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Psychological and Social Foundations of Education
Since the founding of the College of Education, the study of psychological and social foundations of education has been integrated into the required coursework for K-12 education majors as such knowledge is an essential and fundamental component of teacher preparation. The current vision of the department is to become a national model for the preparation of culturally sensitive and competent, technologically sophisticated, and multi-talented teachers, researchers, theorists, practitioners and educators, and educational leaders who are able to successfully resolve complex issues faced by individuals, families, and institutions.
Early Organization of the Programs
In 1964, faculty members in the foundation program areas were: Drs. Christian Anderson, Lou Anderson, and Les Tuttle. In 1965, Dean Battle formed the Division of Foundations and Related Areas and appointed Dr. Les Tuttle to serve as the chair. The department included the following programs and coordinators: Guidance, Dr. Bill Bott; Psychological Foundations, Dr. Walter Musgrove; Special Education, Dr. Leonard Lucito; Social Foundations, Dr. Christian Anderson; and Research, Dr. Doug Stone.
Current Organization of the Programs
The current Department of Psychological and Social Foundations consists of five distinct program areas: College Student Affairs, Counselor Education, Educational Psychology, School Psychology and Social Foundations and is committed to the development and support of high quality programs for the preparation of outstanding scholars, teacher practitioners, and leadership professionals for schools, colleges, and other educational and human service institutions. The department values diversity in research methodology and topics, collaboration to enhance research and professional practice, high quality mentoring of students and faculty, and enhancing cultural competence among students, faculty and staff. A major goal of the department is to create a context in which high quality research and scholarship by faculty and students contributes to the solution of practical problems in educational, community and other human service contexts. The 33 faculty members in the department represent many of the finest research extensive universities in North America including Florida State, Harvard, Lehigh, State University of New York at Buffalo, Syracuse, University of Alberta, University of Florida, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Psychological and Social Foundations Programs
The Guidance Program
The Guidance Program in the College of Education was founded in 1964 by Dr. William Bott, the first faculty member hired in the College of Education. The Guidance Program was in the Division of Foundations and Related Areas from 1965 to 1970. Later the Psychological and Social Foundations of Education Department became its permanent home. From 1960 to 1968, the program was able to offer courses in guidance for K-12 teachers in the USF service area, but not a degree. In 1968, the program area was able to offer a master’s degree in School Guidance Counseling with the permission by the Florida Board of Control for the USF College of Education to offer master’s degree programs. The early faculty members who joined the Guidance Program, in addition to Dr. Bott were: Dr. Coleen Story (1965), Dr. Ray Patouillet (1967), Dr. Ed Panther (1968), Dr. Tom Karns (1967), Dr. Don Ferguson (1969), Dr. Victor Drapela, (1969) and Dr. Sue Street (1975). The above faculty members were the mainstay of the Guidance Program for many years as they prepared teachers for guidance positions for the K-12 programs of Florida. The program was re-named Counselor Education in 1979 and continues to prepare counselors for school settings at the master’s, Ed.S., and Ph. D. levels.
The current 2006 Counselor Education Program, which evolved from the original Guidance Program, has a multicultural/social justice and advocacy/evidenced-based practices focus and remains the largest producer of school counselors in Florida. The program is CACREP accredited and aligned with NCATE, Florida Department of Education and Florida Department of Health standards. Current enrollment is approximately 151 students, 84% of whom are women, 9% African American, and 9% Latino. The pass rate for Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination in 2006 was 100%, and employment for 2006 graduates was also 100%. The program has seven faculty members, two of whom are fluent in English and Spanish. Current faculty members include Dr. Jennifer Baggerly, Dr. Herbert A. Exum (Program Coordinator), Dr. Michelle Mitcham-Smith, Dr. Debora Osborn, Dr. Sue Street, Dr. Marylou Taylor, and Dr. Carlos Zalaquett.
Educational Psychology
In 1968, the Psychological Foundations Program was established and faculty members in the program included: Dr. Christian Anderson, Dr. Louis Anderson, Dr. Wade Burley, Dr. John Follman, Dr. James Dickinson, Dr. Ellen Kimmel, Dr. Joel Macht, Dr. Walter Musgrove, and Dr. Martin Wong. Dr. Donald Lantz served as the coordinator of Psychological Foundations Program at that time.
The program has since been named the Educational Psychology Program. The mission of the program is to teach future teachers the application of research findings to the education of young children. A major goal of the program is to help future teachers to understand child development, how children learn, and the importance of using research-based practices in the classroom. The program currently has five faculty members who are recognized by major early childhood professional organizations such as the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Head Start, Even Start, and the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance. During 2005, the program received a five-year research award from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for 2.9 million dollars as well as a $5,000 starter grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program also offers a cognate in educational psychology for doctoral students. Dr. Darrel Bostow retired from the program in 2006, and the current remaining faculty members include Dr. Darlene DeMarie (Program Coordinator), Dr. Lisa Lopez, Dr. Kofi Marfo, Dr. Richard Marshall, Dr. Smita Mathur, and Dr. Tony Tan.
College Student Affairs Masters Degree Program
College Student Affairs was established in 1997 through the efforts of Dr. Ellen Kimmel and Dr. Wilma Henry as a collaborative program between the College of Education and the Division of Student Affairs. The mission of the program then and now is preparing entry- and mid-level Student Affairs professionals through a theory-to-practice model. College Student Affairs is a full-time, fully-funded master’s program that admits 25 new students each year. Current program enrollment is 46 with 69% women, 17% Latino, and 17% African Americans. In May 2006, 25 students graduated from the program demonstrating a 100% retention rate. The program has enjoyed a 100% job placement rate over the past five years with graduates finding employment at prestigious institutions such as Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, UC-Berkley, MIT, and Penn State University. Current alumni are employed in universities in approximately 35 states as well around the world. Current faculty members include Dr. Wilma Henry (Coordinator), Dr. Thomas Miller, and Dr. Harold Nixon.
School Psychology Program
The School Psychology Program was initiated in 1968 with Dr. Walter Musgrove as Coordinator and Dr. Glenn Geiger as the second faculty member in the program. Dr. James Barnard with degrees in special education and psychology joined the program in the early 1970s, moving from the Exceptional Child Education Department. The program was enhanced and reorganized in 1977 and has approximately 70 full-time students. The current program offers the Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. Both degrees qualify students for the professional practice of school psychology, and both meet all accreditation standards for the American Psychological Association, the National Association of School Psychologists and NCATE. The School Psychology program has seven faculty members and has brought in over $5 million since 1990 in federal and state grants and is generally considered one of the top school psychology programs in the country. Two faculty members are past-presidents of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and one is a Fellow of the School Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association.
Social Foundations
The Social Foundations of Education Program faculty has taught a required undergraduate course, Social Foundations of Education, to every College of Education graduate since 1960. Graduate level courses in Social Foundations of Education have also been provided for master’s degree, Ed. S. degree, and doctoral candidates in the College since 1960.
Bozidar Muntyan became a faculty member in the Social Foundations Program in 1966 and served as Coordinator from 1968 to 1972. Other early faculty members included: Erwin V. Johanningmeier, George Kincaid, Charles Manker, Roy Mumme, and Wayne Urban.
The mission of the current program in Social Foundations is to educate future teachers about schooling rather than teaching. Specifically, the program addresses the social, economic, and political purposes of schooling and how various social, economic and political developments affect how schools function. The seven faculty within the program examine what is expected of schools by the public, how those expectations either complement or hinder education, and how those purposes and expectations affect the teachers and students in schools. They also explore the extra-school education of students, the diverse cultures and family practices, structures, and styles that students bring to the school because the educational configuration will continue to change as the demographic characteristics of the nation continue to change. The program offers an interdisciplinary Ph.D. degree. Current faculty members include Dr. Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, Dr. Sherman Dorn, Dr. Erwin Johanningmeier (Program Coordinator), Dr. Jerome Leavy, Dr. Lynn McBrien, Dr. Tomas Rodriguez, and Dr. Barbara Shircliffe.
Department Chairs
Chairs of the Psychological and Social Foundations of Education Department have included: Dr. Donald Lantz, Dr. James Dickinson, Dr. John Follman, Dr. James Banard, Dr. Mike Curtis, Dr. Harold Keller, and Dr. Herbert Exum currently serving as Interim Chair.
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