School of Education Earns Accreditation Milestone

The Rockhurst University School of Education got a report card of its own in May. And it’s one they’re going to want to hang up on the fridge.

The school’s teacher certification programs earned accreditation with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the result of a process close to two years in the making and involving the effort of University faculty, staff, students, K-12 partners, and input from alumni teachers. CAEP is a national organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.  The accreditation will last for seven years.

The Rockhurst School of Education programs have been accredited before, but the stamp of approval from CAEP represents a different level of recognition. Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review of the CAEP standards, which are based on two principles: 1. Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and 2. 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.

“It’s a big deal,” said Sarah Hicks, Ph.D., associate professor of education and chair of the School of Education. “This is accreditation with rigorous nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.”

The process included a self-study by the applying school evaluated by CAEP staff and CAEP-trained peer colleagues from the across the U.S., as well as a multi-day site visit by a team made up of CAEP and Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education representatives.

“It was very thorough. There was no stone left unturned,” Hicks said.

Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review of the CAEP standards, which are based on solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and 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. Creating that environment meant compiling admission, during program, end of program, and employment data — everything from how well teacher candidates and completers are prepared to what values and attitudes they display as they go about their work. More than simply checking a box on the accreditation list, that data will be valuable as the school continues to assess its own efficacy and develop new programs and courses.

“Our students and instructors should be very proud of the work they are doing,” Hicks said. “We’ve set a very high bar for our teacher prep program and CAEP Accreditation validates the hard work we are doing. Our students and their families are investing in an education program that is designated as nationally accredited for teacher preparation.”