The UNC School of Education’s educator preparation programs, at both initial and advanced levels, have earned re-accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), with no areas for improvement needed.
The re-accreditation comes after an extensive self-study conducted by the School and its programs — including Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education for Experienced Teachers, UNC-BEST, Master of School Administration, and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership programs — and after a virtual site visit in December 2023 from a CAEP team, which reviewed documentation, conducted interviews of faculty, staff, students, and more.
The programs are accredited by CAEP for the next seven years.
“This marks the third consecutive CAEP accreditation process with no identified areas of needed improvement,” said Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Ph.D., dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor. “While the results may appear the same, I assure you these educator preparation programs are continually evolving and improving to meet the needs of future educators who choose Carolina and of PK-12 students. This re-accreditation is attributable to exceptional faculty, staff, and administrators who work in collaboration with district and state partners to ensure schools have the highest quality professionals.”
Since the previous accreditation in 2018, among additional improvements, the School updated the modality of its Master of School Administration and Master of Education for Experienced Teachers programs to HyFlex — or hybrid, flexible — which enables students to attend live class sessions in-person or remotely. The improvement has allowed students to join classes in Chapel Hill no matter their location across North Carolina.
CAEP evaluates educator-preparation programs against a set of standards in seven areas:
- Content and Pedagogical Knowledge
- Clinical Partnerships and Practice
- Candidate Quality and Selectivity
- Satisfaction with Preparation
- Quality Assurance System and Continuous Improvement
- Fiscal and Administrative Capacity
- Record of Compliance with Title IV of the Higher Education Act
The previous accreditation review in 2018 also identified no areas needed for improvement – for which the School was one of 13 named a recipient of the Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement.
“The virtual site visit team was impressed not only with our programs but more importantly, our people and partnerships,” said Diana Lys, Ed.D., assistant dean for educator preparation and accreditation who led the School team through the CAEP evaluation process. “Our site visit team noted the unity with which our faculty, students, alumni, and partners spoke about our programs, our clinical practice models, and focus on feedback for continuous improvement.”
The School was one of 37 institutions from 17 states, the District of Columbia, Bahrain, and Oman to receive accreditation for their educator preparation programs during the spring 2024 review. Carolina is one of 559 approved under the CAEP Accreditation Standards – rigorous, nationally recognized standards developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.
Educator preparation programs seeking accreditation must pass peer review of the CAEP standards, which are based on two principles:
- Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and
- 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.
“These institutions meet high standards so that their students receive an education that prepares them to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate,” said CAEP President Christopher A. Koch. “Seeking CAEP Accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”
About the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning. Learn more at CAEPnet.org.