Teacher Preparation

Kate Napolitan, a doctoral student in special education, has been recognized as one of two recipients of the University of Washington's 2015 Excellence in Teaching Award.

Educational leaders and policymakers in the United States can learn a great deal by looking northward to Canada says Ken Zeichner of the University of Washington College of Education.

"Schools in Alberta are performing well not only on academic achievement, but also on measures of equity," said Zeichner, Boeing Professor of Teacher Education at UW. "Unlike here in the U.S., there's not a high level of criticism of teachers and teacher education. Teachers are valued for their professional acumen."

All too often in teacher preparation programs, families and communities are portrayed as obstacles to teachers' work, says Ken Zeichner of the University of Washington College of Education.

"We're parachuting teachers into schools and communities to try and save students," said Zeichner, Boeing Professor of Teacher Education at UW. "Most universities have neglected their communities and the deep knowledge that parents and other community members can offer as we prepare the teachers of their children."

U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University of Washington College of Education No. 6 among the nation's best education schools in its annual graduate school ratings, released March 10, rising one place from last year's ranking.

UW College of Education ranked No. 2 among education schools at public institutions in the U.S., behind only the University of Wisconsin-Madison (at No. 5 overall) in the 2016 edition of the U.S. News ratings. This is the second consecutive year that UW has been ranked second among public institutions by U.S. News.

Socio-economic status, language and race too often predict student academic achievement in schools here in Seattle and across the nation.

Why teach? Educators today are under more pressure than ever before. Standards are changing, schools are growing, and the pay isn’t getting any better. Even so, talented and passionate individuals are still pursuing the profession, and veteran educators continue their work despite all the challenges.

The University of Washington College of Education, Seattle Times and 88.5 KPLU will present a teacher storytelling event on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in Kane Hall 220 on the UW campus.

Gov. Jay Inslee welcomed faculty and friends of the University of Washington's Haring Center to the Governor's Mansion in Olympia on Jan. 6 for a discussion of opportunities to improve the state's special education and early childhood education programs.

The University of Washington College of Education will host a series of three talks this winter and spring focusing on some of the biggest issues in teacher education today.

The Boeing Teacher Education Scholars Series will feature:

For Anne Beitlers, joining the UW College of Education as director of the Secondary Teacher Education Program is a homecoming. She is returning to Seattle after earning her PhD in English education at New York University, where she wrote her dissertation on the relationship between teachers' perceived needs of students and their practice in urban, all-male schools.

The following joint statement was made in honor of Dr. John Goodlad, who passed away Nov. 29, 2014.

As many of you are by now aware, Dr. John Goodlad, UW Professor Emeritus, passed away last week at the age of 94. On behalf of the education programs across the University of Washington, we wish to express our condolences to his family and to pay tribute to John’s extraordinary contributions to the quality of public schooling and its critical role in a democratic society.