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Our mission is to prepare leaders to achieve educational equitythrough practice, research and policy. We work to improvelearning opportunities and outcomes in urban settings and toaddress disparities that affect historically marginalized groups.We teach our students to value and respect the culturalcontext of the communities in which they work and tointerrogate the systems of power that shape policies andpractices. Through innovative thinking and research, we striveto solve the most intractable educational problems.
73%26%1%51%24%16%9%o87%n13%62%38%GenderAge Range StudentsDegrees Male 26% Female 73%With representation from 25 countries 50+ 9%40-4916%30-3924%20-2951% Domestic 87%DoctorateMasters62%International 13%Nonbinary1%$4.1Mtotal scholarships awarded49%scholarship recipientswere first generation$21,536average scholarship award55% of eligible students received scholarshipsIn Academic Year 2023**Students beginning summer and fall 2023Our Students38%
Academic DegreesThe new Doctor of Education in Mental Health Leadershiponline program prepares professionals to manage mental healthorganizations while addressing systemic challenges contributing topractitioner shortages.7Master’s DegreePrograms5Doctoral DegreePrograms7Programs offeredonline1PhD ProgramAlumni78+current superintendents75+current presidents, deans andleaders of higher ed institutions33,200+USC Rossier alumni50states are home to ouralumni43countries have alumnifrom our programsUSC Rossier alumni are leaders in K–12 education, higher ed,mental health and healthcare, philanthropic organizations,private businesses, nonprofits and government.Students & Alumni
The USC Rossier TeacherPreparation Residencyprogram is successfullyaddressing the teachershortage crisis through aninnovative approach torecruiting and retaining high-quality teachers. The programsupports talented educatorswho reflect the diversity of L.A.and provides residents a 100%tuition scholarship and a$20,000 - $35,000 livingstipend. Residents commit tofour years of teaching in anLAUSD or Ednovate schoolafter graduation.The USC College Advising Corps. plays a pivotal role in supporting over10,000 students each year, focusing on students who areunderrepresented in college, first-generation students and those from low-income families. USC CAC has 40 partner schools, spanning eight schooldistricts in L.A. County; these schools were strategically selected based ontheir need, serving a student population where 93% are students of colorand 85% come from socioeconomically disadvantaged families.$30,000cost to provide 1:1advising to 100 students$20M+financial aid andscholarships awarded tostudents annually66%of studentsaccepted to college
The Breakthrough Leadership Institute gives schoolleadership teams and individuals a place to think deeply abouthow they can move intractable challenges forward. The institutebrings together experienced education leaders for participantsto learn from and interact with to establish a forward-thinkingmindset to address their most pressing challenges. Participantscome to the institute ready to interrogate a problem of practiceand leave with a personalized plan that lays out cleardefinitions, solutions, actions and timelines. The USC EdTech Accelerator works with entrepreneurs who aredeveloping promising technology solutions aimed at solvingsome of the most pressing educational challenges and improvingeducational access and outcomes for all learners. 23+ millionlearners impacted $130M+raised by USC EdtechAccelerator companies80%of co-founders areBIPOC or womenMajor Initiatives & Impact
Launched in 2021, the USC-LAUSD Partnership School Program, wascreated to facilitate collective conversations and apply to the school settingthe educational research and pedagogical approaches taught in USC Rossier'sMAT program. The program not only benefits students by providing them withopportunities to student-teach alongside master teachers, but it also providesprofessional development to partnership school teachers and gives USCRossier faculty valuable time in K–12 classrooms.The recently launched USC EdPolicy Hub collaborates withschools, education systems and community colleges to conductrigorous, actionable, boundary-spanning research. The center’sresearch results inform decisions for educators, policymakersand families, ultimately improving student outcomes. The USC Democracy Project gives teachers the support they need toaddress controversial topics in the classroom. Grounded in a deliberativeinquiry model, the curriculum provides students with opportunities toexplore complex social issues, engage in civil discourse and take informedaction. The pilot program launched in 2023 and successfully engaged 23diverse teachers from a wide range of schools.Major Initiatives & Impact
USC Rossier Faculty7elected to the NationalAcademy of Education7among EducationWeek’s most influentialedu-scholars50%of new hires arescholars of color20tenured faculty57full-time faculty150+part-time and adjunct facultyHuriya Jabbar, associate professorof education policy, received one ofthe first Student Upward MobilityGrants to study youth social capital.Jessica DeCuir-Gunby, Robert H.Naslund Chair in Curriculum andTeaching, was named president ofthe APA’s EducationalPsychology Division.Faculty have been featured in:Yasemin Copur-Gencturk, Katzman-Ernst Chair for EducationalEntrepreneurship, Technology andInnovation, received $6.7M in federalgrant funding to create content-focused professional developmentprograms for elementary mathteachers that focus on the keyknowledge and skills that matter inquality teaching and student learning.Copur-Gencturk’s goal is to make theAI-powered PD program availableonline so teachers can access itanywhere.Brendesha Tynes, Dean’sProfessor of Educational Equity,received a $4.6M NIH grant tobuild the nation’s first digitalliteracy and mental healthplatform for K–12 students. Major Awards & AchievementsFaculty AchievementsMary Helen Immordino-Yang,Fahmy and Donna Attallah Chair inHumanistic Psychology,received a $2.1M grant from theBezos Family Foundation to fundthe CANDLE Innovation Lab -reframing the purpose, process andoutcomes of schooling and schoolsystems in the modern era throughpartnerships with neuroscience &psychology researchers, educators,and administrators in schools.Gale Sinatra, associate dean forresearch, received the DistinguishedAlumni Award at the University ofMassachusetts.
The Center for Empowered Learning and Development withTechnology researchers found that raised expectations of Black studentsled to enthusiastic, innovative and culturally specific use of technology. USC Rossier Research Centersrossier.usc.eduLed by world-class faculty, our research centers conductcutting-edge research in education psychology research,higher education research and K–12 education policy research.The USC Race and Equity Center released a report that brings together12 scholars from across the nation to break down attacks againstdiversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education. The Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice received a$1.2M grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to build tools and growits network to support systemic change in STEM graduate education.The Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning andEducation published a landmark study that found adolescents whoengage in transcendent thinking and grapple with the bigger meaning ofsocial situations experience greater brain growth, which predicts strongeridentity development and life satisfaction years later.The Pullias Center for Higher Education received the 2024 Special MeritAward from the Association for the Study of Higher Education, recognizingthe center as a vital force for advancing research in higher ed.The Center for Education, Identity and Social Justice conducted a six-year longitudinal study that identified ways high schools can betterprepare students for higher education, and how colleges can improvesupport for students while enrolled and after graduation.Research CentersThe EdPolicy Hub received a $1M grant from the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation to create a network of Southern California districts and chartermanagement organizations.