TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) College of Education has proven its commitment to producing quality teachers for the nation’s children by recently achieving accreditation under the performance-oriented standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the organization responsible for professional accreditation of teacher education.

FAMU is one of only four universities in the state of Florida whose College/School of Education has received continuous accreditation since 1954.

“We are extremely proud of continuing this long tradition of preparing exemplary educators,” said College of Education Dean Genniver C. Bell. “Our re-affirmation without qualification is a testament to the quality of our programs, faculty and students.”

NCATE currently accredits 623 institutions, which produce two-thirds of the nation’s new teacher graduates each year. Ninety-nine institutions are candidates or pre-candidates for accreditation. NCATE-accredited schools must meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the public.  Some of the standards include the following:

• Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey it so that students learn;
• The institution must have partnerships with P-12 schools that enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help students learn;
• Candidates must be prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations;
• Faculty must model effective teaching practices; and
• The school, college or department of education must have the resources, including information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates to meet new standards.

The College of Education was the first and only college, department or major within the university at its inception in 1887. The College of Education currently retains its position of acclaim associated with superior accomplishment at this university and within the nation, and remains among the top producers of African-American teachers in the United States.NCATE revises its standards every five years to incorporate best practice and research in order to ensure that the standards reflect a consensus about what is important in teacher preparation today.

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