings are testimony to our outstanding faculty—the quality of their research, high profile grants, involvement at the national level in professional organizations and associations, and investment in making research applicable to practice and the broader policy community. These rankings also reflect the respect for our graduates and their accomplishments in the field of education.

In this issue, you will also see that Michelle Mertz-Stoneham has moved to the position of director of development. After serving for three years as assistant director of development and with Jeff Spoeri’s departure, we are very pleased to have Michelle take leadership for this office.
Once again, let me take this opportunity to thank you for your commitment to the College of Education.

As alumni and friends of the college, you are part of our tradition of excellence and our future. We appreciate your support and always look forward to hearing from you. Please visit our Web site often for news and happenings.
 

Carole Ames, Dean