Teacher education receives high ratings
(Sept. 13, 2001) — The School of Education at East Carolina University is one of only seven teacher-preparation programs in North Carolina to receive an exemplary rating this year from the State Board of Education.
ECU earned a score of 140 out of a possible 150 in the annual performance report released this week by the board. The state has 47 teacher-education programs at public and private universities.
Dr. Marilyn Sheerer, dean of the ECU School of Education, said, “I am delighted that the State Board has recognized the quality of our programs. ECU’s heritage is grounded in training teachers, and we work very hard to assure that our students receive the best possible preparation.”
Sheerer said much of ECU’s success “is due to our sustained work with public schools through the Latham Clinical Schools Network of 15 school districts in the region.”
The ratings were based on three overall criteria: compliance with state and national accreditation standards, the quality of students completing programs, and involvement with and service to public schools.
Other universities receiving exemplary ratings and their scores were Appalachian State University, 135 points; University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 141; University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 138; Western Carolina University, 136; Duke University, 135; and Salem College, 136.
Sheerer speculated that if ECU’s recently received accreditation report from the National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education had been available in time to be included in the ratings, the university would have received the top score in the state. The NCATE report found no weaknesses in the ECU program.
The statewide report found that enrollment of degree-seeking students was down slightly from 5,988 to 5,940 full-time students and from 509 to 496 part-time students. At the same time, lateral-entry teachers enrolled in one or more classes leading to licensure increased by approximately 32 percent from 2,123 to 3,135.
Contact: ECU News Bureau | 252-328-6481