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Commencement 2021

We work on the leading edge of promise

Our world is propelled by people. People who imagine and persevere and create. At the UNC School of Education, we build people’s minds, spirits, and resolve to make the world a better place through education. Our community of scholars, students, staff, and alumni propel the world.

We work to solve pressing problems, to better understand learning, to improve teaching, to redefine what it means to educate lifelong and lifewide. We innovate. We ask and answer tough questions — to ensure that every learner has the opportunity to reach their maximum potential.

At the UNC School of Education, we Propel the World.

Empowering the Leaders of Tomorrow

We empower educators and scholars to lead; to think creatively, act with compassion, and strive for equity and excellence for all. Equipped to succeed in their professions, our graduates emerge as leaders in their institutions and communities, and mindfully contribute toward continually improving and transforming them.

Image of Avery Ferreiro
Avery Ferreiro
(’23 B.A.Ed., ’24 M.A.T.)
2024 Student Teacher of the Year
LaChelle Allen
LaChelle Allen ('24 M.Ed.)
Advocating for student mental well-being
Our Alumni Network

We’re proud to know that the knowledge and experiences gained in Peabody Hall create positive impact inside classrooms, schools, nonprofits, and other organizations, and in the field of education and beyond. The School has one of Carolina’s largest alumni bases, boasting more than 22,000 alumni living in all 100 North Carolina counties, all 50 states, and more than 40 countries.

A Degree for Future Education Leaders
Human and Organizational Leadership Development

The Human and Organizational Leadership Development (HOLD) program offers Carolina undergraduates a unique program of study — combining education, social science, policy, analytics, and leadership education — and experiential learning opportunities that prepare them to lead in whatever role or organization they find themselves.
Emily Banks (’22 B.A.Ed., ’23 M.A.T.)
Fostering growth and empowerment through teaching
Daisy Magnus-Aryitey
Daisy Magnus-Aryitey ('20 MEITE)
Careers: Administration and Leadership
Amy Rickard
('94 B.A.Ed., '00 M.S.A.)
Alumni Council President
Elena Ashburn
Elena Ashburn
(’12 M.S.A., ’18 Ed.D.)
2021 Wells Fargo N.C. Principal of the Year
Daniel Watson ('18 M.S.A.)
Carolina Community Academy Principal
Jasmyne Yeldell,
Doctoral Student
Forging inclusive and accessible paths to STEM education

Collaborating for the Greater Good

We value and foster productive and meaningful partnerships across disciplinary and institutional boundaries, working with stakeholders within and beyond formal institutions of education. A well-educated, diverse and empowered public is critical to addressing social inequities and injustices, promoting and supporting the health and well-being of all, and ensuring the competitiveness and prosperity of our state and nation.

Fellows for Inclusive Excellence
A $3m investment in rural education

A transformational gift to the School launched a unique fellowship program that enables a multi-faceted approach to ensure highly effective educators serve students in rural, high-needs communities. The Fellows for Inclusive Excellence program removes barriers for our students and recent graduates to serve as teachers and school counselors in Chatham and Person county schools. It also provides engaging, sustained professional development for assistant principals in those schools.
Troy Sadler
Troy Sadler
Thomas James Distinguished Professor of Experiential Learning
Lindsay, Marraccini, Griffin
Preventing suicide among Black youth
Jill Hamm portrait outside of Peabody Hall
Jill V. Hamm
Empowering the next generation of STEM professionals
N.C. Practitioner Network
Building data-driven capacity for school districts
Cross-campus connections
Tracing online learning

With funding from the National Science Foundation, Matt Bernacki, Ph.D., with colleagues in the School of Education and in the College of Arts & Sciences are examining data generated from college students’ use of online and computer-based instructional tools and materials to better understand learning and to intervene when students are at risk of falling behind.

Educating the Whole

We recognize that learning is dependent on the well-being of children, their families, and their communities. With a focus on underprivileged and underserved communities, we collaborate with educators, parents, schools, communities, and more — in partnership with other schools and units at Carolina — to empower learners and communities to thrive.

Dana Griffin
Dana Griffin
School Counseling Professor
Jill Cook
('88 B.M.Ed., '91 M.Ed.)
Leading in the school counseling profession
Human Development and Family Science
Improving the lives of children, families, and communities

The Human Development and Family Science program empowers its students to improve the lives of children, their families, and their communities by taking a broad view of education to best serve the “whole child” — leading graduates to a variety of career options. The program has certification from the National Council on Family Relations, which provides the program’s graduates access to provisional certification as Certified Family Life Educators.
Carolina Community Academy
A "whole child" approach to education

Carolina Community Academy, UNC-Chapel Hill’s K-2 laboratory school in Roxboro, N.C., is a thriving partnership between the University and Person County Schools. Beyond learning, the UNC School of Education leads a campus-wide coalition of schools and units to the bring the best of what Carolina has to offer to Person County.
Dorothy Espelage
Bringing a world anti-bullying conference to the U.S.
Annah Kate Lassiter
('24 B.A.Ed.)
'The best version of myself'
Old Well with School of Education graphic icons

How will you Propel the World?

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