An ongoing commitment to the highest quality in the preparation of teachers and other school personnel has earned the University of Rochester reaccreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the organization responsible for professional accreditation of teacher education nationally.
Programs at the University's Warner School of Education that prepare teachers, counselors, and administrators at various levels, as well as music education programs at the Eastman School of Music, were evaluated under NCATE national standards and received renewal in accreditation.
"Achieving this reaccreditation is very rewarding," says Raffaella Borasi, dean of the Warner School. "It speaks largely to the high quality of our programs and our faculty, staff, and administration, as well as the quality of our partnerships with school districts. Achieving this reaccreditation marks a major milestone in our continuing efforts to meet national standards of excellence in preparing quality educators for our nation's schools."
To receive accreditation from NCATE, universities must meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the public. The organization expects accredited higher education institutions to make certain that coursework and internships are a priority. NCATE also ensures that the institutions have partnerships with preschool to grade 12 schools to enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help students learn. Faculty must model effective teaching practices and institutions must have the resources, including information technology, necessary to prepare candidates to meet new standards. Candidates must also be prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations. The accreditation process involved an extensive self-review and a NCATE evaluation of the review materials, followed by a team site visit.
"This reaccreditation recognizes the strength of Eastman's music education program, which combines the highest standards of performance artistry with superb comprehensive teacher preparation," says Douglas Lowry, dean of the Eastman School. "It reflects Eastman's steadfast commitment to preparing students to become articulate leaders, developing greater understanding of learning and teaching processes, and building broad perspectives of music and education in contemporary cultures."
The U.S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education. Comprised of a coalition of more than 30 professional and policymaker organizations representing millions of Americans committed to teaching, NCATE currently accredits 632 institutions, which produce two-thirds of the nation's new teacher graduates each year.
For more information about the teacher education programs at the University of Rochester, visit the Warner School's Web site at www.warner.rochester.edu and Eastman School's Web site at www.esm.rochester.edu. More information about NCATE is available at www.ncate.org.
About the Warner School of Education
Founded in 1958, the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education offers master's and doctoral degree programs in teaching and curriculum, school leadership, higher education, counseling, human development, and educational policy. The Warner School of Education offers a new accelerated option for its Ed.D. programs that allows eligible students to earn a doctorate in education in as few as three years part time while holding a professional job in the same field. The Warner School of Education is recognized both regionally and nationally for its tradition of preparing practitioners and researchers to become leaders and agents of change in schools, universities, and community agencies; generating and disseminating research; and actively participating in education reform.
About the Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music, located in Rochester, N.Y., is one of the nation's leading and top ranked music schools, educating 500 undergraduate and 400 graduate students annually in performance, composition, jazz studies and contemporary media, music education, theory, conducting, and musicology. The Eastman School was established in 1921 by George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, as the first professional school of the University of Rochester. The School's faculty members include Grammy winners, Guggenheim Fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, and recording artists. Eastman's prominent alumni include opera singers Renée Fleming, Anthony Dean Griffey, and the late William Warfield; jazz musicians Ron Carter, Steve Gadd, and Chuck Mangione; and composers Charles Strouse, Michael Torke, and Jeff Beal.