The School of Education

The School of Education seeks to enrich knowledge and practice related to lifespan learning, based on the most current and appropriate research and practice. The school's goal is to improve human understanding through programs and activities that emphasize creative uses of human effort, technology, leadership, and problem solving.

The school offers an extensive and comprehensive array of diverse graduate, doctoral, and certificate programs that encompass all aspects of the educational field. Students who graduate from Drexel are prepared for successful careers in a variety of non-traditional fields of education through master's degree programs such as Applied Behavior Analysis, Educational Administration, and Education Improvement and Transformation. 

The school also offers Pennsylvania Department of Education-approved programs to certify students who already hold bachelor’s degrees to be teachers in elementary education (grades PreK-4 with an emphasis on STEM subjects), secondary education (in biology, chemistry, earth and space science, English, general science, mathematics, physics or social studies), and K-12 education. Special education, teaching English as a second language, reading specialist, Wilson Language® Level 1, school psychology, principal and superintendent certifications are also available. Individuals who complete the minimum requirements are eligible for PA Instructional I teaching certificate and have the option to continue coursework to fulfill requirements in the graduate teaching learning and curriculum (initial certification track) master’s degree program.

Other master’s degree programs are also available to those who already have teacher certification and/or do not wish to obtain a teaching certificate. Students who would like to pursue the teaching English as a second language, reading specialist special education, principal or superintendent certification must already have Pennsylvania Instructional I certification, satisfactory professional school experience on a state-issued certificate appropriate for the assignment, or appropriate equivalent.

Majors

Minors

Certificates

Resources for Students

Th School of Education provides a variety of resources designed to help students achieve optimal success in their area of study.  Each distinct entity provides programming, services and, resources designed to creatively meet student's individual needs.

The Field Placement Office (FPO) within the School of Education is responsible for accepting and evaluating placement requests for all stages of clinical experiences within the Teacher Education Program. The FPO works with university partnering schools and school districts to coordinate appropriate and carefully matched placements ensuring that students are exposed to a variety of cultures, economic backgrounds, and diverse settings.

The Early Career Practitioner Institute (ECPI) is designed to provide ongoing professional development and classroom-based support to Drexel Teacher Certification candidates for a period of two years after they complete their certification program. This support initiative was constructed as a commitment to our graduates, and is provided at no additional cost to the alumni.

Early Childhood Education teachers can earn a significant discount on tuition through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Pennsylvania Scholarship. Drexel University School of Education is a proud partner of T.E.A.C.H. to help students earn preK-4 teacher certification through our Bachelors of Education, Post-Bachelors Teaching Certificate and MS in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum.

The Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation was established as an outgrowth of the research of E. Paul Torrance, internationally renowned authority on creativity. The Torrance Center seeks to provide a number of services in creativity and innovation, including curating and interpreting the latest research for academic and corporate settings; cultivating skills in critical thinking, innovative leadership practices, and problem-solving techniques; and helping national and international corporations, organizations and educational institutions to develop in-house expertise to foster problem-solving and creative assessment. For more information, please call Dr. Larry Keiser, co-Director of the Torrance Center at 215.895.1276 or email keiserlj@drexel.edu.

The School of Education's Global Education Colloquium series allows all School of Education Students, including those in the MS in Global and International Education, the opportunity to hear research presentations from world-renowned scholars in the field of Global Education. The topics presented are the result of research spanning the full range of learning, teaching and training topics including international studies, higher education, peace education, social justice, inequality, politics of knowledge, policy, leadership and organizational change.

The Critical Conversations in Urban Education Lecture Series is the School of Education's vehicle for critical dialogue and continuing education on issues important to the education of youth in urban settings, including Philadelphia. The series seeks to connect the academic and broader communities together for collaboration, understanding, and support that empower urban schools, educators, families, and students.

Students in Drexel University's School of Education EdD and PhD programs have the opportunity to present preliminary research for their dissertation at our monthly Doctoral Student Colloquiums. Each month, one Drexel University School of Education PhD student and one EdD student present their research before an audience of Drexel students, faculty and professional staff. Students also submit a research brief that is included in a journal created by the School of Education.

Education Faculty

Ayana Allen, PhD (Texas A&M University ). Associate Professor. Urban education; Identity construction in school contexts; Urban school transformation.
Kristen Betts, EdD (George Washington University). Clinical Professor. Higher education administration and governance, online blended education, instructional design and educational technology, program assessment and evaluation.
Eric Brewe, PhD (Arizona State University) Associate Dean for Graduate Education. Professor. Physics Education Research, introductory course reform, network analysis in learning, neuromechanisms of learning.
José Luis Chávez, EdD (University of Southern California). Clinical Professor. Higher education leadership and administration.
James Connell, PhD (Louisiana State University) Founding Clinical Core Director and Research Fellow, A.J. Drexel Autism Institute. Associate Professor. Identifying the variables that influence adult behavior change in community settings; autism intervention; widespread dissemination of evidence-based interventions in school and community settings.
Kareem Edouard, PhD (Stanford University). Assistant Professor. Educational technology; internet-based STEM learning; equity and inclusion in STEM education
Salvatore V. Falletta, EdD (North Carolina State University). Clinical Professor. Human Resource intelligence (i.e., HR research and analytics practices); HRD assessment, measurement, and evaluation models and taxonomies; organizational diagnostic models; web-based employee and organizational survey methods, and computational modeling.
Aroutis N. Foster, PhD (Michigan State University) Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies. Professor. Educational psychology and educational technology, especially the following: Motivation; Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK); Immersive Interactive Digital Environments (simulation, games, virtual realities.
Dominic F. Gullo, PhD (Indiana University). Professor. Studying the relative and long-range effects of early schooling experiences in prekindergarten and kindergarten on children's achievement and social adaptation to school routine.
H. Bernard Hall, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Professor. Hip-hop Pedagogy, English Education, Urban Teacher Education.
Michael J. Haslip, PhD (Old Dominion University). Assistant Professor. Early childhood education, social and emotional learning, child guidance strategies, effects of public pre-school attendance.
Colin Hennessy Elliott, PhD (New York University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Learning sciences, justice-oriented STEM teacher education, informal STEM learning, power, agency, solidarity & identity development, community-based STEM learning.
Deanna Hill, JD, PhD (University of Pittsburgh). Associate Clinical Professor. Higher education, international education, education law, education policy
Erin Horvat, PhD (University of California, Los Angeles) Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Professor. Urban education, access and equity, high school dropout, parent involvement/family involvement, community engagement in research.
Jennifer Katz-Buonincontro, PhD (University of Oregon) Associate Dean of Research. Associate Professor. Educational administration, leadership development, survey & instrument design.
Cameron Kiosoglous, PhD (Virginia Tech University) Program Director. Assistant Clinical Professor. Coached on the USRowing National Team staff since 2002, including the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games; coaching development; measuring coaching quality; self-insight and reflective practices; coaching leadership; conference presenter; published author.
Valerie Klein, PhD (Amherst College). Associate Clinical Professor. Mathematics learning and teaching; teacher's use of formative assessment in mathematics; creating opportunities for rich problem solving in the classroom; examining teachers growth and change; qualitative research methods.
Michael G. Kozak, Ed.D. (Rowan University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Leadership, STEAM, online and blended learning environments, systems thinking, experiential learning, K-12 education, and facilitating change
Amanda Lannie, PhD (Syracuse University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Applied behavior analysis and special education; School-based consultation; system-wide interventions as a mechanism for delivery supports to all students; Designing effective and efficient interventions for students with emotional/behavioral disorders.
Vera Lee, EdD (University of Pennsylvania) Department Chair for Teaching, Learning & Curriculum. Associate Clinical Professor. Practitioner Research in online courses to explore inservice/preservice teachers’ emerging understandings about issues of diversity; the development of information/digital literacies of urban youth; English language learners.
Kristine Lewis-Grant, PhD (Temple University). Clinical Professor. Experiences of students of African descent at predominantly white colleges and universities, college access and college student development, youth civic engagement in urban school reform, qualitative research and evaluation.
Constance Lyttle, PhD, JD (University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University). Clinical Professor. Legal rights of gifted and talented children and children with disabilities; inclusive education of exceptional children; special education mediation; special education IEP/IFSP facilitation; resolution session facilitation
Kate Piselli, PhD (Duquesne University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Best practices in universal screening and assessment, correlaes of cognitive, academic, and social-emotional functioning.
Harriette Rasmussen, EdD (Fielding Graduate University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Educational leadership and change.
Jason Silverman, PhD (Vanderbilt University). Professor. Teaching and learning of advanced mathematical ideas (algebra and calculus); improving teachers' ability to orchestrate and sustain inquiry-based and discussion-based instruction; technology in mathematics education.
Janet Sloand, EdD (Duquesne University) Department Chair for Teaching, Learning & Curriculum. Associate Clinical Professor. Special Education Leadership, Trauma-informed care, Parent engagement in special education service delivery.
Bridget Sweeney Blakely, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Consultation; Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS); Response to Intervention (Rtl); Systems-level change; performance feedback
Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, EdD (University of Pennsylvania). Associate Clinical Professor. Early literacy development, learning differences, knowledge construction, urban education.
Sarah P. Ulrich, EdD (Saint Joseph’s University) Associate Dean of Teacher Education and Undergraduate Affairs. Clinical Professor. Cross-cultural, language and academic development, school reform, teacher preparation, teacher retention, teacher residencies in urban contexts.
Sheila Vaidya, PhD (Temple University). Professor. Educational psychology, school psychology, research design.
Christina Vorndran, PhD (Louisiana State University) Program Director, Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education. Clinical Professor. Designing effective and efficient community-based interventions, Severe behavior disorders, Functional behavior assessment
Christopher G. Wright, PhD (Tufts University). Assistant Professor. Engineering and science education, Urban education, elementary teacher education.

Emeritus Faculty

Mary Jo Grdina, PhD (Case Western Reserve University). Clinical Professor. Undergraduate studies, science education, curriculum design.
Joyce Pittman, PhD (Iowa State University of Science and Technology). Clinical Professor. Curriculum and instruction K-16; teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL); instructional design business education and administration; industrial and career technology; oral and written communication; research methodology; instructional and assistive technology assessment; online learning pedagogy
Fredricka K. Reisman, PhD (Syracuse University) School of Education, Founder, Drexel School of Education. Professor Emerita. Director, Freddie Reisman Center for Translational Research in Creativity and Motivation, Creator and Former Director-Creativity and Innovation Programs, Co-Director- Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation, Drexel University Named Recognition- Freddie Reisman Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity Awards