Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry

Chair's Welcome

Gail Burnaford Welcome to the Department of Curriculum, Culture and Educational Inquiry!

We are a dynamic, globally-oriented group that works collaboratively across four program areas: Curriculum and Instruction, TESOL/ Bilingual Education, Multicultural Education and Early Childhood Education. We are engaged in the educational community – locally and internationally - through our scholarship, teaching and service activities. Our professional experiences span numerous countries: Bahrain, Belize, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Haiti, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Scotland, Singapore, and Turkey. Our research and scholarship encompass a range of epistemologies and interests that are grounded in a commitment to equity, democracy and human rights. These interests include: teacher professional development, critical literacy, immigrant education, multiculturalism in teacher education, family literacy, internationalization, arts integration, early childhood curriculum, environmentalism, Holocaust and human rights education, second language acquisition and assessment.

We are proud of our programs of study that support the college’s commitment to diversity, comprise engaging and meaningful coursework, and are offered within a caring community of learners.

Our department is home to seven academic programs:

  1. The Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction where you will meet an engaged and talented group of doctoral students.
  2. The Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction. This newly revised program includes a community -based independent study that uniquely serves the scholar practitioner in educational settings.
  3. The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction that includes the following areas of specialization:
    • Art (K-12)
    • English/Language Arts (6-12)
    • TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, which leads to TESOL endorsement)
    • Foreign Language (French, Spanish, K-12)
    • Holocaust and Human Rights Education (not related to certification)
    • Mathematics (6-12)
    • Music (K-12)
    • Reading (K-12) (combines reading and curriculum; leads to endorsement but does not lead to certification as a reading teacher)
    • Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, 6-12)
    • Social Studies (6-12)
  4. The M.Ed. in Social Foundations of Education: Multicultural Education dedicated to support educators’ success in contexts of diversity
  5. The M. A. in TESOL and Bilingual Education. An internationally-oriented degree that welcomes students from around the world, developed through a grant from the US Department of Education.
  6. The M. Ed. in Early Childhood Education that draws on the university’s lab school, for authentic learning experiences
  7. The Bachelor’s in Early Care and Education, a program in collaboration with the Department of Exceptional Student Education

We partner with educational institutions in the community on special contracts for site-based educational programming and our faculty stand ready to support teacher development through courses, workshops and/ or training.

Please visit our website to learn more about us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Gail Burnaford, Ph.D.
Interim Chair
Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry


Mission Statement

We are educators committed to preparing and supporting professionals in the service of schools and society in diverse local, national, and global settings. Our teaching, scholarship, and service integrate established and emerging theory, research, and practice. Programs and course work in our department incorporate the fields of Curriculum and Instruction, Multicultural and Global Education, TESOL/ Bilingual Language Education and Early Childhood Education. Faculty and student activities involve schools, universities, workplaces and community organizations; and address the challenges of a diverse, rapidly changing, and increasingly technological society.

We fulfill our mission by preparing informed, capable, ethical, and reflective decision-makers who:

  • Consistently facilitate and participate in professional development for themselves and others in the profession
  • Are critical thinkers who value diverse national and international perspectives
  • Possess and utilize the skills to engage in credible interdisciplinary inquiry and dialogue to bring about positive change in their own professional environment
  • Contribute to the professional discourse regarding curriculum, learning, and teaching
  • Develop curriculum and facilitate learning that promote the ideals of a democratic society and support equitable education for all

Updated January 2, 2013