About the School of Education at Cal Poly
- Welcome to the School of Education
- School of Education History
- School of Education Mission and Vision
- School of Education Learning Outcomes
- School of Education Dispositions
Welcome
Welcome to the School of Education! We are dedicated to preparing knowledgeable, skillful, and caring education professionals for positions in an increasingly diverse, technologically situated society. Please review our mission and vision, learning outcomes, and professional dispositions, which characterize our shared goals, values, and commitments.
The School serves over 300 students each year in a variety of programs:
- M.A. in Education: Counseling and Guidance, Emphasis in Higher Education
- M.A. in Education: Educational Leadership and Administration (ELAP)*
- M.A. in Education: Special Education**
- Credentials:
- Multiple Subject (Elementary)
- Single Subject (Secondary Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Physics, and Social Sciences)
- Agriculture Specialist
- Administrative Services*
- Education Specialist (Mild/Moderate Disabilities)**
- Certificate: Education Technology
*ELAP and Administrative Services: Can be completed as an integrated masters and credential program
**Special Education and Education Specialist: Can be completed as an integrated masters and credential program
In addition, our Special Projects Office initiates and conducts various K–12-oriented activities with education groups both on and off campus.
As part of the College of Science & Mathematics, the School of Education leads the campus in an all-university approach to professional education. Education faculty and content faculty from the colleges of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Liberal Arts, and Science & Mathematics collaborate to develop and offer our academically challenging programs. We also have strong partnerships with local schools, community colleges, and education agencies, as well as state and national organizations.
Our credentials and graduate degrees include a math and science education theme that provides a context for preparing teachers, administrators, and counselors. We also actively work with colleagues in the Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education (CESaME) to bring together faculty with interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for research and outreach projects that extend throughout the campus and into the community.
Please explore the links offered here to learn about our programs. If you have questions or need additional information, contact the Student Information Center at 805-756-2126 or email us at soe@calpoly.edu. Thank you for your interest in the School of Education at Cal Poly.
School of Education History
Cal Poly was first envisioned as a teachers college in 1894. By 1901, Cal Poly became a polytechnic school, with the unique mission of practical application of knowledge, which later evolved into the current “learn-by-doing” philosophy.
A curriculum in Agriculture Education, first offered in 1933, was developed when Cal Poly became the coordinating
center of the state’s Bureau of Agriculture. During the 1940s, Cal Poly began offering secondary teaching credentials
in Agriculture, Health, and Physical Education, followed by English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Elementary
Education was added in 1956 (coincident with the admission of women to Cal Poly), and programs for Counseling,
Supervision/Administration, and Special Education were added in the 1970s.
In the early years, teacher education was a department located in different schools and colleges on campus. Teacher education was reorganized as the University Center for Teacher Education in 1990, renamed the College of Education in 2004, and became the School of Education (SOE) housed in the College of Science and Mathematics in July 2009.
Throughout these changes, teacher education has been a shared responsibility of the university. This whole-campus approach is reflected in the makeup of the SOE faculty, which includes professional education faculty housed in the SOE and content education faculty housed in other Cal Poly colleges. In addition, the SOE collaborates with local public schools, community colleges, other universities, and education agencies on the goals, curriculum, and clinical experiences for its programs.
Today students can attain teaching credentials in Administrative Services, Agricultural Specialist, Multiple Subject
(elementary), and Single Subject (secondary Agriculture, English, Mathematics, Science, or Social Science), and Special
Education (mild/moderate). SOE candidates can also attain Master of Arts in Education degrees specializing in Educational
Administration and Special Education, both of which can be completed alone or in tandem with affiliated credentials, as
well as an MA only in Counseling and Guidance (emphasis in higher education). Finally, students may currently pursue
an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, offered jointly by Cal Poly and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
As teacher education completes its eighth decade at Cal Poly, programs are placing greater emphasis on the polytechnic applications. As part of the College of Science and Mathematics, the SOE shares a commitment to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and the preparation of math, science, and technology-grounded teachers, administrators, and other educators.
The School of Education is focused on meeting the demands of today’s society and economy by preparing qualified, competent, and caring professionals to serve as administrators, counselors, and teachers. All programs share a commitment to professionalism, ethical practice, and shaping change through inquiry, innovation, and social justice.
School of Education Mission
The School of Education leads the campus in an all-university approach to preparing education professionals. These professionals create, assess, and modify environments, practices, and policies to foster the achievement of each and every learner; they strive for equity in schools and society; and they are committed to inquiry and professional growth for themselves and the advancement of P-20 education.
School of Education faculty models leadership in its teaching, scholarship, and services through a grounded, reflective, learn-by-doing approach and through sustained collaborations with its education partners: P-12 schools, families, community colleges, universities, and local, state, and national agencies.
Vision
The School of Education develops and supports qualified, competent, and caring education professionals who prepare a diverse student population to become active and thoughtful participants in a democratic society.
School of Education Learning Outcomes
All candidates who complete a credential, master's degree, or doctorate in the School of Education will:
- Be Qualified, Competent, and Caring Professional Educators
- Candidates will demonstrate subject matter mastery, pedagogical and professional knowledge, and dispositions toward ethical practice that shape change as well as promote educational equity and equal access to learning for all students.
- Integrate Principles and Practices of Professional Fields to Support Student Learning
- Candidates will demonstrate the ability to translate theory into practice through Cal Poly's learn-by-doing approach, and utilize knowledge-building technologies to foster learning, mentoring, and leadership.
- Engage in Cross-Disciplinary and Collaborative Practices
- Candidates will understand the relationships of one discipline to another within their particular profession, and demonstrate the ability to establish collaborations and partnerships to enhance professional practices and support student success.
- Demonstrate Authentic Assessments Designed for Student Success, Individual Growth, and Program Improvement
- Candidates will develop and use assessments that are data-driven, involve multiple sources and opportunities, are linked to professional standards, and are used to modify programs and practices.
- Effect Sustainable Communities in a Multicultural Environment
- Candidates will assume leadership roles in schools, communities and their professional associations to shape change, ensure tolerance and inclusion, and advance principles of social justice. Candidates will promote comprehensive schooling to support educational equity for and access to college and career preparation.
- Engage in Professional Practices
- Candidates will demonstrate reflective practice, uphold professional standards, and enact dispositions for both personal growth and advancement of the education field. Candidates will initiate the practice of life-long learning by engaging in professional associations and establishing personal professional growth plans.
School of Education Dispositions
All candidates who complete a credential, master's degree, or doctorate in the School of Education will hold the following dispositions:
Professionalism
- 1.1 Responsibility and Accountability
- Acts ethically, responsibly, and with integrity, and is considerate, respectful, punctual, and appropriate in appearance, in conduct, and in all interactions with students, families, mentors, and colleagues. Is creative and self-reliant in finding solutions to problems and managing dilemmas. Is open to constructive feedback from others, manages situations of conflict and their own stress appropriately, and takes responsibility for own actions.
- 1.2 Creating Positive Climate
- Develops curricula and programs that provide equitable access to learning opportunities for each and every student and educator through both content and processes. Promotes a climate in which learning is valued and on-going. Provides choices to enable all to share in and contribute to social and intellectual life. Upholds fair and equitable standards for conduct that encourage responsibility, mutual respect, and civic values, and that safeguard the physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being of each and every student and education professional.
Ethical Practice
- 2.1 Cross-Cultural Competence
- Promotes respect for self, students, families, and cultures. Demonstrates belief that everyone can learn and values human diversity and equity in the learning environment. Examines own biases and prejudices and develops necessary awareness, attitudes, knowledge, and skills for effectively and respectfully teaching and mentoring people whose culture differs from their own.
- 2.2 Collaboration
- Actively engages in a community of learners that develops relationships, programs, and projects with colleagues in P-20 schools and educational agencies designed to improve the quality of education for each and every student and education professional. Contributes professionally to the field at local, regional, state, and national levels.
Shaping Change
- 3.1 Inquiry and Innovation
- Is prepared to engage in and fosters in others life-long learning, continuous reflection, and research (on own practice or beyond). Creates learning opportunities for self and others. Maintains currency with professional knowledge, effective and ethical practices, and scholarship in the field. Tries new methods and tools. Incorporates knowledge-building technologies; critical, creative, and metacognitive thinking; conceptual understanding; independent and interdependent problem solving; and experiential approaches to learning.
- 3.2 Social Justice
- Seeks to understand own privileges and prejudices, the stereotypes embedded in educational materials, and the cultural bias institutionalized in schools and other education-related organizations. Works toward realizing a nation and world where all have basic human rights and actively seeks to eliminate social, political, and economic inequities. Promotes social and environmental responsibility. Independently and collaboratively identifies opportunities, goals, and avenues for social and organizational development toward excellence and equity. Empowers others to achieve organizational and personal goals.