Education Timeline

Over 100 Years

Education at Duke

1924

1907

1859

1851

Trinity College becomes Duke University.

Department of Education at Trinity College was formed

President Braxton Craven introduced a structured teacher training curriculum

Union Institute Accademy becomes Normal College

1859

1892, 1896

1921-1947

Normal College becomes known as Trinity College

Washington Duke provides donations to Trinity College

Holland Holton begins working at Trinity College

Over 100 Years

Education at Duke

1954

1956

1924

1951

The Cooperative Program in Education

First Duke annual conference on teaching social studies

Seashore Summer School

Science Teacher Laboratory Conference

1940

1956

1963

1952

Institute for Teachers of Mathematics

Centennial Celebration for Teacher Preparation

Double major in physical education and biology

Duke and the Wright School

Over 100 Years

Education at Duke

1994

1971

1966

Retrenchment cuts the Department of Education

1981

Updates to the Ed.D.

Durham Educational Improvement Plan

The Early Childhood Certifcate

1968

1978

1988

1995

Funding and support for the Cooperative School for Pregnant Girls

Duke Education Students Tutor at Federal Prison

Elementary Education Certificate

Center for Education Proposal

Over 100 Years

Education at Duke

1999

2007

2006

International Center for Service Learning and Teacher Education

2010

Master of Arts of Teaching begins Durham Teaching Fellowship

Partners for Success

Reform in American Classrooms

2006

Learning to Teach, Learning to Serve

2007

Education Minor

2006

2006

Academically and Intellectually Gifted Program

Center for Teaching and Learning Collaboration

Over 100 Years

Education at Duke

2065

2024

2014

Centennial Celebration; Program Overview

Dr. William Cartwright's prediction from 1965

Secondary Teacher Preparation Overview

Duke TeachHouse Overview

University Assisted Community Schools

MAT Noyce Grant

Center for Education

Updates to Programs

2015

Master's in Arts of Teaching Overview

Elementary Teacher Preparation Overview

TeachHouse Pilot Year

Education 100 Students Tutor at Butner

Duke students in Education 100 tutor for a semester at Butner's Federal Correctional Prison. Duke's Chronicle covers this topic and speaks with Professor DiBona who established this connection, as well as students who participated in this tutoring. Many said it was a beneficial experience for both the prisoners and the students.

Academically and Intellectually Gifted Licensure

In 2006, the Program in Education began offering the Academically and Intellectually Gifted licensure to in-service teachers. The program has expanded to include several cohorts, both local in-person options and distance cohorts.

Center for Teacher and Learning Collaboration

The Center for Teacher Learning and Collaboration at Duke University was developed and implemented by the Program in Education as part of educational initiatives funded by President Brodhead to support Durham Public Schools. PiE Faculty designed and implemented the Teacher Renewal Initiative to positively impact teacher satisfaction, retention, and leadership for mid-career teachers.

Women's College

Opening Its Doors

Washington Duke gave Trinity College $85,000 to assist in the move to Durham, NC. Later he gave a $100,000 contribution with the stipulation that the college “open its doors to women, placing them on an equal footing with men.” An all-women dormority was quickly constructed.

Ed.D. Updates

The Ed.D., which had been in existence for decades, underwent updates for future candidates to ensure quality candidates were graduating from the program. The updates outlined the specific requirements for entry, composition of the program, and final products to be completed before the degree would be conferred.

Department of Education

Department of Education at Trinity College was formed for the preparation of undergraduate and graduate students' careers in education. This further cemented the role of teachers in the history of the University.

Normal College

Teacher Training Begins

As the second president of Union Institute Academy, located in Randolph County, Braxton Craven had the school chartered by the State as Normal College to train teachers for the. This was the first state-accredited teacher college in North Carolina.

Learning to Teach, Learning to Serve

The goals of Learning to Teach, Learning to Serve (LTLS) were to establish a replicable statewide model for integrating service-learning and teacher education and provide undergraduates who are preparing to become K-12 teachers with opportunities to learn about service-learning as a transformative pedagogy.

Master's in Arts of Teaching

Education Minor

In addition to teacher licensure programs, the Education Minor was reapproved in 2007. Each year, about 30 undergraduate students graduate with the Education Minor and pursue a variety of career paths.

Centennial Celebration

Duke hosted a three-day conference with representatives from almost all colleges and universities across the country to examine the past and future of teacher preparation. This highly attended event showcased Duke's standing as leaders in the preparation of teachers.

Teaching Social Studies

Duke hosted its first annual conference on teaching social studies with uses of local history in teaching social studies. The conference, led by J.C. Professor McLendon, sponsored by North Carolina Council for Social Studies, State Department of Archives and History, and the Departments of History and Education at Duke.

Elementary Teacher Preparation Program

Durham Educational Improvement Plan

In collaboration with North Carolina College (NCCU), Durham City Schools, Durham County Schools, and Operation Breakthrough, Duke’s Department of Education launched the Durham Educational Improvement Project (EIP) for disadvantaged children. The project called for the development, over a five-year period, of a model school system providing a longitudinal stimulation and evaluation program for disadvantaged children from infancy to primary grades. Duke invested two million dollars into this program over the duration.

Program in Education Overview

Updates across Programs

Early Childhood Certificate

The Early Childhood Certificate was offerred to students who were interested in working with pre-kindergarten students. This program continued until 200X when it was sunset. Though courses on childhood education continued, the certification ended.

Duke University

Trinity College becomes Duke University due to philanthrophic donations of James Buchanan Duke who established the Duke Endowment. Trinity College was changed to Duke University as a memorial to JB Duke’s father, Washington Duke.

The Teacher in 2065

Elementary Certificate

Duke began offerring the elementary teacher preparation certification in 1988 with six students all placed at Parkwood Elementary. This was the first elementary education certificate in North Carolina, and the license, which the students received upon completion of the program, had reciprocity with over 40 states.

Institute for Mathematics Teachers

Duke began a summer program for high school mathematics teachers to any one interested in mathematics. Led by Duke and other university professors, these summer classes focused on deepening participant's understanding of mathematics and science.

Duke and the Wright School

Duke financially supported the creation of the Wright School, an educational institution designed to support the education of emotionally disturbed students. Many students, teachers, and professors worked there to enhance their teaching practices and conduct research at the graduate level.

The Cooperative Program in Education

Initially called the Cooperative Program in Education, this early precursor to the Master of Arts of Teaching Program had graduate students teaching in high schools while taking graduate level classes. Students were placed in 15 different districts, including Durham, NC, Danville, VA, Charlotte, NC, and High Point, NC.

Trinity College

Braxton Craven, an ordained minister, turned to the Methodist Church for support resulting in the change of name from Normal College to Trinity College.

International Center for Service Learning and Teacher Education

The International Center for Service-Learning in Teacher Education (ICSLTE) moved to the Program in Education from Clemson University. The EASL grant provided funding for teacher education and service-learning teaching and research subgrants across the United States. A major project was to improve service-learning practices in 14 universities.

Seashore Summer School

Trinity College, in collaboration with the Public Schools of Pamlico County, establishes the Seashore Summer School to train teachers. About 128-162 teachers attended each summer throughout the duration of the project. By 1938, more than 3,500 teachers had attended.

Center for Education

A proposal for a Center for Education was brought forward for Duke that would include a Center for Children, a Talent Identification Program, additional Teacher Preparation courses for B-K and middle school, as well as absorbing the Program in Education. It was the precursor for what is now the Center for Childhood and Family Policy, without the education components initially proposed. This had not been the first time a Center for Education had been proposed (1977).

Duke TeachHouse

Duke TeachHouse is a living and learning community for early career teachers and graduates of the Duke University teacher preparation programs: Elementary, Secondary, and Master of Arts in Teaching Programs. The intensive experience focuses on equipping early career educators with the confidence, competence, knowledge and networks necessary to develop leadership, creative problem solving, and innovation skills.

The Cooperative School for Pregnant Girls

The Cooperative School for Pregnant Girls opened in the 1968-69 school year. The program provided continuing education and health and social services under the administration of the Durham City Schools system. The program was federally funded under Title III, and Education faculty, Scott Gehman and William Cartright, served as consultants for the program.

Double Major

A proposal for a double teaching major in physical education and biology was written by Professor Julia Grout, Chairman of the Department of Physical Education for Women and Dr. Cartwright, Chairman of the Department of Education. The reason for this proposal was that students must be prepared to teach more than one subject. This was part of a broader trend towards improving science and math areas.

MATNOYCE Grant

The Duke Robert Noyce Teacher Fellowship is a competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) fellowship that funds up to 15 annual fellowships to highly-successful STEM graduates committed to becoming high school mathematics and science teachers in high-need school districts.

Duke TeachHouse Overview

Secondary Teacher Preparation Program

Department of Education Is Cut

Despite being ranked in the top 10 schools for education in the country the Department of Education was replaced by the Program in Education for the preparation of undergraduates seeking teaching certification under Chancellor Pye's endorsement of a long-range plan. Outrage for this move, which was contrary to the indenture of trust, was rampant.

Holland Holton

Holland Hotlon was first hired as a Professor of Education. His background was in the legal aspects of educational administration. Throughout his time at Trinity, he held the positions of Professor of History and Science Education, Director of the Summer Session, and Head of the Department in Education. Additionally, he worked with the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

Reform in American Classrooms

The Program in Education was proud to be on the forefront of digital curriculum development with EDUC 168: Reform in American Classrooms. It was one of the first online/distance learning class approved by Duke University for course credit. This course engaged students in discussion and critical reflection.

University Assisted Community Schools

Partners for Success

Duke's Center for Education

With the investment and attention to improving academic experience across campus for all students, there is a renewed interest in creating a Center for Education. This Center could include a combined strength of the Program in Education, Learning Innovation & Lifetime Education, and an Academic Resource Center amongst others. This collaboration and shared vision would allow each area to reach further and have a larger impact for those at Duke and in the community beyond. The focus would be Education across all areas; research, teacher-preparation, higher education, learning sciences, and development. It would allow a greater breadth of opportunities for Majors, Master's, and Doctoral Degrees.

Durham Teaching Fellowship

Funded through President Richard Brodhead's office and expanded under President Price in 2023, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) began offering the Durham Teaching Fellowship. The Fellowship provides full tuition support for outstanding MAT candidates who commit to teaching in Durham Public Schools for a two-year period.