GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida College of Education maintained its Top 20 rating among the nation’s public education schools, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 Best Graduate Education Schools survey, released today (March 16, 2016).
The rankings continued to place UF as No. 1 among education colleges in Florida and first among public universities in the Southeast.
Two College of Education academic programs remained in the top 10 specialty areas: special education at No. 5 and counselor education, which moved up three spots to No. 6. Two programs made the second top 10, with curriculum and instruction at No. 17 and elementary teacher education at No. 19.
For these rankings of on-campus programs, U.S. News surveyed 376 graduate education schools granting doctoral degrees, with 225 providing the necessary data to be calculated in 10 key quality measures. Counting all educational institutions — private and public — the college ranked No. 30.
The college registered gains in several of the survey’s key metrics—its ratio of doctoral students per faculty instructor and its funded research activity.
During 2015, education faculty members were awarded $20.8 million in external funding, a 5 percent increase from the prior year, the U.S. News report showed.
“These rankings provide further evidence that the College of Education is emerging as one of the nation’s very best in preparing educators and creating innovations in 21st century education,” said Glenn Good, the college’s dean.
“Our college plays a leading role in advancing the University of Florida toward its goal of becoming one of the nation’s preeminent research universities.”
These ratings for on-campus graduate programs come only two months after U.S. News rated the College of Education’s distance education offerings No. 1 — America’s best online graduate education program. The e-learning program also earned the nation’s highest score for student admissions selectivity, considered a metric for the high quality of students enrolled in the program.
Below are highlights of notable developments and research at the College of Education that are gaining notice.
- The new UF Coaching Academy is re-imagining teacher professional development to improve classroom teaching, school leadership and student achievement.
- The Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies is increasing its influence and impact with its interdisciplinary approach on children’s development and learning from birth to age 5.
- The college’s new Center of Excellence in Elementary Teacher Preparation is allowing education professors to work with the local school district to pioneer new strategies and best practices for transforming elementary teacher preparation statewide.
- The UFTeach program, a collaboration between the colleges of Education and of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is recruiting top math and science majors on campus to prepare them to become effective instructors to teach these vital subjects to middle and high schoolers.
- Aided by $25 million in federal support, UF special education faculty are helping multiple states strengthen their professional standards and methods for preparing teachers and leaders serving students with disabilities.
- The college’s “education innovation incubator,” the UF Lastinger Center for Learning, is developing and field-testing novel learning system models to transform teaching and learning, and promote healthy child development across the state and beyond.
“The top rankings are a testament to the dedication and commitment of the entire College of Education community,” Dean Good said. “But the most important way we measure our success is how well we are helping to solve educational challenges and strengthen our society.”
View the complete U.S. News Best Graduate Education Schools rankings.
SOURCES: Glenn Good, 352-273-4135; Tom Dana, associate dean, UF College of Education, 352-273-4134
WRITER: Charles Boisseau, news and communications office, UF College of Education, 352-273-4449