The Dean of the College of Education is the presiding officer of the Professional Education Faculty. The faculty meets at least twice each year, once during Fall Term and once during Spring Term.
Quotidian governance of the Professional Education Faculty is conducted by the Professional Education Council, which consists of faculty members elected from the various teacher education areas, faculty members appointed by the Dean of the College of Education, students appointed by their departments, and school personnel representing Metro-Atlanta school systems. The chair of the Professional Education Council is elected annually, and the position alternates between members of the College of Arts and Sciences and members of the College of Education.
The Professional Education Faculty's primary duty is to promote and facilitate constructive interaction of the members of the Professional Education Faculty, especially along interdisciplinary lines, in the interest of maintaining excellence in professional education programs at Georgia State University. The council is served by eight committees: The Executive Committee, which reviews the work of other committees and sets the agenda for council meetings; the Assessment Committee, which focuses on assessment issues at the unit level; the Content Knowledge Committee, which makes recommendations regarding the assessment of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of teacher education and other school professionals; the Curriculum Committee, which reviews existing and proposed professional education programs; the Diversity Committee, which monitors and makes recommendations regarding the faculty's progress toward goals and outcomes stated in its Diversity Plan; Field Experiences and Clinical Practice Committee, which assess the impact of candidates’ development and demonstration of knowledge, skills and professional dispositions to help all students learn; Induction Committee, which studies issues related to induction and retention; and the Standards and Accreditation Committee, which reviews the Conceptual Framework, legislative and Professional Standards Commission actions affecting curriculum, criteria used by accrediting bodies in their periodic reviews of programs, and programmatic recommendations of relevant scholarly and professional associations.
Additional information about the Professional Education Faculty and its activities is available through the Internet at pef.gsu.edu.
The Professional Education Faculty's conceptual framework illustrates its philosophies and purposes in regard to effective teacher preparation. The framework builds on the College of Education mission statement and includes the Professional Education Faculty's purpose, assumptions guiding our programs, and candidate outcomes. The conceptual framework is described fully at pef.gsu.edu.