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About the Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education

THE THREE PILLARS OF PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION AT HSOE

The theoretical, ethical and scientific foundations that underlie offerings of the Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education (HSOE) at Alliant International University are summed up by three key documents:

• Our mission statement
• A conceptual framework
• The SANKOFA Initiatives, which govern our School's philosophy.

HSOE MISSION STATEMENT

We prepare competent, confident and conscientious educational leaders to promote and empower personal growth, academic success and professional achievement for all in a global society. We accomplish this by offering our candidates exceptional preparation centered on multidisciplinary and holistic approaches to education.

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The conceptual framework for HSOE's educational programs is grounded in three theoretical and practical foundations..

• Constructivist theory (particularly the works of Searle, 1998; Bruner, 1990; and Vygotsky, 1978) that views learners as conscious agents whose background, prior knowledge and dispositions greatly contribute to the learning process.
• Our affirmation, support of and commitment to engaging with issues of diversity, both domestic and international.
• A framework of neuropsychological research (especially the work of Luria, 1969; Gardner, 1999 and Sternberg, 2000) that address:
  • intelligence
  • problem solving and conceptualization
  • planning and organization
  • academic skills
  • memory and cognition
  • language
  • emotions
  • behavior and personality
  • special needs
  • critical thinking.

THE SANKOFA INITIATIVES

We implement the above conceptual foundations through the SANKOFA Initiatives, which provide the basis for all actions in the Hufstedler School of Education:

• Stimulate intellectual vitality, create new knowledge and engender passion for the education profession
• Achieve international recognition in the field of education for our teaching, research and community outreach
• Network authentic partnerships through the Partners of Success model that will enhance the mutual well-being of candidates, faculty and staffing of our Learning Communities
• Keep and perpetuate legacies of excellence as shared by a stakeholder coalition of alumni, faculty, candidates, administrators, Alliant board members and friends of the Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education
• Offer students a world-class education that prepares them to establish a global community of learners and education specialists who advance society worldwide
• Facilitate an inclusive, creative, technologically sophisticated and materially supportive environment in which to prosper, work, recruit, mentor and study
• Appreciate, celebrate and promote accomplishments and contributions from our Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education scholars and a diverse cadre of educational leaders.

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SEEKING NEW WISDOM? LOOK TO THE PAST

SANKOFA is derived from a proverb of the Akan people of Ghana. The words San (return), Ko (go), and Fa (look, seek, take) imply that an intelligent and patient quest for future knowledge and goals is informed by a critical examination of the wisdom of the past.

ACCREDITATION

All Shirley M. Hufstedler School of Education credential programs are approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Alliant International University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).