Strategic Focus Areas
Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development adopted a new strategic plan in January 2021.
Strategic Focus Areas
Equity, Diversity, and Belonging
Recognizing the historical, systemic, and ongoing marginalization of individuals and communities within the fields of education and human development, we are committed to dismantling systemic barriers and taking bold actions that support sustainable change.
Strategic Objectives
- Prioritize teaching and learning that emphasizes the histories, experiences, and challenges faced by marginalized groups in society.
- Prepare students to advocate for individuals and communities with whom they work and amplify existing efforts around such advocacy.
- Provide ongoing professional learning for faculty and staff focused on anti-racist and humanizing pedagogy and practice, disrupting privilege, and repositioning the status quo.
- Recruit, cultivate, and support Wheelock community members (faculty, staff, students, alumni) with a commitment to equity, diversity, and belonging.
Research
Guided by the communities we serve, we are committed to conducting high quality research collaboratively, using varied methodologies, in order to contribute to the knowledge base necessary to transform systems that positively impact learning and human development.
Strategic Objectives
- Increase the research productivity, impact, and stature of BU Wheelock.
- Prioritize convergent research that informs the dismantling of systemic barriers.
- Develop a culture of inquiry and curiosity that values and encourages methodological, conceptual, and interdisciplinary approaches reflected in our college.
- Continuously develop the capacity for faculty, research staff (e.g., post-docs), and doctoral students to become the next generation of outstanding and influential researchers.
Learning and Teaching
We are committed to academic excellence and to implementing meaningful and relevant curricular and co-curricular experiences for students. We embrace practice- and researchinformed teaching and learning that bridges disciplines, reflects the diversity of human experience, and serves our community and professional growth
Strategic Objectives
- Establish and maintain high academic standards in teaching, learning and research, and support students and faculty to achieve them.
- Offer academic programs in alignment with the Guide Star and research-based practices to ensure that graduates have the skills, knowledge, and dispositions they need to sustain purposeful, resilient, and satisfying careers.
- Provide field-based experiences that promote academic excellence and demonstrate a deep commitment to creativity, critical reflection, continual growth, and relevance to the communities and professionals we serve.
- Invest in areas of academic distinction to advance the quality of BU Wheelock academic offerings and institutional reputation.
Partnerships and Advocacy
We believe in sustainable and reciprocal partnerships that exhibit respect and exercise humility to bring about systemic transformation through authentic collaboration. We recognize our multiple privileges, both earned and unearned, and are committed to listening to and learning from partners and communities to advance our collective goals, values, and commitments.
Strategic Objectives
- Deepen and prioritize partnerships with BPS and those who live in the City of Boston that focus on systemic transformation.
- Operationalize equity, diversity, and belonging strategic objectives within BU Wheelock partnerships in service to social justice.
- Build and support local, national, and global partnerships that enhance rigorous learning, teaching, and research through authentic collaboration and trust, ensuring that partnerships include opportunities for mutually beneficial teaching and learning.
- Increase BU Wheelock College community engagement at local, national and global levels that supports allyship, activism, and advocacy.