College of Education Strategic Plan (2025-2030)
Vision
Our vision is to lead the nation in advancing the teaching profession by cultivating educational leaders.
Mission
Our mission is to purposefully allocate intellectual and financial resources to develop talented graduates and professionals, establish meaningful partnerships, foster innovative faculty and staff, advance academic excellence, and embrace the principles of Realizing the Democratic Ideal.
Strategic Plan
Goal 1
Prioritize People
Objectives
- Foster a learning community that respects and embraces equity, inclusion, diversity, and access among people, ideas, culture, and expression.
- Foster an intense sense of belonging among students, faculty, faculty associates and staff, both on and off campus, through ongoing communication and welcoming events.
- Develop supports for students, faculty, faculty associates, and staff centered on promoting and maintaining mental and emotional well-being.
- Promote a learning community that supports the academic and professional success of students, faculty, faculty associates, and staff.
Goal 2
Embrace Our Partnerships
Objectives
- Foster collaboration between the college units and the Laboratory Schools to deepen learning, ensure innovative practices and promote an inclusive school community and culture.
- Cultivate and strengthen partnerships with Illinois school districts, particularly in areas of highest need. Areas of highest need includes geographic location (e.g., urban, urban emergent, rural); demographic need (e.g., multilingual learners, learners with special needs); and/or subject area need (e.g., STEM, LBS1).
- Foster relationships with local, state, and national organizations (e.g., government, non-profits) to enhance opportunities for faculty research and student learning.
- Cultivate reciprocal international relationships to promote opportunities for learning, exchange, research, and teaching.
Goal 3
Promote Excellence in Educator Preparation and Outcomes
Objectives
- Prioritize curricula that reflect research on developing effective educators.
- Facilitate a strong reputation in our college as training educators and leaders using curricula that are in close alignment with research and innovative ideas.
- Encourage faculty and administration engagement in committee and legislative work at the state level as it relates to teacher licensure and education pathways to initial licensure and subsequent endorsements.
- Prioritize clinical work that engages students in positive, affirming, and asset-oriented classrooms and that connect program curricula with classrooms.
Goal 4
Ensure Accountability
Objectives
- Establish a quarterly communication protocol between leadership and faculty, faculty associates, and staff to increase transparency and trust.
- Reduce duplicative services and streamline resource allocation by establishing a college-wide resource coordination committee.
- Develop and promote training on integrating educational technology, including AI, into college curricula.
- By 2027, reduce turnover in leadership positions and establish advocacy efforts for stable leadership at the dean level.
Goal 5
Lead by Example
Objectives
- Advocate for the state to increase support for teacher education while reducing or eliminating unfunded mandates.
- As an education leader in Illinois, develop and implement programming to improve public perceptions and attitudes toward public education and PreK-12 educators.
- Develop strong partnerships with regional and national education professional organizations and non-governmental organizations.
- Develop formal and informal approaches for supporting PreK-12 teacher and administrator induction and retention.