The College of Education at the University of Maryland ranks 20th in the nation among the top colleges of education by U.S. News & World Report for 2005. The Department of Counseling and Personnel Services ranks first in the nation, and nine of the ranked specialties are in the top 20, with five rankings in the top 10. College programs prepare educators, counselors, psychologists, administrators, researchers, and educational specialists. Graduates work with individuals from infancy through adulthood in schools, community agencies, colleges, and universities.

Educational programs are accredited and approved by the following: National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Maryland State Department of Education, American Psychological Association, Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Professions, and Council on Rehabilitation Education. The unit is directed by the Dean of the College of Education, Edna Mora Szymanski.

The College offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs in research- and practice-oriented specializations in six departments: Counseling and Personnel Services; Curriculum and Instruction; Education Policy and Leadership; Human Development; Measurements, Statistics and Evaluation; and Special Education. The current undergraduate enrollment is 1,138, and the graduate enrollment is 1,056.

The University of Maryland, College Park provides unique opportunities to obtain a high quality teacher education. The University's status as a Research I, flagship university means that faculty must demonstrate not only excellent teaching but must also conduct high quality research that advances knowledge about education. Maryland also offers highly diverse environments for practice and study in its urban and suburban school districts. The College is home to the Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education, which offers applied research initiatives and partnerships with area school districts to study problems related to the minority achievement gap and improving urban education.

Education professionals assume many roles, and need to draw upon many types of knowledge including knowledge of subject matter, curriculum, learners, educational goals and assessment, social context, and pedagogy. The knowledge base from these areas, including that associated with the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Ten Essentials, has guided the development of performance standards in initial teacher preparation programs in the College. As part of the state flagship institution, the College creates model teaching and teacher preparation programs involving research and service in early childhood, elementary, secondary and special education.

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers initial programs in elementary and secondary education including the following disciplines: English, mathematics, science; second language education, social studies, and foreign language education. The secondary education programs require a major in a content area associated with the teaching major. The Department houses three research centers where faculty investigate mathematics education, reading and science teaching, and its faculty are affiliated with the College's interdisciplinary Maryland Literacy Research Center.

The Department of Human Development offers an initial certification program in the area of early childhood education. The Department houses the Center for Young Children, a model laboratory preschool, and research laboratories in developmental assessment and intervention; family and child relationships; and social, emotional and cognitive development.

The Department of Special Education has initial programs leading to special education certification in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education with an emphasis on severe disabilities. Research centers focus on educational policy reform, urban special education, and the study of troubling behavior. The K-16 Council and committees provide a venue for cooperation by faculty in education and arts and sciences of education-related activities and efforts to coordinate courses and programs, and to increase the number of talented students who become certified teachers with degrees in arts and sciences.

Annual Institutional Questionnaire on Teacher Preparation: Academic Year: 2002-2003

The College of Education pass rates for the Title II reporting period for the 2002 - 2003 academic year follow: