Dean’s Message

Welcome to Florida International University’s College of Education (COE), where cutting edge research on new and vibrant ways of teacher education is being discovered.  It is my pleasure to extend a personal welcome on behalf of our faculty, staff and students.  As you explore our virtual home, you will note that our teacher education candidates receive the best education that FIU offers.  Our programs are based upon solid conceptions of teaching, learning and development. 

Our collaborative work with the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Architecture and the Arts ensures that graduates of the College are, indeed, beneficiaries of the knowledge of the University as a whole.  The interdisciplinary nature of the world makes our efforts in this area worthwhile.  As we explore ways to improve teacher education in an array of educational settings, we genuinely are committed to teachers, administrators and other school personnel preparation to meet the challenges of the 21st Century in a diversified urban area.

COE faculty in our three departments (Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and Educational and Psychological Studies) integrate theory and practice by working closely with teachers, administrators and policymakers at the local, state, and national levels.  They eschew the traditional theory-practice dichotomy; they help frame important policy discussions on teacher education; and, they provide invaluable service as participants at the local, state, national and professional organizations.  These connections provide opportunities for our students to be exposed to the day-to-day challenges that they will encounter in their professional lives.  The COE faculty continues to be creative as scholars, researchers and teachers.  Most recently, the College’s research efforts attracted more than $3,765, 973 in funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Annenberg Foundation, Children’s Trust and the Kauffman Foundation.  Outstanding leadership positions in professional organizations include among others, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and Comparative and International Education Society (CIES).

We are proud of our more than 17,000 alumni, the vast majority of whom are K-12 and college and university professionals, counselors, administrators, special education teachers, and the others who work in our community.  Indeed, FIU provides more than half of the teachers for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the fourth largest school district in the country.  Through our alumni, the College promotes learning, social equity and cultural diversity and helps influence the development of pre-K-12 students as well as the overall development of South Florida.

I welcome your interest in the FIU College of Education.  I take this opportunity to reiterate that with the support of our Provost, Dr. Ronald Berkman, and President, Dr. Modesto Maidique, the College of Education will continue to be actively involved in teacher education for the considerable future.

Kingsley Banya
Interim Dean

updated: 07/17/08