Points of Pride

College of Education

  • Primed for Success

    As the largest preparer of teachers in Illinois, the College of Education gives future educators a clear path to graduation. Most undergraduate students earn their degrees in four years or less

  • Top Rankings

    The College of Education ranks in the top 5 percent in the U.S. for quality and value, according to College Factual.

  • Leading the Way

    More than 1 in 7 of Illinois' public school teachers graduated from Illinois State.

Departments and Programs Pride

  • Illinois State University is the largest preparer of teachers at the bachelor’s or initial level in Illinois.

  • The Center for the Study of Education Policy, housed in the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations, publishes three nationally known education policy research journals: Grapevine, Planning and Changing, and the Illinois State Education Law and Policy Journal. In the last five years, the center garnered $6.3 million in externally funded grants and contracts.

  • More than 1 in 4 first-year public school teachers hired in Illinois graduated from Illinois State.

  • The Department of Special Education is a Top 5 producer of licensed deaf and hard of hearing teachers in the country.

  • Illinois State offers one of the few undergraduate Low Vision and Blindness (LVB) programs in the United States—a program that boasts a 100% job placement rate.

  • The College of Education is among the top 10 largest preparer of special education teachers at the bachelor’s or initial level in the United States.

  • The Washington Post ranked University High School 58th in Illinois in 2015, and Niche.com ranked the school 25th in the state and 315th in the nation in 2016. The Washington Post score marked the fifth consecutive year U-High has been identified by the publication as a top institution.

  • The Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline (CTEP) has established rich partnerships with several vibrant Chicago communities including Little Village, Auburn Gresham, Albany Park, Pilsen, and East Garfield Park. There are more than 623 CTEP alumni, and approximately 80 percent are serving high-needs schools in Chicago Public Schools and other districts across the state. Through collaborative efforts between Illinois State faculty and CTEP personnel, more than 9,000 education majors have completed course work redesigned with an urban focus.

  • The Department of Educational Administration and Foundations prepares superintendents, principals, university administrators, and other educational leaders.

  • Ninety-nine percent of College of Education student teachers passed the edTPA assessment, compared with 88 percent nationally during the 2015-2016 academic year.

  • The Center for the Advancement and Support of Educational Initiatives, housed in the Department of Special Education, garnered $2.3 million in external funding during fiscal year 2014.

  • University High School and Thomas Metcalf School, the College of Education's laboratory schools, enroll around 1,000 students (pre-kindergarten through 12th grade) and serve as learning laboratories for education majors. More than 40 percent of faculty teaching at the laboratory schools have earned, or are in the process of earning, National Board Certification.

  • Our legacy is education—Illinois State is the first teacher preparation school in Illinois.

  • More Illinois State graduates have earned National Board certification, the gold standard for accomplished teaching, than alumni from any other university in the Midwest, among reporting teachers.

  • The second largest amount of financial support was provided to education majors during the 2015–2016 school year. The College of Education awarded scholarships to 168 students totaling $414,600. The Golden Apple Foundation awarded approximately 100 additional scholarships to Redbirds who are Golden Apple Scholar.

  • The Department of Special Education is one of the largest special education teacher preparation programs in the country. It has strong partnerships with school districts across the state, providing a wide range of clinical placements and collaborative opportunities.

  • Illinois State’s special education program was ranked 12 out of 185 nationwide by College Factual. In addition, the University is the eighth largest preparer of special education majors in the U.S.

  • Bilingual/bicultural elementary education graduates are highly in demand across the state and nation.

  • The Bilingual Education minor includes coursework and clinical experiences that lead to a bilingual endorsement on an Illinois Professional Educators License.

  • The School of Teaching and Learning is one of the largest preparers of elementary education teachers in the nation. More than 60 percent of students complete the yearlong, classroom-based Professional Development School (PDS) mentored internship program, offered in locations around the state.

  • ISU’s middle level teacher education program is nationally recognized by the Association for Middle Level Education.

Accreditations

School of Teaching and Learning

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations

Teacher Education Unit

  • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE became the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP) on July 1, 2014. The next accreditation review of the Teacher Education Unit at Illinois State University, in 2018-2019, will be conducted by CAEP.

Department of Special Education