Education

New UWF School of Education brings synergy and innovation to professional educators

University of West Florida’s new School of Education uses action and innovation to shape the future of professional educators. The new school launched on July 1, 2022.

UWF faculty and several alumni assist with teaching and reading to children at the Children's Defense Fund Freedom School of the Central Gulf Coast on June 24, 2021 at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church in Pensacola, Florida.

Professional educator roles vary from teachers, specialists and coaches to organizational administrators and curriculum designers. The UWF School of Education was developed to concert and optimize the variety of learning opportunities and career pathways available to students.

The School of Education, in the College of Education and Professional Studies, replaces two former CEPS departments, Educational Research and Administration, and Teacher Education and Educational Leadership.

“The School of Education brings together faculty talent and student interest, in cooperation with the district and school partnerships throughout the region, to realize synergies and drive new initiatives,” said William Crawley, dean of UWF’s College of Education and Professional Studies. “Recent years have brought about a number of complex social challenges, and exploring interdisciplinary strategies and innovations is a charge the School of Education is well positioned to receive.”

Highlights of the new School of Education include pragmatic research grounded in improvement-science and focused on providing support to educational environments; the capacity to incrementally and methodically progress teachers’ teaching and classroom skills through innovative programs such as teach-to-avatar technology; and enhanced high-impact learning opportunities through community partnerships at C.A. Weis Elementary School, Central Gulf Coast CDF Freedom Schools, Dixon School of Arts and Sciences and the National Flight Academy.

The School of Education offers degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels on UWF’s Pensacola campus or online. All initial teacher certification programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the only CHEA-recognized national accreditor for educator preparation.

For more information about UWF’s School of Education, visit uwf.edu/education.