Teacher Education program earns accreditation through 2017
Published: February 21, 2012
Dr. Donald Weatherman, Dr. Kathy Pillow-Price and Dr. Virginia Wray
Lyon College has reshaped the traditional way of preparing teachers and now the program has earned continued accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) through 2017.
Professional accreditation is one way to ensure the public that schools of education are graduating well-qualified teachers ready for today's classrooms. Lyon College has proven its commitment to producing quality teachers for our nation's children by achieving continued accreditation and by meeting all of the performance-oriented standards set forth by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the organization responsible for professional accreditation of teacher education.
According to the action letter from Dr. James G. Cibulka, President of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the NCATE Board of Examiners was impressed with the cooperation received from Lyon College faculty, staff, and administration. “This accreditation decision indicates that the unit and its programs meet rigorous standards set forth by the professional education community.”
Founded in 1954, NCATE is composed of more than 30 professional and policymaker organizations representing millions of Americans committed to quality teaching. NCATE expects teacher preparation institutions to provide compelling evidence of candidate knowledge and skill in the classroom. Multiple types of performance assessment are expected throughout the program of study and candidate qualifications are assessed upon entry, and throughout the program. The U. S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education.
All NCATE-accredited schools must meet rigorous standards. Teacher 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 college must carefully assess this knowledge and skill and have partnerships with P-12 schools to enable candidates to further develop their skills necessary to help students learn. Candidates must be prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations and college faculty must model effective teaching practices. In addition the college must have the resources, including information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates to meet all standards.
Dr. Kathy Pillow-Price, Director of Lyon’s Teacher Education program shared her praise with Lyon’s local school partners, faculty and staff stating, "All of us involved in the preparation of future teachers at Lyon are proud that special congratulations were conveyed by NCATE’s Unit Accreditation Board. I commend my education colleagues, adjuncts, and local school partners for modeling what caring, competent, educators should strive to be. They work hard every day to do what is beneficial for all students, so we can assure that Lyon is putting forth positive, prepared, professionals ready to take their place in the classroom.”
Lyon education students enjoy opportunities to integrate course-based knowledge and skills with yearlong internships in area classrooms. These local internships and clinical experiences combine with rigorous coursework and travel opportunities to see diverse settings give Lyon students meaningful opportunities to practice what they learn in a real-world setting.