The Program in Learning, Teaching and Social Policy (LTSP) is a uniquely multidisciplinary program designed to foster the development of educational leaders, researchers, and practitioners who are prepared to approach issues and challenges in education from multiple perspectives and methodologies. LTSP draws on the disciplinary traditions of sociology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, science, and the cognitive sciences, as well as interdisciplinary fields such as cultural studies, ethnic studies, and feminist, gender and sexuality studies to address contemporary educational policies, practices and curriculum in the K-12 and postsecondary arenas.

LTSP is concerned with the most pressing issues facing our educational system today. Chief among these issues are the persistent patterns of educational inequality, particularly in the sciences, as well as the failure of apparently successful students to develop useful understandings of central science and mathematics concepts. The imperative for democratic participation through the development of critical and scientific literacies propels us to study the dynamic interactions between learners and a multicultural society.

To this end, our faculty and students focus on a variety of research, teaching, and outreach with the aims of:

• improving practice
• understanding the learner in the context of family, community, schools and society
• stimulating more equitable social policies and school reform efforts.

For example, our focus on improving practice might begin with questions about how novice teachers progress developmentally through the profession to become critically reflective and caring teachers, and continues with research in professional development in areas such as agricultural science education and multicultural education. Other faculty and students are interested in investigating the practice of learning and teaching from the frameworks of constructivism and inquiry-based learning in the sciences, or studying culturally relevant pedagogy or literacy and student achievement in the content areas. We also explore methodological problems and promises for pragmatic change in educational practice. These examples exemplify research which contributes to helping all students (rural, urban, girls, English language learners, Students of Color, etc.) develop critical and scientific literacies as one way to counter the persistent patterns of inequality.

In order to improve practice, we also have to understand the dynamic interaction between the learner and their families, communities, schools, and the larger globalizing world. In this vein, some of us investigate ways of knowing and learning. We inquire about ethics and morals in education. For example, we ask: How do we think about ethical relations when members of dominant and non-dominant groups come together in schools? How do we foster moral development and moral judgment in educational settings, for instance in understanding the role of aggression in adolescent girls’ relationships? Furthermore, we consider these dynamic interactions within larger historical contexts in order to study indigenous and racial/ethnic minority knowledge systems, cultural practices, and responses to schooling.

Finally, stimulating more equitable social policies and school reform efforts at the local, state and national level requires research into organizational structures and the political pressures and institutional constraints on school change. From sociological and historical perspectives, faculty and students might also investigate school finance or large-scale evaluations of programmatic and curricular reform. In general, LTSP is engaged in research, teaching, and outreach with the direct potential to contribute to social change in and through education.

Degree Programs

Master of Professional Studies The M.P.S. (in Agriculture and Life Sciences) degree is a program of professional education. In addition to coursework in the relevant content area (M.P.S.), the M.P.S. requires an in-depth applied project. Graduates with prior provisional teaching certification and the appropriate teaching experience may use the M.P.S. to satisfy requirements for permanent New York State certification to teach, while other graduates work in formal educational settings that do not require state certification (e.g., extension, community colleges, private schools, business and industry), but require an advanced degree in the planning, delivery, and assessment of instruction.

Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy

The M.S. and Ph.D. are research degrees in Learning, Teaching, and Social Policy. These research degree programs prepare scholars and leaders in education who will work in colleges and universities, government agencies, foundations, and other institutions whose work is focused on formal education. In cooperation with their faculty committee and guidelines in the Field of Education, students design a program tailored to fit their professional interests in Learning, Teaching, and Social Policy. Graduates engage in disciplined inquiry to address problems and issues of importance to the processes of learning and teaching, and issues central to the social, moral, and political contexts in which education takes place. Contact the LTSP coordinator, Professor Sofia Villenas, for further information.