Early Years:  1852 -1950

Over 150 years ago, in 1852, the Indiana General Assembly took the initial step in the development of the School of Education by providing for the establishment at Indiana University of a Normal Department for instruction in the theory and practice of teaching. Discontinued in 1870, the Normal Department was reinstated in 1886 as the Department of Pedagogy, later renamed the Department of Education. This department was part of what is now the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1908, following the enactment of a law that required formal training for public school teachers, the Department of Education became the School of Education. At this time there were four faculty members and 189 students. In May 1923 the School of Education became autonomous from the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1925 the first B.S. in education was granted; in 1929 the first M.S., and in 1932 the first Ed.D. The Ph.D. with a major in education has been awarded through the University Graduate School since 1924.

First Wright Education Building and Laboratory School

In 1951 the School of Education moved into a three-story limestone building on the corner of Third Street and Jordan Avenue on the Bloomington campus. This building also housed the education laboratory school (grades K-12). The School of Education grew rapidly, and eventually the laboratory school was moved to a new facility at the corner of Tenth Street and Highway 46 Bypass. In 1979 the education building was named the Wright Education Building, in honor of Wendell W. Wright, the second dean of the School of Education (1946-1959) and a university vice president.

Indianapolis Campus

Education classes have been taught in Indianapolis since 1914, when the Extension Division of Indiana University was established. As the Indianapolis campus grew and course offerings became more numerous, the Extension Division was renamed the Division of Regional Campuses. In 1969 it was possible to earn a bachelor's degree in education through what had become known as the Indianapolis campus of Indiana University. The following year the branch campuses of Indiana University and Purdue University at Indianapolis were unified in the establishment of Indiana University--Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The education program was at this time located at the 38th Street campus.

In 1972 the IUPUI Division of Education was formally established, with faculty offices and classrooms in the Marriott Building on N. Meridian Street. Three years later, in 1975, the Indianapolis and Bloomington units merged into a single School of Education. In 1982 the school at Indianapolis moved into a new building on the main IUPUI campus, the Education/Social Work Building, at 902 W. New York Street.

One of the Largest Schools

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Indiana University School of Education grew to become one of the largest schools of education in the United States. The Bloomington campus alone had more than 200 education faculty members. In some years, over 200 doctoral degrees and 1,200 master's degrees were awarded. In recent years the school has generated from five to seven million dollars of grant money annually for research, training, and development projects.

Move to Current New Building in 1992 on Bloomington Campus

In 1992 the School of Education in Bloomington moved into a new W. W. Wright Education Building, at 201 N. Rose Avenue. This modern facility offers the latest in technological facilities for instruction, training, and research. All academic programs are now housed in this building, with externally funded research, training, and development projects remaining in the Smith Research Center.