UAlbany
Still the Place for Teachers

Before it transformed itself into a university in the 1960s, the New York State College for Teachers was known as the place to attend if you wanted to be a high school teacher. Today, UAlbany’s School of Education is still the place to go for teachers — as well as principals, superintendents, school psychologists and guidance counselors.

Building on the University’s history as a school that produced top-notch teachers, UAlbany’s School of Education has become a nationally ranked graduate school recognized for its scholarship designed to help teachers do a better job in the classroom.

“One of the hallmarks of the modern School of Education is research,” explained Dean Ralph Harbison. Last year, the School attracted $5.4 million in externally funded research, including major support for the National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement, the only center in the country studying ways to improve students’ English and literacy achievement. The School’s Child Research and Study Center begins work shortly on a five-year, $9 million study entitled “Preventing Reading Difficulty in Disadvantaged Children.”

And since it is a graduate school, its teacher training faculty concentrate on pedagogy, or how to teach, rather than on the subject matter itself. “Unlike other schools, the University at Albany has never offered an undergraduate major in education,” explained Harbison. “Our feeling is that to be the best teacher, you first have to have the expertise in the content area, something developed as an undergraduate. Then, once you have the grounding in content, we provide the specialized training in such areas as child development or how to use the latest instructional technology.”

The typical graduate student at the School of Education is a practicing teacher or administrator seeking more specialized training or updated skills. In addition to teaching, many are principals, superintendents, or in student services, such as guidance, counseling psychology or special education. A total of 1,400 graduate students are enrolled in four departments offering six doctoral degrees.