About the Department

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and master's and doctoral degrees, as well as course work for teacher certification. Its forty full-time faculty members teach and conduct research in a broad range of subject areas including mathematics, science, social studies, literacy, art, gifted education, early childhood education, second language learning, and instructional technology.

A Commitment to Making a Difference

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction prepares teachers and other educators to meet the special demands and important working educational, health cultural, and other human service settings. Teacher preparation at the University of Houston has received the Distinguished Program in teacher Education Award from the Association of Teacher Educators - the only competitive award for excellence in teacher education in the United States.

Graduate Education

The department serves more than 500 graduate students in master's and doctoral degree programs. Our graduates are leaders in their fields in Houston, the state of Texas, and across the country.

Applications of Instructional Technology

The department houses one of the nation's most innovative centers for instructional technology. Faculty members have received major federal and state grants to help current and future educators make the best use of electronic and other technologies in their teaching and research. Funding from the U.S. Department of Education supports projects such as Project for the Active Teaching of American History. Private foundation funding supports the Laboratory for Innovative Technology in Education, which offers a unique design for collaborative learning that connects the department's doctoral program with schools and informal learning communities in the greater Houston area.

Consistency Management & Cooperative Discipline

The Consistency Management & Cooperative Discipline program (CMCD) helps students in elementary and secondary classrooms achieve success through improved self-discipline and personal responsibility. CMCD is a school-based program, working with adults who serve children - teachers, administrators, specialists, counselors, aides, and bus drivers. The CMCD program is active in 184 schools across the nation and seventy schools in Houston, Texas, CMCD is also implemented with Project GRAD - a University of Houston program preparing 600 inner-city high school students for transition into higher education.

CMCD has two distinct components. Consistency Management focuses on classroom and instructional organization and planning by the teacher. Cooperative Discipline extends the leadership and management functions of the teacher to the students in the classroom. External evaluation studies indicate that schools using the CMCD program have significant decreases in discipline referrals, marked increases in teacher and student attendance, and measurable improvements in time-on-task, student achievement, and classroom climate.