Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, Literacy and Special Education

Dr. Heidi Higgins, chair. Dr. Martin Wasserburg, assistant chair. Dr. Cardenas, Dr. Cerezo, Dr. Chambers, Dr. Crawford, Dr. Fox, Ms. Guggenheimer, Dr. Hargrove, Dr. Hilburn, Dr. Jones, Dr. Jurich, Dr. Kermani, Dr. Kosloff, Dr. Lanunziata, Dr. Liao, Dr. McNulty, Dr. Moody, Dr. Morge, Dr. Movahedazarhouligh, Dr. Richter, Dr. Roney, Dr. Ryan, Dr. Schlichting, Dr. Schnorr-Goodnight, Dr. Senta, Dr. Sikma, Dr. Stocker, Dr. Swafford, Dr. Szech, Dr. Taylor, and Dr. Zaccor.

The Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, Literacy, and Special Education is dedicated to the preparation of teachers and educators who have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to promote the development and learning of young children from birth to young adolescence. The department promotes reading, language development, and cognition with all students, grades K-12, and seeks to maximize the learning outcomes of children and youth with special needs.

Four majors are housed in the department and all lead to the Bachelor of Arts degree. The degree in Early Childhood Education prepares students to work effectively with children aged birth-kindergarten; elementary, grades K-6, and middle level, grades 6-9. The Special Education program, grades K-12, offers two licensure tracks at the undergraduate level, general curriculum and adapted curriculum. Licensure without degree is also offered in these areas.

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in elementary and middle grades education leads to both initial teacher licensure and provides advanced preparation in content and pedagogy leading to a master’s degree. The M.Ed. programs in leadership, policy and advocacy in early childhood, elementary education, middle grades education, and language and literacy education address the North Carolina Masters/Advanced Competencies requirements.

The department values the integration of current theory, research, and professional expertise from multiple disciplines and perspectives to inform practice and provides numerous field experiences to enable students to become competent and confident in their teaching and advocacy for the diverse children and families they serve.