The Division of Education at the University of California, Davis, will be reconstituted as a full School of Education, the campus announced today. The school will work with K-12 schools, other campus departments, and other universities and colleges to train teachers and improve school teaching. It will also train the future teacher educators and leaders of the public school system through expanded graduate programs. "Establishment of a School of Education is an important step for the campus. It builds on our Division of Education and reaffirms UC Davis' commitment and obligation as a land grant university to direct attention and resources to critically important societal needs," said Provost Robert Grey. "I am especially enthusiastic about the distinctive design of the new school, which provides a viable way for interested faculty members from all sectors of the campus to contribute to programs that address the serious issues facing K-12 education in California." The new school will help California's public schools meet the challenges of rising enrollments, increasing diversity, and the demand for greater accountability, said UC Davis professor emeritus Merna Villarejo, representing the committee that drew up the proposal. "The goal is to make education an important focus of the campus," said Villarejo. "Establishment of the school is another step in the continuing evolution of the campus's response to the challenges of K-12 education. We've grown from a department to a division and now to a school. Our missions of research, teaching and service may have an even broader impact on educators and educational practice than previously," said interim division director Jonathan Sandoval. The size of the faculty would increase to 30 full-time positions, 11 more than the current allocation, said Sandoval. He estimated that the number of undergraduate minors served and the number of M.A. and Ph.D. students would increase substantially. Plans were already under way to increase the number of teachers credentialed from 120 at present to up to 190 per year, he said. The proposal shows the substantial commitment the campus is making to education, said Villarejo. UC Davis' statement of intent to reconstitute the division as a school has now been sent to the UC Office of the President, and will also pass through the UC Davis Academic Senate and the statewide UC Academic Senate before approval. Villarejo said that the committee expected systemwide support for the proposal. The school would likely come into being in the first half of 2002. The search for a Dean would begin immediately, said Villarejo. "A hallmark of the new school will be its interdisciplinary ties to the larger campus, and its commitment to collaborating with our partners, the schools and teachers in our region," said faculty member Patricia Gandara, who served on the new college committee. The Division of Education already collaborates with other campus departments, other UC and California State University campuses, and K-12 schools through a number of programs. These include the Graduate Group in Education, the Joint Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, the Center for Cooperative Research and Extension Services for Schools (CRESS), and teacher credentialing programs. The new school would enlarge and improve these programs, said Villarejo. Faculty from other departments will be involved in research and teaching through institutes within the school. Initially, up to three institutes are proposed. Suggested topics for the institutes are mathematics and science, language and literacy, and the social context of schooling. "These collaborative programs have been very successful in bringing faculty from different disciplines together, and the committee felt that it was important to continue this working approach," said Sandoval. Villarejo and Sandoval emphasized that the school would train both teachers, and teacher educators. The division currently offers fifth-year teacher credentials and an undergraduate minor in education, as well as M.A., Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs. Teachers trained by UC schools often become leaders in the public school system, and graduates of doctoral programs become leaders on the faculty of schools of education, said Sandoval. "Part of the preparation they receive at UC Davis is a focus on research and reflection. Our graduates make a difference wherever their careers take them," he said. Division faculty members were enthusiastic about the proposal. "I'm thrilled that the university is embracing the opportunity to work at developing and improving K-12 schools, preparing better teachers, and transmitting and sharing the original work done at the university with the greater public," said teacher education supervisor Rick Pomeroy. "The affirmation by the campus of the work we do is most gratifying, and we are pleased and grateful for the support we are receiving. With the development of the new School of Education, we expect to be able to have a major impact on the education of students in this region and far beyond," said Gandara. CRESS Director Jill Wilson also welcomed the proposal. "I'm looking forward to the research and development opportunities that the new school will bring to CRESS," she said.