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Kean University

College of Education

If you have a passion for teaching, you’re needed now more than ever. Kean University offers the best training in the region to prepare you for a job in front of the classroom and across the rang of the academic experience.

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Kean student interacts with 2 children at Kean's Child Care Center

About

 

Since Kean was founded in 1855, our mission has been to prepare informed, dynamic professionals with the knowledge and skills to teach in diverse settings.

Meet Our Faculty

Accreditation 

Entrepreneurial Education Initiatives (EEI)

Contact Us

Sancha K. Gray, Ed.D.
Acting Dean
Kean Hall, Suite 107
Email: coe@kean.edu

The passion of the students, faculty and staff sets the Kean education program apart from other schools. We are encouraged to create positive classroom settings not only at Kean, but when we graduate and have classrooms of our own.”

Janaya McClenny '21
Middle School ELA teacher
Elementary Education/Math Major Janaya McClenny
Kean University Associate Professor Jennifer Chen, Ed.D.

Faculty Spotlight

The College of Education is proud to announce that Dr. Jennifer Chen, esteemed Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Early Childhood Education, was selected to receive the 2023 Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Educator award from the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE) Foundation. Dr. Chen will be honored at the Recognition Reception on November 15, 2023, to be held at the NAECTE conference in Nashville, TN.

The award honors Dr. Chen who exemplifies “leadership, professionalism and excellence in teaching.” The NAECTE Foundation commends Dr. Chen, who "in addition to being recognized among her peers as superior in their field, will also be awarded a $1000 honorarium for this prestigious distinction."

Dr. Chen will also be presenting her research, Navigating the Liminal State in Between Surviving and Thriving: A Grounded Theory About the Teaching Experiences of Early Childhood Teachers, at the 2023 National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Conference, as well as delivering a workshop presentation, Executive Function in Children: Designing Classroom Learning Environments and Experiences to Improve Attention, Retention, and Self-regulation, with other early childhood teacher educators at the 2023 National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference.

Magic Johnson

Highlights

NBA Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson recently visited Kean's campus to address the New Jersey Alliance of Black Superintendents on the topic, "Nurturing Social and Emotional Learning in Schools." Adding her expertise on the panel was the College of Education's Acting Dean and Sr. VP for Entrepreneurial Education Initiatives, Sancha Gray, Ed.D.

Kean University Academics

3 of 6

Half of the recent New Jersey Teacher of the Year winners are Kean alumni

Top 30%

Kean alumni are among the highest-paid teachers in the nation

#1

Kean is home to New Jersey's first teachers college

Featured News

Alex Guzman, wearing a blue suit, stands in front of a fireplace.
College of Education Receives Grant to Create Diverse Teacher Pipeline for New Jersey Schools

College of Education Receives Grant to Create Diverse Teacher Pipeline for New Jersey Schools

Kean University is working to recruit, train and place teachers from diverse backgrounds in three economically disadvantaged school districts across New Jersey through a new grant-funded program.

A group of Kean students at the Diversity Council conference in a selfie.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Are Focus of Kean Diversity Council High School Leadership Conference

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Are Focus of Kean Diversity Council High School Leadership Conference

At the Diversity Council on Global Education and Citizenship conference, nearly 1,000 students developed social justice action plans for their high schools, and 10 humanitarian awards were given out.
Roberta and Alvin Freeman in the front seat of car, with their three children behind them.
Husband and Wife Kean Education Grads Lead Rival NJ School Districts

Husband and Wife Kean Education Grads Lead Rival NJ School Districts

Roberta and Alvin Freeman have spent years in school together. The couple met as teachers in Long Branch, went to Kean together to earn their master’s and doctorate degrees in education, and now both serve as school superintendents – in neighboring towns.