UNC Celebrates 50 Years of NCATE
The University of Northern Colorado (UNC; then called Colorado State Teachers College) became a founding member of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) on July 1, 1954 http://www.ncate.org/recognized_programs/m_institutions-programs.htm . In the last 50 years NCATE has become the premier accrediting agency for education professionals in the United States. Currently 575 colleges of education, including the colleges at UNC, are accredited by NCATE.
“NCATE represents the future of teacher education and our involvement with NCATE has helped us develop outstanding programs,” said Eugene Sheehan, Dean of the UNC College of Education. “At our centennial we were rated the 4 th largest producer of teachers and related personnel in the U.S. We have modified our high quality programs, preparing teachers, administrators and related service providers over the years to meet the needs of a vibrant and changing society. Meeting NCATE standards has helped us maintain our commitment to excellence. Our 56 certification programs cover most areas of education and this makes us one of the most comprehensive Colleges of Education in the nation. Our students are involved in 57 Partner Schools across all of Colorado.” According to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, only 5% of the universities in the nation produce over 800 teachers per year and UNC is a member of this select group.
NCATE-accredited colleges of education produce more than two-thirds of the nation’s new teachers every year. Thirty-nine states have adopted NCATE standards for their own state accreditation systems. The NCATE accreditation system is based upon periodic inspection visits. UNC recently completed an NCATE accreditation visit and was granted Full Accreditation. Our next NCATE visit is scheduled for 2007.
