College of Education Strategic Plan

College of Education Strategic Plan

In 2018, the College of Education launched its new five-year strategic plan. To develop this plan, we challenged ourselves to think critically about the College of Education’s past and tried to imagine its future at what feels like a moment of reflection for our society politically, economically and culturally.

Just over a year ago, FSU released its new strategic plan, The Future is Florida State. The University plan looks outward, to Florida’s borders and far beyond, and articulates the role that FSU will play as a public university in service to the people of our state as well as a tier-one research institution with worldwide impact. In crafting COE’s strategic plan, we strived to ensure that our plan aligns with the University’s and contributes to the achievement of its goals.

The University plan describes Florida as a bellwether, pointing out: “Demographically, economically, environmentally, politically—the consensus is clear: If you want to know what the future of the United States will look like, look to Florida today.” We would add this: If you want to know what the future of teaching and learning should look like, look to FSU’s College of Education today.

Our vision for the COE is especially important now, at a moment when American public schools and the colleges of education that prepare teachers and leaders for them are confronting important questions: How can we enhance educational access and success for an increasingly diverse student population and, in the process, better address widening income inequality? What learning environments and pedagogies will prepare students with the tools of inquiry necessary to seek evidence-based truths and confront “alternative facts?” What skills and experiences are needed to ensure that graduates are prepared not only for the careers they will enter but also for meaningful civic commitments? And most importantly, how can education be a tool for greater social justice? These are some of the questions that have motivated our strategic planning. The search for their answers will push us forward in designing and implementing initiatives to achieve the goals of this plan.