College of Education Web Release

NEWS RELEASE
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MOVES UP TO RANK

22^nd IN 2002 U.S. NEWS & World Report SURVEY
Education Policy Program Jumps to 9^th

Counseling and Personnel Services Department is 1^st

Special Education is 10^th

COLLEGE PARK, MD (March 31, 2001) - The University of Maryland's College of Education is ranked 22nd in the nation, according to the latest U.S News & World Report survey, released today.

ADDITIONAL RANKINGS RELEASED APRIL 2ND INCLUDED AT THE END OF THIS RELEASE

"Our rise in the U.S. News rankings to 22nd puts us in the company of the nation’s premier colleges of education," said Edna Mora Szymanski, Dean of the College of Education. "Our Counseling and Personnel Services department is first in the nation, and our Special Education department retained its position as tenth."

New to the ranks of top 10 programs is the Education Policy program in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership, according to the 2002 U.S. News survey for 2002.

"We are quite pleased with this ranking, which reflects some truly outstanding faculty members and a new chair, Kenneth Strike, who is a member of the National Academy of Education," Szymanski said. "The addition of the Education Policy ranking means that we have rankings in the top 10 in the nation in three of the college's six departments, according to U.S. News & World Report. Each of our other three departments have at least one program ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News or another venue."

"This affirms that our excellence in research and teaching is recognized for what we’ve known all along: our programs are built around faculty scholars who are leading researchers in their disciplines," she added. "We take our responsibility as a leading graduate school of education seriously and we will continue our vigorous efforts to be a leader among the best." Last year, the college was ranked 23^rd in the nation

On Monday, April 2, 2001, U.S. News & World Report will release the entire survey and results for programs, and the college expects additional rankings within the top 25 for several departments and programs

The 2002 edition of the U.S. News & World Report guide hits newsstands on April 2, the same day the guidebook will go on sale, according to the Washington, D.C.-based publisher. The survey's rankings and methodology explanations can be found on the magazine's web site: www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/eduhome.htm

Addendum - 4/2/01

University of Maryland, College Park

College of Education

U.S. News & World Report Rankings

April 2, 2001

The College of Education has made significant gains in U.S. News & World Report Rankings. Following are highlights of the 2002 rankings, released on April 2, 2001, in comparison with previous rankings.

The College of Education moved up from a 3-way tie for 23^rd last year to a 3-way tie for 22^nd this year. We are tied with University of Georgia and Boston College.
Three of the college's six departments are themselves or have programs ranked in the top 10 in the nation.

The Counseling and Personnel Services Department remained firmly ranked 1^st in the nation.
Education Policy, a major component of the Education Policy and Leadership Department, moved up to 9^th. (The specialty was not listed in last year's rankings.)
The Special Education Department moved from a 2-way tie for 10^th with Syracuse to a firm 10^th place.

The college is ranked in the top 20 in all other specialties in education in which it has programs.

Administration and Supervision, a program in the Education Policy and Leadership Department, moved from 21 (tied with Texas A&M) last year to 13 (tied with Illinois) this year.
The Curriculum and Instruction Department moved from 21 (tied with Johns Hopkins and Colorado-Boulder) to a firm 17.
Educational Psychology, a program in the Department of Human Development, remained in a 2-way tie for 13.
Elementary Education, a program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, moved from 19 (tied with Connecticut) to 15 (tied with Arizona State and U. Florida).
Higher Education Administration, another program in the Education Policy and Leadership Department, moved from 17 to 14.
Secondary Education, another program in the Curriculum and Instruction Department, moved from below 23 to 18 (tied with Texas A&M).

The only education specialty ranked by U.S. News & World Report in which we were not in the top 20 was Vocational/Technical Education. We no longer have that specialty in the college.

In this web edition, U.S. News & World Report reported last year's rankings for two of our specialties in which surveys were not conducted this year.

Social/Philosophical Foundations, a program in the Educational Policy and Leadership Department, was ranked 19^th, in a 4-way tie.
Rehabilitation Counseling, Counseling and Personnel Services Department program, which is ranked in the Health Profession category, was ranked 15^th in a 3-way tie.

Our rise in the U.S. News rankings to 22nd puts us in the company of the nation’s premier colleges of education. This spectacular, college-wide rise in the rankings is due to the combination of the hard work of outstanding faculty, staff, and students and the continued strategic focus of the college. Additionally, it reflects some of our new additions, including Kenneth Strike, the new chair of Education Policy and Leadership, who is a member of the National Academy of Education.

End Addendum - updated 4/2/01

-end-

For more information on the College of Education, visit: www.education.umd.edu

To read the University of Maryland's news release on the rankings, visit: www.inform.umd.edu/nowandthen/news/ranking2001.html

For more information, contact Deborah Hudson, Director of Public Relations, at: dh219@umail.umd.edu

3-31-01