The School of Education’s baccalaureate Middle Grades Education program has won an award from the N.C. Association for Middle Level Education.
The association awarded the program its 2014 Teacher Preparation Program to Watch Award for the state’s Central Region. The award is being presented on Tuesday (March 18), during the association’s annual conference in Greensboro.
“The award recognizes the excellence of your academic program and the efforts of your faculty and graduates that advance the aims of exemplary middle level education,” John Harrison, executive director of the association, said in a letter to the School announcing the award. The program was nominated for the award by N.C. Professors of Middle Level Education, a network of professors who work in middle-level teacher preparation.
The School of Education’s Middle Grades Education program prepares students for initial licensure as middle grades teachers. The program serves undergraduate students working toward bachelor’s degrees and non-degree students who already hold a bachelor’s degree and are seeking middle grades licensure.
The program’s four specialty content areas are language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
The NCMLE works to support middle grades educators, offering resources and networking to share up-to-date pedagogy, technology resources, professional development opportunities and current research on the education of adolescents. The association’s conference this year features the theme “Hand-in-Hand, Connecting in the Middle,” encouraging middle-level educators to think about how they foster relationships with students to support their success in school.