College of Education receives professional accreditation

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Jennifer L Parks, (808) 956-0416
Comm Coord, College of Education
Posted: May 28, 2010


In a letter to UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) announced the continued accreditation of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Education. After successfully obtaining national or state recognition for its programs over the last two years, the college met each of the council’s rigorous standards.

“The recent meeting of NCATE's Unit Accreditation Board culminates several years of preparation and deliberation on the part of both the institution and NCATE,” president James G. Cibulka wrote in the letter. “Beginning with the institutional self-study and ending with the deliberations of the Unit Accreditation Board, a great deal of thought and effort went into the accreditation process.”
 
Professional accreditation is a way to ensure that schools of education are graduating well-qualified teachers who are ready for today’s classrooms. The College of Education has proven its commitment to producing quality teachers by achieving accreditation under NCATE’s performance-oriented standards.
 
“The College is pleased that the excellence of our programs has been recognized by such a prestigious national association,” Dean Christine Sorensen said. “We believe in the importance of meeting national standards for all of our programs and continue to focus on delivering the highest quality experiences for our students.”
 
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 to determine that candidates may graduate. The institution must have partnerships with P-12 schools that enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help students learn. Candidates must be prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations. College and university faculty must model effective teaching practices. And the college must have the resources, including information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates to meet new standards.
 
The U. S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education. It was founded in 1954 by the teaching profession and the states. The next NCATE visit is scheduled for spring 2014.
 

For more information, visit: http://coe.hawaii.edu/about/stories/NCATE