College of Education

Information

The Mission of Childhood Education & Literacy Studies

Vision

The Department of Childhood Education and Literacy Studies is a distinguished academic community of scholars who engage in innovative inquiry and teacher education in the fields of early childhood, elementary education, and literacy studies.

Mission

The Department of Childhood Education and Literacy Studies engages in research, teaching, and service targeted at the highest standards of discovery, creativity, and intellectual attainment in diverse contexts. The Department accomplishes this mission by fulfilling six equally important and related goals:

  • Designing, implementing, and researching innovative programs in the fields of early childhood, elementary education, literacy studies, and teacher education
  • Strengthening connections between theory and practice by building inquiry-based partnerships with community stakeholders
  • Fostering in our students the personal and professional dispositions of inquiry within a context of respect and ethical behavior
  • Developing, utilizing, and systematically studying innovative technologies that impact teaching and learning
  • Understanding and embracing social, cultural, and ethnic diversity within a global perspective
  • Serving the community through scholarship

USF Strategic Goals

The University of South Florida pursues its stature as a pre-eminent research university with state, national, and global impact, and positions itself for membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) through five strategic goals. The department of Childhood Education and Literacy Studies supports the USF strategic goals in clear and specific ways.

  1. We expand local and global engagement initiatives to strengthen and sustain healthy communities and to improve the quality of life.
  2. We promote globally competitive undergraduate, graduate and professional programs that support interdisciplinary inquiry, intellectual development, knowledge and skill acquisition, and student success through a diverse, fully- engaged, learner-centered campus environment.
  3. We expand local and global engagement initiatives to strengthen and sustain healthy communities and to improve the quality of life.
  4. We enhance all sources of revenue, and maximize effectiveness in business practices and financial management to establish a strong and sustainable economic base in support of USF’s growth.