What Matters in Education
A Welcome from the Chair
Welcome to the University of Mary Washington Department of Education.
Preparing educators is both a tremendous opportunity and a tremendous responsibility. At UMW, we believe excellent preparation begins with relationships and is strengthened through knowledge, experience, reflection, and meaningful connections with schools and communities.
I invite you to learn more about our faculty, our programs, and our partnerships, and most importantly, the community of educators and future educators who make the Department of Education such a special place to learn and grow.
Dr. Christy Irish
Chair, Department of Education
University of Mary Washington
At the University of Mary Washington our programs bring together strong content knowledge, effective pedagogy, authentic experiences, and professional growth to prepare educators who are inclusive, collaborative, reflective, and responsive to the students and communities they serve.
People Matter.
Education begins with relationships. Great educators know their students, work alongside colleagues, partner with families, and engage with the communities they serve.
At UMW, connecting people is central to educator preparation. Our students learn in a close-knit community with faculty who know and support them while building relationships with practicing educators, schools, and community partners.
Knowledge Matters.
Knowing what to teach matters. Knowing how students learn matters, too.
UMW educators develop strong content knowledge alongside an understanding of pedagogy, including the research, practices, and approaches that help make learning meaningful and accessible. Students learn to make thoughtful instructional decisions grounded in both evidence and the needs of the learners in front of them.
Practice Matters.
The best preparation connects what is learned at the university with what happens every day in schools.
Through classroom experiences and strong school-university partnerships, UMW students have opportunities to observe, practice, reflect, and apply what they are learning in authentic settings. Students are placed in local schools in the early phases of the program and throughout. These experiences help students understand not only how to teach, but how to respond thoughtfully to the opportunities and challenges of today’s classrooms.
Growth Matters.
Becoming an educator is a process that continues throughout a career.
We prepare educators to be reflective practitioners who ask questions, think critically, learn from evidence and experience, and continually strengthen their practice. At UMW, professional growth is not simply something that happens after graduation; it is a habit developed throughout educator preparation.
Community Matters.
Preparing excellent educators is shared work.
UMW works in partnership with schools, educators, and communities throughout the region. These relationships create opportunities for our students while allowing university faculty and practicing educators to learn from one another, address real needs in schools, and strengthen teaching and learning together.
Our Commitments Shape Our Educators.
Across our programs and partnerships, we value equity, inclusivity, collaboration, scholarship, critical thinking, and community connections.
Together, these commitments guide our work and our mission: preparing educators who are inclusive, collaborative, reflective, and responsive, educators ready to support every learner and contribute meaningfully to their schools and communities.
