About

Advancing Education through the Preparation of Leaders

Committed to preparing future teachers and current education professionals to be successful leaders in their fields, the TELS department focuses on using digital technologies and innovation to provide the tools needed to promote effective learning within teachers’ own classrooms. We address current challenges with a commitment to equity and social justice and an ongoing view toward the future of education.

Our teacher preparation programs include both an emphasis on middle grade Language Arts and Social Studies and a focus on STEM-based elementary education that are unique among undergraduate programs. Students graduate with a dedication to providing children the experiences they need to succeed.

Advanced degree options at both the master’s and doctoral level are designed to impart the deep content knowledge and research skills needed to create critical thinkers. Students work hand-in-hand with award-winning faculty on research projects funded through grants to examine real-world 21^st century topics such as teacher effectiveness, educational psychology, global engagement, digital technologies and more.

Benefitting from a program that encourages student collaboration, our graduates are equipped to make ethical, logical decisions in the workplace while continually exploring new ways of learning within their discipline. Students have all the advantages of being connected to a large university in the fast-rising city of Raleigh while maintaining a small college feel with personalized classroom attention and the post-graduate support it takes to succeed in their careers.

TELS Mission

The Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences advances education through scholarship, leadership, and advocacy. We prepare professionals who are committed to equity and social justice, have deep content knowledge, demonstrate strong working knowledge of effective pedagogies, and realize the potential of digital technologies to enhance learning. We shape the field of education by engaging in research that addresses current challenges, and by participating in cross-disciplinary work that deals with real problems in forward-looking ways.  The department exemplifies an innovative merging of teacher education and the learning sciences that results in new pathways for teaching, scholarship, leadership, and service. The preparation that our students receive is unmatched in scope, priorities, and outcomes, assuring that our graduates are able to make profound contributions to education and society.