About Us

Advancing Excellence & Equity in Education

Positioned within one of the highest-ranked, most diverse public research universities in the country and led by top experts in the field, the Rutgers Graduate School of Education has served as a vehicle for championing revolutionary change in the field of education for nearly 100 years. Our instructional programs, grounded in empirical research and developed with the goal of immersing students in opportunities for active, multimodal application of coursework, prepare graduates to be effective education practitioners, transformative education leaders, and accomplished educational researchers. The rich cultural, linguistic, and social diversity of the New Jersey school system serves as a backdrop for our pre-service teachers, where they train, study, and contribute to, as they develop the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to become agents for positive change, both locally and in educational settings around the world. Through this process, one involving rigorous examination and applied practice, the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University and the collective work of our student body, faculty, community partners, and alumni, contribute to greater expansion of knowledge and overarching mission to Advance Excellence and Equity in Education.

Mission Statement

The Rutgers University Graduate School of Education is dedicated to the study and improvement of education. The creation of knowledge about teaching and learning is central to our mission. We seek to ensure that all children and adults have access to high quality educational programs. As such, our work addresses the cognitive, social, organizational, cultural, linguistic, developmental, and policy dimensions of education. Our instructional programs are designed to produce graduates who become effective educational practitioners, transformative educational leaders, and accomplished educational researchers. Our partnerships and service contributions focus on New Jersey but extend to both national and global communities.

Vision Statement

We aspire to bring distinction to Rutgers by conducting research and improving practice in relation to three pressing issues in education: (i) meeting the needs of diverse learners, (ii) using emerging digital pedagogical tools effectively, and (iii) addressing the equity and adequacy of financial, human, and social resources for PK-12 and higher education.

GSE Strategic Plan Overview

The GSE seeks to gain national and international distinction as a center for research and innovation in three areas. These areas have points of intersection, as scholarship on diversity, equity, and social justice can intersect with research in STEM education and with research on effective teaching and learning, and research on STEM education often involves a focus on effective teaching and learning.  Nevertheless, we seek to develop these as distinct and focused areas of scholarship.

1. Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice. This interdisciplinary research area focuses on a cluster of issues related to these three critical democratic values. This area could include such units of analysis as social class, ethnicity, language, race, gender and sexual identity, religion, and other forms of human diversity; such policy questions as the opportunity gap, school to prison pipeline, public school finance, and globalization; and such theoretical considerations as inequality, human and civil rights, ideology, and ethics, among others.
2. STEM Education. Research on STEM education addresses a broad range of issues related to promoting more effective learning and teaching in the disciplines of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).  Scholarship addresses diverse topics such as the development of effective learning environments to support student growth, promoting more effective reasoning practices, assessment in STEM, understanding teaching quality, the professional development of teachers, social justice in STEM education, integration of STEM with other parts of the curriculum, and promoting interest in STEM careers.
3. Effective Teaching and Learning. This research area will focus on research and design innovation in the area of teaching, learning, and effective educational practice in multiple contexts and across the lifespan.  Relevant topics in this area could include culturally responsive pedagogy, curriculum design, effective instruction, technology integration, pedagogical content knowledge, professional development, and learning science.

The GSE also seeks to attain operational excellence with a strong, positive organizational culture:

1. A Diverse, Collaborative Community: GSE stakeholders will build a diverse, inclusive, collaborative, and innovative community dedicated to achieving the school’s strategic goals.
2. Trust and Respect: The GSE will be a workplace where individuals and their work are treated with trust, mutual appreciation, and respect.
3. Effectiveness and Responsiveness: The GSE will become highly effective and responsive in work directed at our strategic goals.
4. Develop new and innovative sources of revenue: The GSE will seek to generate increased revenue, identify and cultivate new and sustainable sources of revenue, and become financially independent.