About the Department

McHenry Library: Home to the Education Department.

The Education Department at UC Santa Cruz is a small department with a big agenda. We develop leaders and pursue research that will affect the future of teaching and learning both inside and outside the classroom. We work with undergraduate and graduate students to reimagine and transform education with a focus on social and linguistic justice.

Our commitment lies in four essential and interrelated domains: 

  1. School, Families, and Communities,
  2. Teacher Education and Development,
  3. Mathematics and Science Education,
  4. and Language and Literacy Education.

These areas are supported through emphasis on the socio-cultural context where learning and teaching take place, as well as an understanding of the intersection of culture and power in both formal and informal educational settings.

The Education Department has a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) program that prepares scholars whose research deepens and expands knowledge of the barriers and pathways to a more equitable and just school system and society; a model teacher-education program that prepares social justice oriented teachers; an undergraduate major, Education, Democracy and Justice and two vibrant minor tracks that serve more than 300 undergraduates each year.

Our Programs:

See Also