Welcome to Teaching in Purple

In the College of Education at Grand Canyon University, the faculty, administrators and staff embody a spirit of continuous improvement to frequently focus our efforts in alignment with our framework of Learning, Leading and Serving.

The College of Education has a Christian mission and servant’s heart. We recognize that the education profession is not just a job, but a calling, and our efforts are focused on students from kindergarten through higher education. We seek to have an impact on all students and the education community.

If you would like to be a contributing writer, or if you have suggestions for upcoming blogs, please reach out to us at coe@gcu.edu — we would love to hear from you!

More about Dr. Critchfield:

Since early childhood, Meredith Critchfield, PhD, has been fascinated by teaching and learning. Hailing from a long line of K-12 educators, Dr. Critchfield’s love of teaching and learning has led her to spend the last 17 years in the field of education. Prior to her appointment as Dean of the College of Education, Dr. Critchfield served in online and campus faculty chair roles and was awarded the earned rank of professor at GCU. She also served as a K-12 teacher in the United States and abroad in Kenya.

Dr. Critchfield has contributed to over 40 publications, including a co-authored book with Columbia University's Teachers College Press, as well as over 55 international, national and regional conference presentations. Her passion for education has netted her eight major awards including Teacher of the Year, Leadership in Research and Scholarly Activity Award, Mental Attitude Award and Distinguished Faculty Scholar. Dr. Critchfield’s research interests include literacy education, teaching English as a second language and educational equity and inclusion in urban, multicultural contexts.