Teaching and Leadership

At Syracuse University, the Department of Teaching and Leadership centers on innovative and inclusive education, particularly in urban education. This Department promotes high expectations for children that ensure that all children are welcomed into the general education classroom. In the Teaching and Leadership programs at Syracuse, the reality that children learn differently is taken seriously, which translates to helping students in its teacher preparation programs to plan lessons, teaching strategies, and assessment of student learning. This is done so that children can access the curriculum and show their knowledge in different ways. The Teaching and Leadership Department is committed to developing knowledgeable, innovative, thoughtful, caring, and professional educators and leaders who welcome the challenges of figuring out how to meet each individual child’s needs. Syracuse’s Teaching and Leadership program is highly regarded nationally; a number of its programs are considered to be among some of the top in the nation.

Our faculty members are prominent leaders in their fields. They author the texts used at competing universities. Continually writing and doing research, they bring the latest findings in the field into the university classroom. A large number also are quite active in creating innovative and inclusive learning environments in urban settings.  Syracuse University challenges its professors to put their “scholarship in action". Through many projects in the public schools our students participate in augmenting children’s achievement, expectations of themselves, academic motivation, and their belief that college is a possibility in their future. While very active in the “laboratory” of the public schools, the department’s faculty have chosen Syracuse University because they are committed to classroom teaching, to advising and mentoring, and to putting into the field the next generation of outstanding teachers and leaders.

The Department’s students’ hours spent in practicum work in the schools exceeds state standards by well over 100%. It is not unusual for an undergraduate to clock over 900 hours in the field prior to graduation. Students feel well prepared for student teaching and their first job, and often express their excitement about having their own classrooms in which to put theory into practice, be innovative, thoughtful, caring, and in which to raise expectations for all learners. Teacher preparation students benefit from an array of partnerships with urban school districts as well as suburban. Employers across the country, for decades, have taken note of our graduates’ excellence. School districts come from all regions of the country to interview our students for positions.   The Department is proud of its graduate's success finding teaching and leadership positions in school districts all across the country, as well as our doctoral students who are sought for tenure track positions at excellent institutions of higher learning. 

The Department invites you to read more about our programs on this website, and to contact specific professors to discuss our programs. Even better, come and meet members of the department! Join in the classes! See and feel first-hand the energy and commitment of Syracuse University to graduate the best of the best, and through them, make a difference in the lives of all children.