The SUNY New Paltz School of Education reorganized from a four-department to a two-department structure during the summer of 2016, as part of a strategy to enable faculty and staff to be more efficient in supporting and preparing successful teacher candidates in accordance with accepted best practices.
The School is now broken out into the Department of Teaching & Learning, which consists of all programs directly related to teacher preparation, and the Department of Educational Studies & Leadership, which consists of the Educational Foundations Unit, Humanistic/Multicultural Education program, and the Educational Administration program.
“The success of this reorganization is owed to a collaborative, faculty-driven process that emphasized streamlining administrative processes while maintaining an exceptional level of service to our students,” said School of Education Dean Michael Rosenberg. “The shift to a two-department model will provide needed conceptual clarity to our faculty, staff, teacher candidates, employers, alumni and other stakeholders on the major activities of the School of Education, while enabling us to more nimbly respond to diverse and evolving program requirements. We are pleased to be moving forward in this enhanced and more functional organizational structure.”
The shift from four to two departments in the School of Education does not affect any students’ plans of study, registration requirements or field experiences, as all programs within the School have remained the same. The School of Education is still housed in the historic Old Main Building, though some offices and programs have relocated.
Students and faculty should take note of the following name changes to School of Education programs, which have been updated to mirror New York State Education Department registration parlance:
- The Elementary Education program is now referred to as the Early Childhood & Childhood Education program.
- The Secondary Education program is now referred to as the Adolescence Education program.
More information about the School of Education reorganization can be found on this Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
