The School of Education was organized in 1923 to bring together the capacity within the university that contributes to the education of personnel in professional education and to scholarship in the field of education. On April 8, 1960, the Board of Governors of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, changed the name of the school to the Graduate School of Education. This change recognized the changing role of the school in the preparation of educational personnel as a graduate institution offering the master of education and doctor of education degrees.  Most recently, in 2005, the GSE faculty adopted the mission statement embodied in the following paragraphs:

The Rutgers University Graduate School of Education is dedicated to the study and improvement of educational institutions, processes, and agents to empower people to act as reflective, compassionate, and effective participants in a diverse and interconnected world.

As a professional school within New Jersey's flagship public university, the production and dissemination of knowledge about education is central to our mission and is achieved in the following ways:

         Our faculty makes unique and significant contributions to educational scholarship by employing rigorous methods to understand, design, evaluate, and improve learning environments, educational practices, policies and procedures. We value and conduct research that is collaborative and interdisciplinary, benefiting from the perspectives of our colleagues across the university community and of scholarly practitioners who work in varied educational settings.

         We are committed to attracting a diverse student body. Our instructional programs prepare students to meet the educational needs of diverse populations as teachers, educational leaders, counselors, specialists, and researchers working in New Jersey, the nation, and the world.

         Our service programs and activities are based on the belief that promoting high quality education and effective educational reform demands attention to: processes of learning, teaching, and leadership; the particular policies and practices of schools and other educational organizations; and the wider contexts in which they operate.

In summary, our mission is to create new knowledge about educational processes and policies; to lead in the development of research-based instructional, professional, and outreach programs that encompass three broad areas of endeavor: teaching, research, and service.

For up-to-date information about academic programs, alumni news, the dean's office, mission, research centers, and student services, visit the school's web site at http://www.gse.rutgers.edu.