Rise in rankings reflects School of Education’s ongoing priority to address critical needs
Rankings rise reflects School of Education's commitment to research & scholarship that directly impacts the needs of students, families and communities Photo by Norma Mortenson
In the U.S. News & World Report 2023 rankings of best graduate schools released earlier this month, the William & Mary School of Education joins the William & Mary Raymond A. Mason School of Business and the William & Mary Law School in advancing compared to last year, reflecting continued dedication to the values and vision of William & Mary.
As noted in William & Mary’s announcement of the 2023 U.S. News & World Report rankings, the School of Education jumped 12 spots to 58 in the country. Criteria used to evaluate Education schools include research activity, academic excellence of entering students, faculty resources and ratings from education school deans and human resources professionals on program quality. Superintendents and those hiring new educators note the quality of W&M graduates entering the field.
“These rankings reflect our priority to conduct research and scholarship of consequence, one of our strongly held values,” said W&M School of Education Dean Robert C. Knoeppel. “Our research expenditures have increased 72% compared to last year through ongoing community-engaged projects directly impacting children, communities and families across the Commonwealth and beyond. These projects include critical areas such as learning loss from COVID, leadership preparation, the teacher shortage and accessible mental health services. This is truly a moment of great pride, with all credit to the faculty and center staff.”
In 2022, the School of Education’s research expenditures totaled $6.9 million, while in 2023 they increased to $11.7 million. This substantial growth is driven largely by several multimillion-dollar grants from the U.S. Department of Education to two centers at the School of Education: Project HOPE – Virginia and the Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC).
Project HOPE-VA administers the statewide program for the education of homeless youth using a budget of approximately $2 million annually. These funds support a network of school divisions that receive homeless education subgrants and liaisons in every school division in the state, with the aim of identifying and supporting students experiencing homelessness. In 2021, to address the added impact of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education awarded a one-time grant of $13 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP), to be distributed annually through 2024.
According to Patricia Popp Ph.D. ’01, clinical associate professor and state coordinator for Project HOPE-VA, 75% of both state and ARP funds are allocated to school divisions. In 2023, the remaining funds were invested in updating Project HOPE’s public outreach efforts. In addition to the current video training modules, they will soon launch a new video library more tailored to different audiences, targeting the needs of early childhood and K-12 teachers, transportation personnel, enrollment staff, school nurses, and the general public. In addition, they have invested in social media and website improvements to simplify public access to vital information and requests for assistance.
The Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at William & Mary is part of a statewide network funded through the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) with funds from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Led by Director Deborah A. Grosser M.Ed. '00, Ed.D. '17, T/TAC staff provide professional development services for educators in their region. Services are tailored to meet identified needs and include workshops, action planning with progress monitoring, a lending library and website, newsletters, coaching and ongoing support.
In 2023, T/TAC staff delivered 55 workshops and 1,290 services such as shoulder-to-shoulder coaching, team meeting facilitation, and individual consultations that reached close to 8,000 participants. As the number of provisionally licensed special education teachers continues to rise due to the teacher shortage, the demand for support services grows accordingly. Another urgent focus in 2023 has been providing literacy training in response to requests from the field stemming from the Virginia Literacy Act.
Professor and Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development Elizabeth Talbott emphasizes the importance of internal funding sources such as the School of Education’s Dean’s Innovation Fund and Faculty Research SEED Grants: “As we invest in our faculty members’ research, we lay the groundwork for applicants to successfully secure more external funding by demonstrating the viability of their projects.”
The School of Education’s commitment to supporting innovative research not only benefits the communities served but also leads to increased awards from major funding bodies such as the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Education Sciences, amplifying the impact of the work. Research expenditures of $11.7 million in 2023 represent a substantial portion of William & Mary’s overall research spending, second only to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The School of Education will be awarding 36 doctoral degrees this year compared to 27 last year, also a considerable proportion of the total doctoral degrees awarded by the university.
All these factors reflect the School of Education’s impact and the urgent education and mental health needs being met. Enrollment in the School of Education’s online counseling program has more than tripled in the past five years, and the school recently received top billing in online master’s in mental health counseling programs. Also, in response to the changing needs of educators, enrollment in the school’s five certificate programs has increased from 13 in 2022 to 75 in 2023.
The momentum established in 2023 will continue in the foreseeable future. Project HOPE and T/TAC have each earned $2 million grants from the U.S. Department of Education for 2024. Professor of Education Planning, Policy, and Leadership Christopher Gareis was awarded a $400,000 multi-year grant from the VDOE to address learning loss brought about by the pandemic. Gerdelman Family Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Science Education Meredith Kier was recently awarded a $1.2 million NSF grant as principal investigator to continue the W&M Noyce Scholars Program through 2029. Just as William & Mary remains dedicated to its values-based approach, the School of Education maintains its steadfast commitment to the mission of transforming students, schools and communities.
