Students at SMU's Annette Caldwell School of Education & Human Development make many positive changes in their communities. They are educators who challenge ideas and expand minds. SMU’s teaching and research are grounded in multiple perspectives that encompass behaviorist, cognitive, social-constructivist, and sociocultural approaches to scholarship. SMU prepares the following types of teachers:

1. Scholars and Leaders in Professionalism. SMU students display intellectual curiosity, engage in critical thinking, model collaboration, and leverage new technologies in their professional interactions. Through classroom-based, field-based, and technology-rich learning experiences, undergraduate students develop and refine the positive attitudes and dispositions that characterize educational leaders. Graduate students continue the journey of lifelong learning through global awareness, reflective, and evidence-based practice and informed implementation of innovation.
2. Educators Committed to High-Quality Practice. SMU students stay well versed in the most current and available research from quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and multidisciplinary studies. They use the latest scholarship to guide their classroom practices and instructional design. SMU courses in all the degree programs include clearly laid out competency-based requirements that emphasize creative instruction, innovative technologies, and personalized feedback.
3. Leaders in Translating Research into Practice. Undergraduate students implement teaching strategies that have been proven to be effective, and become leaders in the schools where they teach. Master’s students become critical consumers of research and will lead their colleagues in efforts to translate research to practice. Doctoral students become active researchers as they work beside faculty in grant-funded research to expand scientific knowledge and disseminate research findings.
4. Experts in Differentiated Instruction. SMU students are sensitive and responsive to all learners and understand the range of learning experiences and assessments available to help them differentiate for all students in the new digital age. Students adapt their educational methods to meet the needs of all students across socio-cultural variations: linguistic, developmental, cognitive, ethnic, gender, and socio-economic status. They are committed to creating a variety of creative learning environments to address the full range of human potential and human development.

SMU's Annette Caldwell School of Education & Human Development offers a number of different programs that are tailored to the needs for different candidates and have a 99% passing rate on the Texas State Board of Education Certification exam. SMU has an average 95% job placement rate for all graduates who seek teaching jobs. Approximately 75% of graduate students are on some form of scholarship or financial aid. The majority of the SMU teacher education programs are designed for post-graduate education (Master’s degrees for practicing teachers). SMU also partners with Teach for America in DFW and offers a two-year Master's with Certification option at a very low cost. Depending on the scholarship package and programs of interest, the total cost of a Master’s in Education degree at SMU ranges between $4,000 and $25,000.