The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has reaccredited the University of New Mexico’s College of Education (COE) at the initial and advanced levels for their teacher, counselor, and administrator preparation programs. The new accreditation period will last through 2014.
The decision, made by the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board, indicates the UNM College of Education has proven its commitment to producing the highest quality teachers, counselors, and administrators for our nation’s schools, clinics, and other educational settings.
The COE achieved accreditation under the comprehensive, performance-oriented standards set forth by the NCATE, the largest organization responsible for professional accreditation of teacher education in the U.S.
“The College of Education has demonstrated through an intensive and rigorous review that it provides some of the nation’s best educational programs for students across a wide variety of educational careers," said Interim Dean Richard Howell. "We are especially proud of the collaborative efforts of our faculty, staff, and students who worked together to show the review team the substantial integrity of our programs. We look forward to moving ahead together to enhance and improve upon this recognition.”
NCATE currently accredits 623 institutions which produce two-thirds of the nation’s new teacher graduates each year. NCATE-accredited schools must meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the public. Potential candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey it so that students learn.
The COE had to demonstrate that it carefully assessed this knowledge and pedagogical skills to determine that candidates are well prepared and capable in their individual settings.
Importantly, the COE candidates showed they were prepared to understand and work with the multi-lingually and multi-culturally diverse student populations of New Mexico. For its part, the college faculty modeled effective teaching practices in real time reviews of instruction. Finally, the COE demonstrated that it has the resources, including information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates to meet the new national standards.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; email: scarr@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at May 12, 2008 11:22 AM