The Campaign for the Graduate School of Education
Education for the real world
Too many of our most vulnerable youth are poorly served
by today's urban schools, creating an urgent need for the unparalleled intellectual
resources that UC Berkeley provides. "Access to quality education is the civil
rights issue of our era," says education journalist John Merrow in the
documentary "First to Worst." Berkeley's Graduate School
of Education prepares the best, brightest, and most committed educators to
lead critical change in some of our nation's most challenging learning environments. Working
with award-winning faculty to hone their skills in urban schools and to examine
the policy and cultural issues that shape education today, our graduates are
well prepared to help today's highly diverse learners succeed, changing the
world for our young people and our communities.
Preparing exemplary educators
Through rigorous graduate study and professional credentialing programs,
the Graduate School of Education (GSE) prepares aspiring teachers and administrators
to become leaders in K–12 urban schools. Closely examining the most
challenging issues in education today — diversity and equity,
learning in complex environments, and bridging research and professional
practice — we seek to open doors for all learners, especially
those in urban communities who face socioeconomic obstacles.
Today's
classroom teachers must be able to address the needs of individual students.
Gone are the days when a group of children can be taught homogeneously, when
students are expected to passively receive information from the teacher up
front. As society and technology change rapidly — affecting classroom demographics and learning styles — the
GSE is helping pedagogy to adapt.
Additionally, strong leaders are the driving force behind strong schools. For
eight years, the Principal Leadership Institute (PLI), an intensive master's
study and professional credentialing program, has been training teachers
who want to lead improvements to teaching and learning in K–12 urban
schools.
In the Oakland Unified School District alone, 28 percent
of youth are English language learners, 69 percent are economically disadvantaged,
and 54 percent do not complete high school. Focused attention on these interrelated
issues cuts across all of GSE's work. And since GSE graduates reflect the
demographics of the children they serve, they are providing an essential example and catalyst for educational equity.