Strategic Plan
College of Education Strategic Plan 2026-2030
Below is the College of Education Strategic Plan 2026-2030. The plan can also be downloaded by clicking this link here.
MISSION
The College of Education prepares and develops professionals and scholars for impactful careers in education and human services by advancing knowledge about learning, practice, and policy across the lifespan. Through rigorous inquiry, collaborative partnerships, and commitment to justice and access, we generate evidence-based solutions that address pressing challenges in schools, communities, and systems. Our work is rooted in evidence, driven by equity, and dedicated to creating lasting conditions in which all learners and professionals can flourish.
VISION
The College of Education will lead as experts in learning, practice, and policy across education and human services systems, advancing transformative research and impactful community partnerships to prepare professionals and scholars who center equity and pursue evidence-based solutions to strengthen systems and human development across Pennsylvania and beyond.
VALUES
The Penn State Values guide our actions and decisions as members of the Penn State community.
STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
VISION
We envision a College of Education in which every student of all backgrounds across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs is known, supported, and challenged to grow. Our students are emerging scholars, practitioners, and leaders who leave the College’s programs with the knowledge, skills, relationships, and sense of purpose to make a meaningful difference in the education professions and communities they serve. We are committed to building the conditions that make this possible with a coherent and responsive system of support that meets students as whole people and provides meaningful experiential and co-curricular learning that connects classroom knowledge and real-world practice. The College will invest in the success of students from the first semester through graduation and into their professional lives.
GOAL
The College of Education will enhance student success by cultivating a people-centered, data-informed ecosystem that integrates academic support, experiential learning, career-readiness programming, and holistic wellbeing so that every student can flourish as an educational professional and leader in their field.
- Objective 1.1 Cultivate Academic Excellence and Holistic Flourishing
- Objective 1.2 Engage Students in Meaningful Co-Curricular and Experiential Learning
- Objective 1.3 Strengthen Student Career Readiness and Professional Advancement
VISION
The College of Education will be a leading force in educational research and innovation, generating bold, evidence-based solutions to pressing educational challenges and translating new knowledge into meaningful change for learners, communities, and society. We will champion rigorous inquiry across a broad range of methodological approaches, scholarly traditions, and creative practice and scholarship. We will elevate scholarship that engages communities, connects to practice, or centers on equity as essential to the College’s research mission and public impact. In doing so, we will cultivate a vibrant, collaborative, and interdisciplinary community of scholars and partners that advances innovation and excellence in education and scholarship that centers on equity in Pennsylvania and beyond.
GOAL
The College of Education will address pressing educational challenges through high-impact, interdisciplinary research that advances knowledge and improves educational practice, policy, and community outcomes in Pennsylvania and beyond.
- Objective 2.1 Advance Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation
- Objective 2.2 Advance Research Quality, Visibility, and Recognition
- Objective 2.3 Foster a Collaborative Research Community
VISION
As Pennsylvania’s land-grant College of Education, we lead the design and renewal of learning systems that sustain communities, strengthen the workforce, and advance economic opportunity across the Commonwealth. We value sustained, reciprocal partnerships that translate research into practice, policy, and innovation across schools, informal institutions, workplaces, human services agencies, and civic life. The College will cultivate a robust network of educators, allied professionals, and community partners that expands learning opportunities and builds thriving futures for people across Pennsylvania and beyond.
GOAL
The College of Education will fulfill its land-grant mission by preparing and developing education and human services professionals, expanding external partnerships, and orienting our work toward public impact.
- Objective 3.1 Strengthen Education-Related Professional Preparation, Development, and Workforce Pathways
- Objective 3.2 Increase Engagement and External Partnerships to Support Learning Opportunities
VISION
We envision a College of Education in which diversity, access, equity, inclusion, and belonging are experienced in everyday learning and work. Students will encounter a community that listens to their voices; identifies and addresses the structural and institutional barriers that limit access, participation, belonging, and success; strengthens their sense of belonging; and makes support, resources, and pathways visible and available. Faculty and staff will thrive in a workplace grounded in justice-centered, anti-oppressive, and culturally sustaining practices that foster a healthy and psychologically safe climate, respectful communication, and shared responsibility for sustaining an inclusive community.
GOAL
The College of Education will advance diversity, access, equity, inclusion, and belonging by strengthening student belonging, cultivating an inclusive and healthy workplace climate for faculty and staff, and embedding equitable, transparent, and community-responsive practices across the College's teaching, research, partnerships, communications, development, and support systems.
- Objective 4.1 Enrich Student Inclusion and Belonging
- Objective 4.2 Foster an Inclusive, Respectful Workplace Climate for Faculty and Staff