Clearly identified professional courses for teachers at The George Washington University were first offered in 1904-05, and the Division of Education, under the Columbian College, was established in 1907. In 1909 this division became the Teachers College, and in 1928 the School of Education. By this time its faculty were staffing departments of education, educational psychology and home economics. In 1932, a year before it began its doctoral programs, the School accepted the responsibility for providing required physical education to all GW undergraduates, until the '60s when these requirements were dropped.
In 1977 the name was again changed to the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD). The School is a unit within the University structure having jurisdiction over professional teacher education programs, as well as other professional programs in education and human development. Up until this time the School also oversaw the Reading Center. In 1987 the School was organized into four departments: Department of Teacher Preparation and Special Education; the Department of Human Kinetics and Tourism; the Department of Educational Leadership, and the Department of Human Services. Each is headed by a department chair.
Since 1994 the School has been known as The Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD), when it transitioned from a comprehensive undergraduate/graduate entity to one focusing exclusively on graduate education. In 2004 the School celebrated its Centenary. The Dean of the School reports to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Deans
Division of Education
1907-1909
Williston S. Hough
The Teachers College
1909-1925
Williston S. Hough
1926-1934
William Carl Ruediger
The School of Education
1938-1964
James Harold Fox
1964
Acting Dean Blake Root
1964-1967
Francis N. Hamblin
1967-1969
Acting Dean Blake Root
1969-1979
Rodney Tillman
1979-1980
Acting Dean Robert E. Baker
The School of Education & Human Development
1980-1988
Eugene W. Kelly, Jr.
1988
Acting Dean Jay R. Shotel
1988-1992
Leo D. Leonard
1992-1994
Peter P. Smith
Graduate School of Education & Human Development (undergraduate programs transferred elsewhere)
1994-1995
Peter P. Smith
1995-
Mary Hatwood Futrell