Mission and Objectives of the School of Education

The mission of the Indiana University School of Education is to improve teaching, learning, and human development in a diverse, rapidly changing, and increasingly technological society. We prepare reflective, caring, and highly skilled educational practitioners and scholars who lead in their chosen professions; inform educational theory and practice through research; and work in partnership with a range of constituents to effect change at both local and national levels and throughout the world.

The following five goals comprise the strategic plan for the school:

• Continue the school's commitment to strong pre-service teacher education.
• Strengthen partnerships with P-12 schools and communities.
• Enhance and expand the school's research and other scholarly and creative activities, and strengthen the quality of graduate programs.
• Provide leadership in the appropriate use of technologies to enhance teaching and learning experiences.
• Promote diversity.
• To fulfill its mission, the school strives to achieve the following objectives:
• To promote and execute disciplined inquiry in all sectors of education.
• To provide service to the state of Indiana, the nation, and the world in developing the finest possible school systems.
• To prepare elementary and secondary teachers in all subject areas and in special education.
• To prepare administrators and supervisors for the public schools of Indiana.
• To prepare faculty members and administrators for colleges and universities throughout the world.
• To prepare administrators, supervisors, and coordinators of special programs.
• To prepare counselors, school psychologists, and reading specialists.
• To prepare researchers, evaluators, and policy analysts in the field of education.
• To prepare educators and trainers in the use of technology for educational programs in schools, business, industry, and government.

While the primary goal of undergraduate education at the School of Education is the preparation of teachers, a number of graduate programs prepare and provide continuing professional development to teachers and other professional school personnel at the advanced level. These advanced programs are guided by a conceptual framework that supports and integrates the mission, purposes, and vision of the two units that constitute lU's core campus (IUB and IUPUI). This framework is built upon four core beliefs which align with each campus's Six Principles of Teacher Education for initial professional licensure, as well embracing the ten guiding principles of the Interstate New Teacher and Support Consortium (INTASC) and the five core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

The advanced professional programs in the School of Education are committed to improving schooling by enhancing academic, social, and emotional learning, with the ultimate goal of improving social justice for all. The four beliefs that guide this work are as follows:

• Core Belief #1:
  Comprehensive Knowledge Base Professional educators must have a comprehensive knowledge base that includes content and pedagogical and practical forms of knowledge.
• Core Belief #2:
  Intellectual Skills and Abilities
  Professional educators must possess discipline-specific skills that allow them to plan, implement, inquire about, and assess practices related to their field of concentration.
• Core Belief #3:
  Focus on Diversity, Culture, Community, and Context
  Professional educators must focus on the community context in which education takes place (from school community to our global society), understanding the role of family, culture, and community and their impact on the learner.
• Core Belief #4
  Commitment to Personal and Professional Growth
  Professional educators must make a commitment to education, to their particular discipline, and to all learners.