The University of Pittsburgh School of Education is a community of students (about 1500), faculty, and staff devoted to the improvement of education. One of our major goals is to produce the very best education professionals at every level from early childhood through higher education. In addition, we want to make a difference regionally, nationally, and internationally, through our research and service efforts and through the training of education scholars.
Whether through internships in the classroom or in work on major research and service projects in Pittsburgh, other American cities, or overseas, our programs empha the connection between learning by doing and learning through coursework.
The three primary goals of our School are
- improvement of urban education through both research and the training of teachers and other school professionals
- improving the factors outside the teacher-student relationship that influence learning (including physical activity, emotional well-being, a head start on the building blocks of school success, experiences that underscore the need for learning, freedom from fear), and
- helping to improve regional, national and international education policies
THE WATSON INSTITUTE is an educational organization, specializing in educating children with special needs, as well as those professionals and pre-professionals who serve children with special needs.
The Watson Institute, through its family of schools and services, helps children and youth with special needs to achieve their fullest potential in all aspects of their lives. Watson strives to provide programs that serve the needs of children with autism spectrum disorders, neurological impairments or serious emotional challenges with diagnostic, educational and therapeutic support; support to the families of these children through education, counseling, wraparound, outpatient services and respite programs; and training and technical support to educators, psychologists, therapists and others working in this field.