The Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE) is focused on improving the education of students whose ability to reach their potential is challenged by language or cultural barriers, race, geographic location, or poverty. CREDE promotes research by university faculty and graduate students and provides educators with a range of tools to help them implement best practices in the classroom.
Research is promoted by
- • Obtaining extramural research grants through the competitive struggle for federal, state and private research funds.
- • Encouraging collaboration across disciplines and institutions.
- • Disseminating research results through working papers, research briefs, and practitioner briefs.
CREDE’s philosophy
- All children can learn.
- Children learn best when challenged by high standards.
- English proficiency is an attainable goal for all students.
- Bilingual proficiency is desirable for all students.
- Language and cultural diversity can be assets for teaching and learning.
- Teaching and learning must accommodate individuals.
- Schools can mitigate risk factors by teaching social and learning skills.
- Solutions to risk factors must be grounded in a valid general theory of developmental, teaching, and schooling processes.
The CREDE Five Standards for Effective Pedagogy
An important facet of CREDE’s work is the development of a pedagogy that has been proven to be effective in educating all students, especially at-risk students. The Five Standards for Effective Pedagogy do not endorse a specific curriculum but, rather, establish ideals for best teaching practices that can be used in any classroom environment for any grade level or group of students. The Five Standards for Effective Pedagogy are:
1) Teachers and Students Producing Together
Facilitate learning through joint productive activity among teachers and students.
2) Developing Language and Literacy Across the Curriculum
Develop students’ competence in the language and literacy of instruction throughout all instructional activities.
3) Making Lessons Meaningful
Connect curriculum to experience and skills of students’ home and community.
4) Teaching Complex Thinking
Challenge students toward cognitive complexity.
5) Teaching through Conversation
Engage students through dialogue, especially instructional conversation.