About the School of Education

Mission

Florida SouthWestern State College’s School of Education provides a rigorous learning environment ensuring teacher candidates will achieve their greatest potential through a course of study based upon a strong pedagogical, ethical, and socially-conscious foundation that fosters creativity and innovation.

Florida SouthWestern State College’s School of Education produces graduates equipped to contribute to a diverse community of life-long learners in Southwest Florida

Vision

Florida SouthWestern State College's School of Education will provide the community with reflective practitioners possessing the knowledge and skills to educate learners in a world-class global environment.

Principles of Excellence

The teacher candidate will...

  • Synthesize academic content, pedagogical skills and educational technology to instruct digital natives.
  • Continually explore new methods, best practices and instructional designs to impact p-12 learning.
  • Employ strong written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
  • Emulate and foster caring and ethical behavior in order to build teaching and learning environments that build upon the strengths of students’ diverse cultures and learning styles.
  • Collaborate with key stakeholders, such as administrators, colleagues, parents and leaders in the local community.
  • Engage in reflective practice with an understanding that learning is a lifelong process.

FSW School of Education Success

  • 495 graduates from the class of 11-12 to class of 17-18 were employed in Florida's public schools in 2018-2019
  • 467 of those 495 (94%) are employed locally (Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hendry, Glades, Lee, and Sarasota counties)
  • 279 (56%) of those 495 graduates are working in Title I schools
  • 91% of our Elementary Education graduates are still teaching 5 years following initial job placement
  • 98% of graduates received an Effective (65%) or Highly Effective (33%) rating on their annual teacher evaluation
  • 35 Elementary Education program completers have earned the state designation of "High Impact Teacher" (Source: 2019 APPR report and 2018-2019 state employment data)
  • SOE Bachelor program graduates have received Teacher of the Year, Golden Apple, Golden Apple Finalist, Brilliant Orange, Teacher of Distinction, and Latinos in Action Rookie School of the Year awards
  • FSW School of Education bachelor program graduates hired as FSW adjunct professors
  • 100% of Fall 2019 final interns passed all sections of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam by the end of the semester
  • 97% job placement (63/65) at the 2018-2019 School of Education Fall and Spring job fairs
  • Elementary Education Class of 2011 graduate, Joe Merrill's book was released in January 2020 titled "The Interactive Class"