Next month, North Arizona University in Flagstaff will dismantle its college of education and replace it with a state-funded center for teaching excellence.
The $1-million program will expand the capabilities of the former education program and provide services to schools throughout the state, said Augustus Cotera, assistant to the university’s president.
The dismantled education school will not lose any faculty members. Existing faculty will be reassigned and new staff members will be added, Mr. Cotera said.
The structure of the college of education will be replaced with a “team-leadership approach,” according to Mr. Cotera, who said the center will focus on research on school effectiveness; development of field-based programs; the delivery of educational services; and preparation of school personnel.
“Not only will the university continue to train teachers, but students in the future will be much better prepared to enter the teaching field,” he said. “We will be more like a normal school, putting the entire university resources behind program, utilizing other resources and departments.”
The move was proposed by a university task force and has been approved by both the state board of regents, which sets Arizona’s higher-education policy, and the state board of education, Mr. Cotera said.
George N. Smith, superintendent of the Mesa Unified School District, has been named the center’s executive director.--sr
