Preparing educators to facilitate the highest levels of learning
Welcome to the Department of Professional Education at Central State University! The preparation of educators has a distinguished history at Central State. Thus, over the years, graduates of the Department of Professional Education have made significant contributions to the profession as teachers and administrators. The Department remains committed to maintaining that rich history of service by preparing educators who understand the dynamics of educating students in a complex and diverse society.
Programs in the Department of Professional Education have clinical experiences as a central core of educator preparation. Through the cooperation of area schools, the Department's candidates spend a significant portion of their preparation in actual classrooms studying the role of teaching in the educational growth of students. The integration of theory and practice applies to all educator preparation programs, ranging from preparing teachers for the kindergarten and primary to the high school levels. The Department also offers the post-baccalaureate program for those who seek an initial teaching license and who have completed at least an undergraduate degree.
For those interested in pursuing a rewarding career in teaching, the Department of Professional Education offers a comprehensive array of professional options, including degree programs leading to licensure in early childhood, mild and moderate intervention specialist, music education, physical science, and more. The Department offers Educational Studies degrees for those who are not interested in receiving Ohio teaching licensure. This degree option does not include methods and student teaching requirements.
Faculty and professional staff welcome opportunities to discuss career options with prospective students. We hope you will visit us in the Joshua I. Smith Center for Education & Natural Sciences.
The Department of Professional Education's mission is to prepare effective educators to serve as active facilitators of learning for the diverse student population. The Department is actively committed to the preparation of educators who vicariously experience students in various learning situations and, as a result, are prepared to take appropriate action to enhance the teaching-learning environment.
Lillian Drakeford, Ph.D.Interim Dean, College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASE)
Lillian Drakeford, Ph.D., is a lifelong educator who brings a wealth of teaching and administrative experience to the Department of Professional Education. Before coming to Central State University, Dr. Drakeford worked in Dayton Public Schools, Dayton, Ohio, where she served as a teacher of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, an intervention specialist, a secondary curriculum and instruction intervention coach, a high school assistant principal, and an associate director of assessment for curriculum and instruction, grades 7-12.
Dr. Drakeford is also the contributing editor of a two-volume work, "The Race Controversy in American Education" (Praeger, 2015). As an editor, Dr. Drakeford brought together the work of multiple authors in 33 chapters to illuminate the pervasive impact that race and institutionalized racism have had on education in the United States. Since coming to Central State University, she has served as director of Field and Clinical Experiences for the Educator Preparation Program. She is currently the interim dean for the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASE).
Dr. Drakeford received a Bachelor of Science in Education of the Hearing Impaired from the School of Speech at Northwestern University and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Supervision from Wright State University. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Change from the Antioch University Graduate School of Leadership and Change.
Dr. Lillian Drakeford
Interim Dean, College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education (CHASE)
O: 937-376-6675, 937-376-6007