Ellen McIntyre
Dean, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Overview
Before joining the University of Tennessee, McIntyre served as Dean of the College of Education of UNC Charlotte. Prior to that position, McIntyre served as the interim associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Education at North Carolina State University; department chair of elementary education at North Carolina State University; professor and university scholar at the University of Louisville; a classroom teacher at Newport Independent Schools in Newport, Kentucky; and a research assistant at SRI International, an independent, nonprofit scientific research institute. McIntyre’s research interests are in elementary reading instruction, especially for struggling readers, and effective teacher education.
We must prepare teachers in their first years so they will stay in teaching and develop enough skill and knowledge to grow into expert practitioners.
Why did you decide to join Deans for Impact?
I joined Deans for Impact to work with other deans who are willing to look hard at our profession and hold ourselves accountable for meaningful outcomes. I know first-hand that teacher-preparation programs make a difference in the practices of teachers who then make a difference in how students learn. We must prepare teachers to be successful in their first few years so they will stay in teaching and develop enough skill and knowledge to grow into the expert practitioners we need.
What is one pivotal moment in your career in educator preparation that left a positive impact on you or others?
I worked on a national study of instructional principles for diverse populations. We learned that all families care deeply about education and that by working with them we can best match classroom instruction to students’ knowledge, interests and ways of understanding. That work led us to keep asking: What can the families teach us? How is our instruction responsive to the cultural and linguistic needs of the students?
What most excites you about the opportunity to transform the field of educator preparation in the years ahead?
I am fortunate to be an education dean in a community galvanizing around education and economic opportunity. We have leaders in the profession, directors of nonprofits, and philanthropists working together like I have never seen to broaden access to economic opportunity. To reach these goals, colleges of education must be part of the solution. We must provide for our communities great teachers, counselors, and school and community leaders.