Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College: A Hub for Educational Innovation
The Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College (MLFTC) at Arizona State University (ASU) stands as a leading institution dedicated to transforming education through innovative approaches to teaching, learning, and leadership. With a strong emphasis on community service, academic research, and teacher education, MLFTC offers a comprehensive range of programs designed to prepare educators for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Comprehensive Programs and Locations
Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation administers Arizona State University's undergraduate and graduate programs in education. The college is headquartered on ASU's Tempe campus, but offers programs on all four of ASU's campuses, online and in school districts throughout the state. This widespread presence ensures accessibility for students across various locations and learning preferences. A full spectrum of degree programs include BAE, MEd, MA, MPE, EdD and PhD in fields such as early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, special education, physical education, and educational administration and supervision.
A History of Excellence and Renaming
Established in 1885, MLFTC has a long-standing tradition of excellence in education. In May 2009, ASU's education programs underwent a renaming and reorganization. The Mary Lou Fulton College of Education, which was ASU's original college of education, became the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education. This new school focused solely on graduate-level programs and research. This reorganization underscored the college's commitment to advancing educational research and preparing future leaders in the field.
Rankings and Recognition
MLFTC consistently receives high rankings and recognition for its programs and faculty. The Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai) ranked the college No.10. In the Academic Ranking of World Universities, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College is ranked No. 10 in the world for its education degrees (2019). The magazine, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, gave Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College high rankings for universities that award master's, doctoral and professional degrees to underrepresented minority students.
U.S. News & World Report has also consistently recognized MLFTC's excellence. News & World Report Best Top Education Schools 2020". News & World Report (2021). News & World Report 2021 Best Online Graduate Education Programs rankings. These honors made MLFTC the only college of education in the country to rank in the USNWR top 15 in both on-campus and online graduate education degrees. Rankings for the school continue to climb, from 35th in 2012.
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MLFTC secondary education programs, both undergraduate (2017) and graduate (2018), are ranked in the 99th percentile by the National Council on Teacher Quality, while the college's undergraduate special education program is ranked No. 1 by the NCTQ (2014).
Divisions and Strategic Initiatives
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College has two divisions: Teacher Preparation, and Educational Leadership and Innovation. The college focuses on four strategic initiatives:
- Educator Workforce Initiative: Their educator prep program is an integral part of their Educator Workforce Initiative, which aims to redesign and prepare the education workforce to meet the needs of 21st-century learners. The Next Education Workforce model, ASU supports district leaders and teachers with transforming their schools away from the traditional one-teacher-one-classroom model toward one that emphasizes large, flexible, team-based teaching structures. ASU’s flexible models focus on creating “core teams” of educators who share responsibility for teaching large classes, often from 50 to over 100 students.
- Community Design Labs: Community Design Labs that facilitate the collaborative design, prototyping and testing of solutions to touch education problems in schools.
- Contextual Model Implementation: Contextual Model Implementation that works with strategic education, funding and policy partners to implement effective models of the most promising prototypes generated.
- Gene V. K.: The college also emphasizes the importance of research and innovation through initiatives like the "Power Parasols" that provide shade and generate power outside the college building, symbolizing the college's commitment to sustainability and forward-thinking solutions.
Next Education Workforce
ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College has developed a new approach to teaching that combines a fresh staffing structure with direct support for school districts. ASU recognizes the need for district support in redesigning processes, staffing, and learning environments to accommodate this new approach. To that end, ASU works directly with school systems transitioning to the model, assisting leaders to design a structure that meets their needs.
Since 2019, ASU has partnered with Mesa Public Schools (MPS) to pilot the program, where it has since grown dramatically, with a presence in approximately 40-50% of schools districtwide. The university assists MPS by providing intensive support on challenges like developing schedules that support the larger class sizes and making the necessary culture shifts to sustain team structures and maintain positive, effective communication across its workforce. These types of transformational challenges are common in many of the districts where Next Education Workforce models are taking hold.
Beyond working directly with participating districts and schools, ASU contributes a variety of resources to the field to bolster the capacity of leaders engaging in reimagining the teaching role. This includes hosting an annual summit uniting researchers, state and district leaders, and advocates to share best practices, as well as information sessions for educators and school leaders.
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Next Education Workforce models are expected to expand to 13 states by fall 2024. As the models grow, so do ASU’s offerings. The university is currently developing a school leadership program to support principals leading within schools that use differentiated leadership models, understanding that principal buy-in is critical to the sustainability of these models. It is also working to create low-cost micro-credential opportunities and working alongside school systems to recognize these types of credentials. These short, competency-based learning programs can be completed quickly and used to provide professional development on team-teaching and teacher-leadership related topics. The model’s growth has even created a shift in how ASU prepares its teachers.
Personalized Learning and Career Preparation
As a high school senior interested in pursuing a career in Education, I was drawn to MLFTC’s individualistic and personalized learning experience, offering Academic, Career, and Wellness coaching to students. The degree program I received an offer for was Secondary Education (English). I am excited at the prospect of taking intriguing courses like TEL 308: Literacy in a Changing World and SCN 202: Sustainability Science Literacy for Engaged Global Citizens, supported by passionate and empowering faculty. In addition, the college offers a wide range of career-preparation opportunities, enabling students to apply what they have learned in class to field experiences through internships and student teaching placements. Students pursuing an undergraduate degree also have the opportunity to pursue a minor or certificate concurrently.
Legacy of Mary Lou Fulton
Its namesake, Mary Lou Fulton, was a dedicated philanthropist and ASU alumna passionate about education. Fulton’s legacy is alive in the institution’s ethos, shaping the future of education by focusing on inclusivity and innovation. MLFTC acknowledges modern day issues and takes the initiative to address them. In recent years, MLFTC launched the Next Education Workforce initiative, working to amend the education system and empower educators. Working with local school districts, the program aims to create connections between educators and provide a more personalized learning experience to students. MLFTC continues to evolve, shaping the next generation of educators eager to challenge the status quo.
Graduate Programs and Opportunities
In the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, you’ll be among some of the most innovative and effective educators. The world-renowned faculty will help you get better at what you do, advance to a leadership position or switch to an education career. The master’s degree programs deliver best-in-class preparation that will empower you to harness knowledge, mobilize people and take action to improve education. The Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College will help you to enhance your pedagogical delivery and allow you to transform your classroom. Through the graduate programs students will pursue specializations as diverse as their goals and interests.
Peace Corps Fellows are given the opportunity to identify their own internships as long as they comply with the meeting the needs of an underserved American community. The Coverdell Fellowship requires an application separate from the application to the degree program. Net cost is equal to tuition/fees minus fellowship value. For some universities, the fellowship value includes non-tuition/fee benefits such as health insurance or housing. The Fellows internship will require serving 300 hours per year in an underserved American community within the Phoenix Metropolitan-area.
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