Message from the Dean
Message from the Dean of the School of Education
Nationwide conversations have sparked a transformational moment in our schools of education. An incessant drum beat reminds us about the critical need to improve education for the “plug and play” generation of students that fill our schools. Over 48 million students attend 90,000 public elementary and secondary schools in over 16,000 school districts throughout the United States. Schools of education prepare their teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists, school psychologists, school and community counselors, and organizational leaders.
At Rider University, we have heard and responded to the call for transformation. The spotlight on schooling has made us keenly aware of the shortcomings of our current P-12 system. Our nation’s economic health coupled with the uncertainty about our ability to remain competitive in the global marketplace concerns us. Decreasing the high drop out rates in our nation’s urban schools and narrowing the achievement gap challenges us. Engaging the ‘digital natives’ who are growing up with computers, cell phones, iPODs, video games, and the Internet means that we must learn to communicate in different ways.
We have created a diverse set of student-centered programs that address the needs of 21st Century learners. In order to do this, the faculty, staff, and administrators working in the School of Education have developed a culture of lifelong learning. We practice what we preach by continuing to learn and improve ourselves. We have created partnerships with local schools, businesses, and government and community agencies so that we can work collaboratively to develop high-quality programs for our students.
The strengths of the Rider University School of Education enable us to function successfully in this complex educational context. We have a strong faculty with diverse backgrounds and expertise. We value excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Our professors are excellent teachers who relate well to their students. They are devoted advisors and mentors who are there for their students. Their doors are always open. Our programs are accredited by NCATE, CACREP, and NASP. In fact, we are the only private institution in New Jersey to have the NCATE accreditation.
Our two departments, graduate and undergraduate, specialize in meeting the needs of learners in various stages of life. The undergraduate teacher education faculty members are specialists in teaching college-aged students, while the graduate faculty members specialize in teaching adult learners. As you browse our site you will find the details of all of our programs, certificates, and endorsements.
Our Center for Reading and Writing was established in 1980. Its primary purpose is to provide the field experiences for graduate students earning a Master of Arts degree in Reading Language Arts. The facility is recognized locally, state and nationwide, and internationally as a model program for literacy education. More than seven thousand visitors - teachers, school psychologists, psychiatrists, school counselors, principals, reading teachers and specialists, learning disability specialists, teacher certification students and other professionals from fifty of the United States and more than twenty countries have and continue to visit in order to learn about the self-monitoring management system and strategies for guiding students to be secure literacy learners.
Another successful initiative is Rider SELECT, a collaboration between Rider’s Departments of Science and our School of Education. SELECT is dedicated to the preparation and career-long professional development of grades K-16 teachers of science and mathematics. It has four components, which include preparing future teachers, providing professional development for teachers currently in the work force, engaging in research in science and mathematics teaching and learning, and providing outreach to the community. SELECT is housed in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Center for Science Teaching and Learning, which is designed specifically to support teaching and learning science by inquiry. The Center serves as a regional hub for science and mathematics education.
Established in 2003, our CONNECT-ED (C-E) initiative is a consortium of 14 central NJ districts and independent schools, Rider and Princeton Universities, Raritan Valley Community College, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. It is dedicated to providing a coherent, sustained system of professional development for K-12 teachers of science and mathematics that models the inquiry approach to teaching and learning and organizes content around the Big Ideas in science and mathematics. Rider serves as lead institution for the Consortium.
I invite you to browse our site so that you experience the outstanding work our faculty, staff, and students are doing. Rider is an exciting place to be at this time. It is a school filled with energy and excitement as we move ahead together. Please visit our campus and stop by to say hello. I’d be delighted to speak with you.
Sharon J. Sherman
Dean and Professor of Teacher Education
