School of Education & Social Policy

The School of Education and Social Policy began as a traditional school of education but was transformed into a school with an expanded mission, innovative programs and far-reaching impact. Although originally focused primarily on school-based learning and teacher training, as the landscape for education changed, our School took on new education problems such as how to develop all children into lifelong learners; how new technologies can foster learning; and how to improve the life chances of children in poverty and develop families, communities and workplaces into learning communities.

1850 - 1899
	1851 Northwestern University is founded with Old College its first and only building. 1888 Northwestern offers education courses for the first time.
1900-1969
	1906 Department of Education begins in the College of Liberal Arts.
	1926 Separate School of Education opens, expanding to a four-year program.
	1941-51 EdD degree is offered, emphasizing research. Music and speech education move to the respective schools.
	1953-63 The School expands as a traditional school of education with more faculty; programs in home economics, health, gifted education; and a master’s in teaching. The National High School Institute is founded and administered by the School.
	1963-78 With Dean B. J. Chandler, a new curriculum, Tutorial Clinical Program, replaces methods courses. Upward Bound brings inner-city high school students to campus in the summer. 1969 Center for the Teaching Professions begins, directed by B. Claude Mathis.
1970-1989
	1972 Old College is struck by lightning, and the School moves to Arthur Andersen Hall.
	1979-1982 Under Dean David Wiley, innovative programs are established similar to today's, with undergraduate concentrations in human development and social policy, teacher education, administration and policy studies, and counseling psychology.
	1981 The groundbreaking Human Development and Social Policy (HDSP) PhD program is founded by Bernice L. Neugarten, highlighting the contributions of psychology, sociology and economics toward understanding human development over the life course and how it is shaped by policies and practices of social institutions.
	1982 The Center for Talent Development originates as the Midwest Talent Search, becoming the Center for Talent Development in 1984.
	1986 The School is renamed the School of Education and Social Policy; new HDSP faculty join the School. 1989 The interdisciplinary Learning Sciences program begins, seeking to understand learning and teaching environments and design learning innovations, eventually becoming a model for similar programs at other universities.
1990-1996
	1991 Learning Sciences develops as a PhD program.
	1993 The School moves to Walter Annenberg Hall, a new building constructed especially to house the School.
	1994 and 1996 Refocusing on strengths, the School closes the Educational Processes Doctoral Program and Counseling Psychology doctoral programs. 1996 The Urban/Suburban Northwestern Consortium is established, facilitating collaborative relationships that promote educational excellence in city and suburban schools.
1997-present
	1997-present Led by Dean Penelope Peterson, the School advances its identity as interdisciplinary and research-based, and new partnerships, initiatives, faculty, and research grants strengthen the School. Grants increase from $400,000 in the early ‘90s to over $10 million by 2004.
	1997 The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS) is funded by the National Science Foundation to facilitate Learning Sciences work with Chicago Public Schools teachers to develop innovative inquiry-based science curricula making use of new information technologies.
	1998 Partnering with the Golden Apple Foundation and Inner-City Teaching Corps, the NU-Teach alternative route to teacher certification is established to strengthen Chicago schools. Also, the Leadership Academy and Urban Network for Chicago collaboration is established to deepen the leadership skills of aspiring principals.
	1999 The Tarry Center opens on the third floor of Annenberg Hall with extensive cutting-edge technology to support the invention of improved methodologies for teaching and learning.
	2000 The Service Learning and Civic Education programs build on the spirit of volunteerism at Northwestern, adding an academic component.
	2002 The Learning and Organizational Change Master’s Program is established to prepare leaders to understand how to improve the effectiveness of organizations.
	2002 Master’s programs in Family Therapy and Counseling move out of the School into the Family Institute. 2002 The National Science Foundations funds the Center for Curriculum Materials in Science, a partnership including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Northwestern.
	2002-2012 U.S. News & World Reports consistently ranks the School in the top 10 schools of education in the nation.
	2004 In partnership with the Departments of Psychology, Sociology, Economics and Statistics, the School establishes the innovative Multidisciplinary Program in Education Sciences doctoral program to train a cadre of scholars to conduct reliable research on pressing education issues.
	2005 Under the leadership of Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Cells to Society: The Center on Social Disparities and Health is created to work on social inequalities in health and education.
	2006 Undergraduates in the School start referring to the School of Education of Social Policy as “the small school that thinks BIG.”

Our History