Message from the Department Chairperson

Greetings from the Department Chairperson,
Dr. Francine Hultgren

As Chair of our newly formed department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership (TLPL), I am pleased to welcome you to our department’s new website. TLPL brings together the former departments of Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI) and Education Policy Studies (EDPS), along with the program of Organization Leadership and Policy Studies, formerly housed in the Department of Education Leadership, Higher Education, and International Education (EDHI).

This year will be one of a working transition as we create the structures and programs that bring these formerly separate units together into a single unified department. We are excited about the possibilities that our new academic community has to offer in the way of innovative programs and courses, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition, our research agenda and outreach potential will be further enhanced as we bring together a talented and diverse faculty, staff and student body, and develop new partnerships with local school districts, professional organizations and government agencies.

As a department, we are committed to the principle that educational opportunities should enable all individuals to realize their full potential as citizens in a pluralistic society and an interdependent world. To advance that ideal, the department supports cutting-edge research and offers graduate and undergraduate programs that apply a range of theoretical orientations, discipline-based perspectives and research methodologies to the study of educational problems, policies, learning processes, and learning environments, especially those housed in schools, school districts and communities. The department’s graduate programs prepare students to assume a variety of roles, including scholars, researchers, policy analysts, teacher educators, instructional specialists, curriculum developers, teachers, education leaders, and advocates. The department’s initial certification programs prepare students to assume positions as education leaders and teachers in various content areas and specializations. The department also offers education minors and general education courses for undergraduates who have an interest in educational issues but may not pursue a career in teaching. Through research, teaching, and service, the department seeks to create and sustain a diverse and responsive academic community dedicated to informing education policy and practice at the local, state, national and international levels.

We invite you to explore what our TLPL community has to offer as you visit our new TLPL website, as well as draw upon the former department websites for information about our programs, faculty, students and research. As we continue to grow, so will our website. And so as we begin, the promise of exciting new horizons awaits, and we invite you to travel with us on this journey of becoming.

Francine Hultgren
Professor and Chair, TLPL