Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education honored by accrediting agency

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation named Elon University a recipient of its 2023 Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement.

Elon University’s Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education was among the institutions recognized this fall by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation for an evidence-based approach to teacher education.

Twenty-one education programs from 15 states and the United Arab Emirates received CAEP’s 2023 Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement, named after the founding president of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council, a precursor to CAEP.

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Recipients are selected from educator preparation providers granted accreditation by CAEP at the initial level from the previous year, who provided a full complement of evidence with demonstrated data trends and no stipulations or areas for improvement.

“There is no greater privilege than preparing young people for careers in education,” said Ann Bullock, the Dr. Jo Watts Williams Dean of Education at Elon University. “Our faculty are second to none in their commitment to excellence. This award underscores ongoing efforts to ensure our teacher candidates excel as they follow their professional calling into school classrooms.”

CAEP was created by the consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the TEAC. Murray was a key advocate for a single set of educator preparation standards to unify the profession and was instrumental in the merger.

“Frank Murray was passionate about education preparation, a prominent leader in our profession, and an advocate for evidence to improve education,” said Yuhang Rong, chair of the CAEP Board of Directors. “The providers that CAEP is recognizing are committed to continuous improvement and preparing their students to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate. Murray Leadership Recognition recipients should be proud of their accomplishments.”

CAEP has accredited 541 educator preparation providers in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

“This fifth class to receive the Murray Recognition represents the diversity and innovation that comes with CAEP accreditation,” said CAEP President Christopher Koch. “These recipients reflect the innovation that CAEP affords in achieving excellence, by meeting the standards in a variety of ways, for the diverse populations they serve.”

2023 Frank Murray Recognition for Continuous Improvement

  • Al Ain University—United Arab Emirates
  • Alcorn State University—Mississippi
  • Elon University—North Carolina
  • Florida Atlantic University
  • Georgia Gwinnett College
  • Grace College—Indiana
  • Kent State University—Ohio
  • Liberty University—Virginia
  • Mississippi State University
  • Missouri Western University
  • North Carolina State University
  • Northwest Nazarene University—Idaho
  • Sam Houston State University—Texas
  • Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
  • Spelman College—Georgia
  • The University of Mississippi
  • University of South Carolina Beaufort
  • Valley City State University—North Dakota
  • Virginia Wesleyan University
  • Western Oregon University
  • Williams Baptist University—Arkansas