KINGSTON, R.I. Feb. 8, 2021 – The School of Education in the University of Rhode Island’s Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies has been ranked number 83 among public research universities nationally, by the 2021 U.S. News & World Report listing of Best Public Graduate Schools for Education, released in January.
The new ranking moves URI up 11 slots from last year’s ranking of 94th place, and reflects another annual increase for the college in the last three years.
“This is a proud moment for the Feinstein College and URI more broadly,” said URI Provost Donald DeHayes. “The meteoric rise in national recognition of URI’s School of Education reflects the quality, commitment, and hard work of our faculty, students, and leadership team. This wonderful and well-deserved recognition confirms our own assessments of the substance and impact of our programs and our track record in producing the next generation of passionate and deeply engaged educational leaders locally and nationally.”
R. Anthony Rolle, dean of the Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies, said that The Feinstein College’s School of Education has made improving the U.S. News and World Report rankings a “top priority strategic goal,” along with improving levels of local engagement, national respect and global involvement in its academic, administrative and instructional activities.
“When I arrived at URI in 2017 as the inaugural dean of the College, It was only in its second year of operation and was unranked. In my second year as dean, we ranked 114, and last year, we reached 94,” said R. Anthony Rolle, “Now in 2021, the College is ranked number 83 nationally. Our faculty, staff, and students will continue to work hard at increasing our research productivity, grant funding, and instructional innovations not only to improve our national ranking, but also to increase academic learning opportunities for students.”
Based at the Kingston Campus, URI’s School of Education prepares future professionals in the field of education across multiple specialties, offering teacher certification degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. Offerings include bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees, in addition to graduate certificates.
“I am proud that the collective efforts of our faculty, staff and students are being recognized by the U.S. News & World Report,” said Danielle Dennis, director of the Feinstein School of Education. “As a school, we have been diligent in our efforts to ensure that our graduate students have a firm understanding of the research, theory, content and pedagogical knowledge, necessary for educators at all levels, especially as we navigate best practices for distance learning and global initiatives.”
“Improved rankings among U.S. public institutions is a recognition that will inspire continued positive changes in academic opportunities for our students. In addition, the Feinstein College’s research, granting and community engagement efforts should begin to influence national conversations on educational improvement,” Rolle said.
First published in 1983, U.S. News & World Report’s rankings are based upon information collected from educational institutions via an annual survey, government and third-party data sources, and school websites. It also considers opinion surveys of university faculty and administrators outside the school.