Hubs for deep learning and collaboration

Most people think of schools of education as focused solely on formal K–12 or higher education contexts, but what we do has an impact beyond formal school settings. Any organization focused on facilitating engagement, fostering learning and ongoing development, or promoting well-being as a strategic focus can benefit from a school of education.

Schools of education are hubs for collaboration and learning that can impact policy and practice for children, adolescents and adults. The majority of courses I teach focus on research in the psychological sciences, particularly educational psychology. Psychological research impacts practices and outcomes for diverse communities, including informing what we know about human development, learning, motivation and well-being. The students in my classes often comment on how helpful this information is to them—as organizational leaders, parents and community members. Yet, their opportunities to learn more about educational psychology and related topics were previously limited. Schools of education can provide deep learning and collaboration in this area.

In our lifespan, we spend our most formative years in educational settings. Practitioners’ understanding of how to facilitate learning through effective instructional design to support children, adolescents and young adults is extremely important to achieving set educational and developmental outcomes. These are skills students at schools of education learn. The majority of our adulthood is spent in working environments. Leaders who have the tools to foster continued growth and development of employees help organizations create inclusive and motivating environments to achieve strategic outcomes. These, too, are tools students at schools of education can learn.

Through collaboration with other disciplines, schools of education also contribute to interdisciplinary efforts to address complex social issues. In the same way that students in schools of education benefit from learning about research in educational and developmental psychology, interdisciplinary collaboration can help promote a holistic approach to solving problems that takes into account knowledge from other disciplines and input from community stakeholders. Whether it’s tackling climate change, creating inclusive work environments, improving health outcomes or adapting to the age of artificial intelligence, schools of education are integral partners in addressing the most pressing challenges in our society today.

Our continued well-being is dependent on systems and organizations that believe in our potential and have the capacity to facilitate our continued growth and development. I believe that schools of education are uniquely positioned to support individuals as they continue to evolve and grow throughout their lifespan.