Elon's Teacher Education Program has earned national accreditation by demonstrating excellence in the areas of content and pedagogy, clinical partnerships and practice, candidate recruitment, progression and support, program impact and quality assurance and continuous improvement from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced today that the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education at Elon University is one of 55 providers from 28 states and the United Arab Emirates to receive accreditation for their educator preparation programs.
The Fall 2022 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council resulted in 55 educator preparation providers receiving accreditation, bringing the total to 507 providers approved under the CAEP Accreditation Standards – rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.
“These institutions meet high standards so that their students receive an education that prepares them to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate,” said CAEP President Christopher A. Koch. “Seeking CAEP accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”
CAEP is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. CAEP is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. More than 600 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including some previously accredited through former standards.
Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review of the CAEP standards, which are based on two principles:
- Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and
- Solid evidence that the provider’s educator staff have the capacity to create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.
If a program fails to meet one of the standards, it is placed on probation for two years. Probation may be lifted in two years if a program provides evidence that it meets the standard.
The Watts Williams School of Education joins 54 other providers to receive accreditation this fall, bringing the total number to 507 CAEP-accredited providers from 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.