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News Release

Last modified: Monday, May 23, 2011

Urban Education Ph.D. approved for IU School of Education at IUPUI

Program will be one of a few urban education doctoral programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has approved a new Urban Education Studies Ph.D. to be offered by the IU School of Education at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis starting in fall 2012. This is the first doctorate degree in education to be offered entirely on the IUPUI campus.

The degree will be one of just a handful of urban education doctorates in the country focused on preparing researchers to study schools in complex urban environments. Faculty and students in the program will conduct community-based research designed in partnership with P-12 schools and community organizations. It will be the only urban education doctoral program in the state of Indiana.

"IUPUI's Ph.D. in urban education program is a distinctive, research-oriented degree program, and the first of its kind in Indiana," said IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz. "The interdisciplinary focus will prepare scholars who are capable of making significant contributions to improve urban education."

"This is a new milestone for the School of Education at IUPUI and the state," said Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of the IU School of Education. "Some of the greatest challenges in education today are concentrated in urban areas. Indianapolis is the perfect location to conduct the field-based research that is so vital to solving these problems. I have no doubt Indiana will be a leader in preparing doctoral-level researchers to do that work."

The IU School of Education at IUPUI is focused on the role of urban education in the 21st century as a part of Indiana's urban research campus. The program will focus research on the needs of high risk students and other factors that impact student learning. The community-based, collaborative model will place researchers in the social context of urban education issues. Similar models have allowed for success in education and healthcare research because community members themselves are involved in the research process itself.

"Our faculty and students have distinguished themselves through their work in urban schools and communities," said Pat Rogan, executive associate dean of the School of Education in Indianapolis. "We are excited about the cross-disciplinary nature of the program and the opportunities for translational research that informs local and national educational policy and practices."

The School of Education's Center for Urban and Multicultural Education (CUME) will be a central vehicle for research by doctoral students and urban education faculty. CUME is the research arm of the IU School of Education at IUPUI which has conducted several major program evaluations, including the National Science Foundation-funded Noyce Scholars Program and the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teacher Fellowship Program.

The Urban Education doctorate builds on a master's degree focused on urban education and other initiatives of the IU School of Education at IUPUI serving the mission of helping urban students learn. Earlier this month, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels introduced the third cohort of Woodrow Wilson fellows to attend IUPUI. Accomplished career changers and outstanding recent college graduates in science, mathematics, engineering and technology are now starting coursework to prepare for math and science teaching positions in the state's urban schools. They receive a $30,000 stipend from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation of Princeton, N.J., to complete a special intensive master's program. Some of the candidates choose to add special education licensure as part of their program of study.

Education leaders across the country have long recognized the IU School of Education as a leader in education research. The U.S. News & World Report 2012 "Best Graduate School" rankings once again gave the IU School of Education high marks. The School ranked 21st overall and 11th among public university graduate schools. Five of the degree programs earned top-10 rankings.

To learn more about the new Urban Education Studies Ph.D. program, go to https://education.iupui.edu/soe/programs/graduate/urbaneducation/overview.aspx.

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