The Dean's Take - When in Rome?

Welcome to the second annual issue of Theory to Practice. It has been designed to reflect both the changing nature of education and the college’s emphasis on cutting-edge research, which results in measurable changes within schools, clinics and policy circles throughout the world. 

In this issue, you will read about international efforts that are being made to educate children and provide the services they need to thrive, and in some cases, survive. Our lead article, “Education Held Hostage,” details the work of our faculty and students in places in Asia and Africa—all of which bring evidence-based educational practices to countries with disparate cultural, economic and developmental challenges.

Many of these global challenges are present here in the United States. For example, our faculty are working with Native American students in New Mexico, with families misplaced by Hurricane Katrina, and in the inner city Philadelphia schools. Our faculty have determined that many of the same cultural and economic variables relevant to developing countries are of primary importance here at home as well. Their efforts are designed to provide data within the context of an initial series of investigations that will allow scaled efforts across educational systems.

Another success of the College of Education is our Centennial School, featured in a photo essay titled “Redemption.” This school, which serves as both a model for exemplary educational practices for children and youth with severe emotional and behavioral problems and a laboratory for the development of evidence-based practice, has long been one of the best-kept secrets at Lehigh University. Under the direction of Dr. Michael George, Centennial now serves as a national exemplar for the effective education of children, and a reminder of the need for a continuum of services in this age of inclusion.

The work detailed in this issue points to the vitality and influence of our college faculty and students who have devoted themselves to effecting real and positive change in the educational landscape today and into the future.

We welcome you to this review of our current efforts, to many of the most pressing issues in the field today, and to the Lehigh University College of Education. 

Gary M. Sasso, Ph.D.
Dean of the College of Education Lehigh University