UNLV Department of Curriculum & Instruction

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Welcome to the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at UNLV. The Department holds as its central mission the preparation and development of educators at all levels. The department ensures that its professional education programs are based on essential knowledge, established and current research findings, and sound professional practice.

The Department offers elementary and secondary teacher certification at the undergraduate and graduate levels and Master's and Doctoral level programs. Each year the Department certifies over 600 new teachers and awards over 200 Master's and Doctoral degrees. There are over thirty full- time faculty and sixty-five part-time faculty in the Department. Current enrollments include nearly 2,000 undergraduate and more than 900 graduate students.

1 Mission Statement
2 Current Status
3 Content Areas
4 Faculty Information
5 Value-Added Education
6 Sources
7 External links

[edit] Mission Statement

The College of Education is committed to creating an intellectual environment that promotes quality instruction, significant research, and professional service. Particular attention is focused on preparing professionals for diverse educational settings and on contributing to educational and pedagogical knowledge through scholarly endeavors. The College provides leadership in both the art and science of educational practice. Furthermore, the College is committed to creating an inclusive learning environment that values and promotes diversity. Collaboration among students, faculty, other professionals, and community members is essential to the College in achieving its goals. Integral to the mission is a dedication to being a premier college of education that serves our dynamic and expanding community, the state, the region, and the nation.

[edit] Current Status

The Department attracts bright students from around the world with innovative programs and top-notch faculty:

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction faculty receive the highest honors from professional organizations and are elected as top officers of learned societies.
The College of Education at UNLV is the only Nationally accredited teacher preparation program in Southern Nevada. Our Teacher Education Program is fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
The Teacher Education Program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers the coursework and programs to make each UNLV licensure candidate "Highly Qualified" as required by the Federal No Child Left Behind Legislation (NCLB).
The Ph.D. in Teacher Education is one of only a few in the nation devoted to teacher education.

[edit] Content Areas

Elementary Education
Secondary Education
Teacher Education
Science Education
Technology Education

[edit] Faculty Information

Research and Scholarship: The Department's programs are a result of sound research into the field’s best practices. The faculty and are frequent recipients of national grants in recognition of their efforts to successfully apply research to enhance the profession.

Preparation of Professional Educators: Our faculty offers high-quality programs that prepare students to teach, lead and collaborate in a changing, diverse world.

Collaboration: The Department collaborates to meet the rapidly changing needs of the education profession through the following outreach initiatives:

Integrated Programs Centers Partnerships
Alternative Routes to Licensure

Education Reform: The Department addresses the nation’s critical need for well-prepared educators, especially in urban centers.

[edit] Value-Added Education

Listed below are some of the of some of the Value Added features of our programs.

The Teacher Education Program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers the coursework and programs to make each UNLV licensure candidate "Highly Qualified" as required by the Federal No Child Left Behind Legislation (NCLB).
The College of Education at UNLV is the only Nationally accredited teacher preparation program in Southern Nevada. Our Teacher Education Program is fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
As evidence of our assertion of excellence, our faculty scholarly productivity (i.e., the number of scholarly publications and professional publications) has increased 118% over the past six years. Over that same six-year period, faculty grants and service on professional and editorial boards have grown by 100%, educational awards and honors received have risen 91%, and community leadership activities has increased 124%.
We have some of the top faculty in the Nation on our faculty. We have national leaders in the areas of elementary education and secondary education.
Over the past six-year period, our Department has initiated a remarkable 18 new, cutting-edge degree and certification programs including both Fast Track Elementary and Secondary Programs.
The College provides personalized and on-going career development through our College's Student Advising Center.
Prior to 1993, our School offered no doctoral programs of study. We now offer four outstanding programs. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers Doctoral Programs in Teacher Education, Curriculum and Instruction, and Learning and Technology as well as an Ed.D in Curriculum and Instruction. All of the Department's doctoral programs are flourishing.
Our Department's students are able to student teach abroad through our International Student Teaching Program directed by Dr. William Speer.
Our Department's students are also able to student teach on the Navajo Reservation under the direction of Dr. Jane McCarthy.
We provide an outstanding student-teacher ratio that permits personalized instruction. Our Department also offers a field-based program to place students in classrooms working with teachers starting with the first semester after acceptance into the program.
Our students are among the highest rated teachers in the Clark County School District.
Our technology program "Project Thread" received two national awards.
The Paradise Elementary PDS is a unique educational environment for UNLV students and faculty, and for children and teachers of the Clark County School District. Housed on the UNLV campus, the Paradise Elementary PDS is a preK through grade 5 school which operates year_round. The school serves the children of the area as determined by the CCSD Board of Education.
The Department also houses the Accelerated Schools Project, a regional center that works with schools with high percentages of at risk students in a three state area.