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About

On behalf of the faculty, staff, and teacher candidates, welcome to the Department of Education at Moravian University!

Jean DesJardin

We are a small department with a large agenda of developing educational leaders and pursuing educational research that will affect the future of teaching and learning both inside and outside of schools. We offer programs leading to initial certification in more than 20 areas, including early childhood pre-K to 4, middle level, secondary level, art, music, and special education. We also offer graduate degree and certification programs leading to the Master of Education, Master of Arts in Teaching, and six advanced certifications and endorsements, including principal and supervisory certification as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s online teaching endorsement. As an integral part of the Moravian Liberal Arts community, the Department of Education has a long history of preparing students to engage and transform the world with disciplined intelligence, compassion, and courage. The mission of our department is to develop professionals who become educational leaders because they think and act critically in a collaborative environment. Our goal is to transform lives through pursuing the values of academic excellence, diversity, and life-long learning; to the commitment to 21st century skills, innovative technology and best practices; and to teach so that words and actions inspire a will to learn. Every course and classroom field experience embeds inquiry and reflective practice. The Education Department’s programs are to prepare all students, undergraduates and graduates, to engage in the analysis and integration of educational theory, research, and practice for an increasingly diverse society, fostering equitable and effective schooling for all students.

Our full-time faculty in the Education Department have earned a doctorate in their respective fields of expertise, have several years of teaching children/students in many different states across the country, and are committed to their scholarship. We are so honored to have clinical adjunct faculty that have also made impressive contributions to public school education.

As Dr. Brene Brown states so eloquently, “Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us…often acquired through fitting in” (Brown, 2017). In the Education Department at Moravian University, you will not simply fit in to a group of students and faculty with the same mission, you will belong with an exciting, innovative, circle of students and scholars who embrace individual and collective thoughts, open-ended ideas, and creative expression.

We welcome you to be part of this challenging and exciting environment as you seek opportunities to learn and grow as a future teacher!

With great joy!

Jean L. DesJardin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor