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An outside review panel has recommended that the University of Georgia College of Education maintain its accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as a professional accrediting body for colleges and universities that prepare teachers and other professional personnel for work in elementary and secondary schools. NCATE-accredited colleges of education are expected to ensure that teacher candidates are trained to be effective professionals in educational settings.

The nine reviewers — five from NCATE and four from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) — were on campus March 23-26 to assess the college’s 47 initial certification programs and endorsements for educators, as well as its graduate programs. To maintain accreditation, the College of Education underwent a rigorous review, in which it demonstrated a continued commitment to meeting or exceeding NCATE and GaPSC standards for its certification programs.

“Our review was conducted under NCATE’s Continuous Improvement Model, which means that we are making visible improvements on all of the standards since our last review,” said Dean Craig H. Kennedy. “The exciting progress we have made in enhancing the school-based portion of our programs, especially through our Professional Development School partnership with the Clarke County School District, is particularly exciting.’”

Founded in 1954, only 656 institutions across the nation are accredited by NCATE. The number of candidates for accreditation has almost tripled in the past five years, due to the growing demand for accountability from states and the federal government.

For more information about NCATE, see www.ncate.org/.