KU News Release

KU School of Education meets rigorous standards for preparing new teachers

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Education has again proven itself to be among the nation’s best in producing quality teachers by achieving accreditation this month under the performance-oriented standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

NCATE-accredited schools meet rigorous standards set by the teaching profession and members of the public. Teacher candidates must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the subject matter they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey it to their students. Candidates also must show an ability to work with diverse populations. The institution must have the resources necessary to prepare candidates to meet new standards. The institution must also have partnerships with P-12 schools that enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help their students learn, all criteria KU’s School of Education met and surpassed.

“Achieving NCATE accreditation is an indication of the quality of programs offered for educator preparation at KU,” said Rick Ginsberg, dean of the School of Education. “This includes programs for teachers, school psychologists and administrators. It means that we meet the highest possible standards in the areas of candidate knowledge/skills/ dispositions, assessment and evaluation, field experiences, faculty qualifications and performance, diversity and governance. Our graduates are well-prepared for the realities facing today’s practitioners and the NCATE accreditation is recognition of the high quality of students, faculty and programs at KU.”

In the past decade, NCATE has moved from an accreditation system that focused on curriculum and what teacher candidates were offered to a data-driven, performance-based system dedicated to determining what candidates know and are able to do.

Meeting the accreditation standards also helps institutions prepare new teachers for more rigorous licensing standards in many states. NCATE accreditation standards incorporate the model state licensing principles developed by a task force of the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The School of Education provides the only extended teacher education program in the state, allowing teacher candidates to have more comprehensive field experiences and to complete graduate coursework. U.S. News and World Report has ranked the Department of Special Education No. 1 among graduate special education programs at public institutions. Since the late 1970s, special educators have also ranked it No. 1 in every empirical study in the special education field.

Founded in 1954, NCATE is composed of more than 30 professional and policymaker organizations representing millions of Americans committed to quality teaching.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.