College of Education

Holly Starmer Witcher, ’01, a special education teacher at Tesnatee Gap Elementary School in White County, is the 2025 Georgia Teacher of the Year. A 23-year teaching veteran, she was also named Teacher of the Year in two other school districts: Rockdale County in 2006 and White County in 2023. Witcher was selected out of approximately 110,000 teachers to be the state’s Teacher of the Year. She feels it’s “a huge honor” to be selected and has been advocating for other Georgia teachers...

Superintendent of Lee County Schools Dr. Kathleen Truitt gave a keynote commencement address at her alma mater, Georgia College & State University.She told students graduating from university’s College of Education that she was “dumbfounded” when asked by GCSU President Cathy Cox to speak at commencement. “I am simply a regular person and what would I have to really offer you at such a pivotal moment,” Truitt said. “And then it occurred to me, maybe just maybe I could share how a regular...

In preschool, a set of twins demonstrated their knowledge and reasoning skills differently than other children. The sisters had trouble remembering the shapes and sounds of letters. Their special education teacher, Berinda Turk—a four-time graduate of Georgia College & State University—wasn’t sure, but she thought the twins might be dyslexic. She couldn’t get them out of her mind and heart.   “I wanted to learn more about dyslexia so this year, if I was presented with the same type...

Did you like the headline?What about:Preparing for an AI-Accelerated WorldAdapting to a Changing Landscape: Professors, AI, and the Future of EducationA Glimpse into the Future of Teaching and the Tangled Webs of TechnologyThey were all written by artificial intelligence.In fact, who’s to know any more if what we’re reading was written by human brainpower or machines and software? How do we know what’s real? Will the definition of ‘real’ change?How can we be sure, moving forward, that...

Promise and potential? Or peril and pitfall?These days, the subject of artificial intelligence is rife with the headiness of what it can accomplish versus people’s fear of the unknown. Will this rapidly evolving technology take over, destroying jobs and shoving humans aside?In particular, how will it impact higher education?Universities nationwide are turning to Georgia College & State University’s Professor of Secondary Education Dr. Cynthia Alby for answers.She started with a workshop...

Clayton Exum From:  Adel, Georgia. Why Georgia College & State University: I chose Georgia College because of the environment. Georgia College felt perfect from the moment I first visited campus. You truly feel welcomed by everyone as soon as you arrive! I also appreciate the excellent teaching programs offered here. Georgia College values learning through experience which will best prepare me for a career in teaching. Major: I’ll be majoring in Middle Grades Education with a focus...

The latest report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) ranks Georgia College & State University’s Early Childhood Education program among the top 48 schools in the nation—and the only program in Georgia to go above and beyond standards set by literacy experts. Georgia College earned an exemplary score for prepping teachers with the most-effective, scientifically based instructions for reading. NCTQ’s 2023 ratings were published in “Teacher Prep Review: Strengthening...