Northwest Missouri State University has deep roots in the preparation of teachers and leaders. It began as a normal school to prepare teachers, and for more than 100 years, Northwest has taken pride in preparing excellent educators who reach and inspire excellence from the students they teach and lead.
As only the third institution in the nation to receive the Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award twice (2006 and 2018), Northwest offers an exemplary program built upon a Culture of Quality.
The School of Education serves 629 undergraduate students and 1224 graduate students. Additionally, faculty provide instruction for 432 students in secondary education programs such as social studies, K-12 art, K-12 vocal and instrumental music, physical education, social studies and mathematics. In the 2021-2022 academic year, 877 students earned a degree in education at the undergraduate or graduate level.
The mission of the School of Education is to prepare caring teachers who possess the highest level of professional knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to help all students learn in a diverse and ever-changing world. This principle serves as the guiding framework for the developmental learning opportunities afforded to teachers in training in the various programs offered through the department. Programs are fully nationally accredited (since 1954), most recently through the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) and the state of Missouri through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office of Educator Quality. In 2016, Northwest was selected by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) as a Case Study and on-campus visit to chronicle the best uses of data and assessment systems to continually improve teacher education.
For questions, comments or concerns, contact Dr. Tim Wall, Northwest School of Education dean and director of teacher education at timwall@nwmissouri.edu or 660.853.9039.
“That’s when I could totally see myself here. I remember the professors really pushing and being like ‘We really care about our students and want to support you.’ I thought that was a great concept and learned that it was definitely true.”
Faith Earley '22
Early Childhood Education
Located west of the J.W. Jones Student Union, this Neo-Gothic structure was renovated and rededicated in 1987 in honor of Everett W. Brown, an alumnus, long-time staff member and eight-term member of the Missouri House of Representatives. Brown Hall houses the School of Education in addition to the Horace Mann Laboratory School and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families.
Total square feet: 70,550 | Year built: 1939
The Horace Mann Laboratory School enrolls children in kindergarten through sixth grade, and the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families offers both an early child care center for children from 6 weeks to 3 years of age and a preschool.
Horace Mann and the Leet Center place an emphasis on innovative and interactive teaching practices accompanied with individualized instruction by dedicated and caring faculty and staff. While benefiting from Northwest programs and activities, the school’s teachers also incorporate state-of-the-art technology into students’ learning.
Offering a core curriculum and working in concert with the University, Horace Mann and the Leet Center offer unique learning opportunities, which have included guitar lessons, the study of robotics, lessons about crops and animals at the University farm, and Spanish and sign language lessons. Students from multiple countries also add to the school’s diverse environment.
