Harold Levine is committed to building a School of Education that
makes a difference– for educators, policymakers, students and
everyone else who has a stake in California’s schools.
This goal could be considered a departure from how elite schools
of education have traditionally approached their mission. In
fact, Dean Levine thinks the most significant obstacle to working
with schools and policymakers is the reputation of schools of
education as disconnected from the real problems that teachers
and students face in their classrooms. At UC Davis, he sees an
opportunity to build a different kind of reputation.
The campus has a long tradition of working in ways that are
multidisciplinary, that connect research and practice, and that
address real societal problems. This tradition provides a strong
foundation for creating a school of education characterized by
interdisciplinary collaboration, deep and sustained engagement
with communities and practitioners, and work that fundamentally
integrates research and practice.
Dean Levine defines his role as developing opportunities for the
School’s people and programs to grow in capacity, quality,
stature, and influence.
Dean Levine earned his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University
of Pennsylvania. He served as professor and chair of education,
and as interim dean at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and
Information Studies prior to joining the UC Davis community in
July 2001.
