STORRS, CT — The University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education is not only the #1 public graduate school of education in the Northeast and the East Coast, it is now ranked the 21st best graduate school of education in the U.S. and the 12th best public university in the nation.
In its annual review of the best graduate schools in the country released today, U.S. News and World Report ranks the Neag School #21 among the 278 private and public education schools. Also significant are the rankings of the Neag School’s core programs which are individually assessed by U.S. News. Four rank among the nation’s top 20, including: elementary education (13); secondary education (17); curriculum & instruction (19), and special education (20).
UConn schools ranked in the top 50 include pharmacy (29); social work (42) and law (46), with the School of Business ranked 52.
Graduate programs, in addition to education, ranked in the top 50 include the master of public administration program in public finance and budgeting (7); speech pathology (25), audiology (31), primary care medicine (43), public administration (49), environmental engineering (50), and history (51).
Although the U.S. News rankings serve as only one of several barometers used by the School of Education to assess its reputation and quality of its programs, Richard Schwab, dean of the Neag School, describes the findings as “very encouraging.”
“We look at the schools ranked ahead of us like Harvard, Michigan State, and Ohio State, and see that we’re in very good company,” Schwab says.
Each year, U.S. News gathers opinion data from program directors, senior faculty, school superintendents and deans to rank professional school programs. Statistical indicators supplied by each school are used to measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research, and students.
“Our mission is to prepare highly qualified teachers who are capable of meeting the diverse needs of their students. To have four of our key programs, including Elementary and Secondary Education, ranked among the country’s top 20, is something we can be extremely proud of,” Schwab says.
The Neag School’s overall ranking (21) has climbed since 2003 when it was ranked #50. Last year, it was positioned at #31.
Schwab says the move up has been challenging and recognizes the contributions made by his faculty and administration to help the school become more effective and efficient. He also credits the school’s rise in national stature to the support it has received from several fronts.
“We’ve been able to heavily invest in the recruitment of top faculty and students, in improving the quality of our programs, increasing scholarship funds, and installing some of the best education technology available.”
“These advancements and more were made possible by the $21 million gift from UConn alum Ray Neag and by the support we’ve received from the University and the State of Connecticut,” he says. The state matched the 1999 Neag gift with $3.4 million.
Schwab believes a factor helping to build the Neag School’s reputation is its work with public schools in the country and Connecticut.
“Our faculty members are not glued to their offices focused only on teaching and publishing. They are working in partnership with classroom teachers to conduct research, consult, and share information about best practices,” he says.
Through its research centers and school reform efforts, the Neag School is involved with some 6,400 schools in the country, in addition to about 70 percent of Connecticut’s school districts. That number is expected to grow with the Neag School’s role in the state’s CommPACT School initiative aimed at improving student achievement in some of the state’s most challenged cities.
Other achievements that have contributed to building the school’s reputation are:
- The Neag School’s doctoral program in kinesiology is ranked #1 in the nation.
- 73% of Neag School teacher education graduates are still employed in Connecticut schools 10 years after graduating from the program while just 58% of non-Neag grads were still teaching after 10 years. Teachers leaving the profession soon after entering has been identified as one of the greatest factors in the nationwide teacher shortage.
- Of the handful of national research centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education, two are located at the Neag School -- the National Research Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development and the OSEP Technical Assistance Center for Positive Behavior Interventions & Support.
- The Carnegie Corporation of New York study identified the Neag School as offering one of the top teacher preparation programs and selected UConn to become one of its 11 partners in its Teachers for a New Era project, an initiative to improve teacher preparation and develop model programs for use at all schools of education.
- The Neag School is home to two highly regarded comprehensive school reform models, Accelerated Schools plus and ATLAS Learning Communities.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings will be published in the March 31 issue of its weekly magazine, and its America's Best Graduate Schools guidebook goes on sale the next day.
March Releases
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