That’s what you’ll gain here. From your first semester on campus, you’ll have the opportunity to spend time in a K-12 classroom—experience that will equip you with the skills you need to really make an impact and give you an edge after graduation. In fact, Nebraska school principals tell us that they seek out our students for teaching positions because not only do they come from a program with an excellent reputation, but they consistently show they are well prepared for the challenges of teaching. If you want to be hired first, perceived best and proven better, this is the place for you. 

Our mission statement -Preparing teachers for tomorrow's communities - embodies recognition of all students for whom we have a responsibility to serve. 

Black Lives Matter

Department of Teaching, Learning, & Teacher Education’s Commitment to Antiracism and Social Justice

 As a department, we strongly condemn the event of May 25, 2020, during which George Floyd was brutally murdered during 8 minutes and 46 seconds by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We stand against this tragedy, and connect it to the long history of brutality against Black and Brown bodies that is fueled by racism and colonization, both in the United States and globally. All acts of racialized violence are deplorable and unacceptable; they undermine our educational efforts towards the creation of a humane, ethical, moral, and just society.

We acknowledge our personal and collective responsibility to actively interrogate and disrupt the cultural and social scripts that have been deployed to justify this oppression. As educators, we support the people in Lincoln, throughout Nebraska, and around the nation and world who continue to protest to have their voices heard. These are courageous teaching and learning moments for our community. 

Sadly, though not surprisingly, racism still shows up in universities, as it does in police departments and schools. In solidarity with the 2020 uprising in defense of Black lives, we recommit ourselves to identifying, diminishing, and transforming white supremacy in our department-- in all its manifestations. 

This is urgent work. This work is for all of us individually and collectively (faculty, staff, students, and community). For those of us who live with the privileges that come with being born and socialized as "White," we understand our special responsibility to examine, analyze, and transform our work--here and now--in our own practices and spheres of influence. We hold ourselves accountable for creating an environment that actively welcomes and embraces continued listening, reflection, and action regarding the entirety of our policies and practices, and our interactions with each other and with our students.

Published 07/03/2020

Core Values

Robust teacher preparation and life-long professional development have the power to transform the lives of individuals, families, and communities. 

By engaging students, educators, and partners in our teaching, research, outreach, and service, we enact the following values:

Knowledge and Innovation

• We innovate curriculum, pedagogy, and scholarship to address emerging educational challenges and opportunities.
• We engage in subject matter knowledge and deep learning across the humanities and sciences.

Diversity and Social Justice

• We practice democratic and civic engagement to achieve social justice through collaborative and restorative practices.
• We welcome, encourage, respect, support, and include diverse peoples and perspectives.

Ethics and Community

• We build ethical communities with agency, empathy, care, and honesty.
• We create and maintain partnerships with schools and communities.