Teacher Education Program Receives Continued Accreditation

Apr 3, 2013 | University of Dubuque Theological Seminary

The University of Dubuque Teacher Education Program has received formal approval of continued accreditation by the Iowa Board of Education.  The board made the approval at their March 28, 2013 meeting in Des Moines.

Teacher education preparation programs are rigorously evaluated by the State Board of Education every seven years. The faculty and staff of UD's education program completed a two year process of self-study that culminated in a campus visit by a seven-person review team. The team, which included representatives of the Iowa Department of Education and professionals from other teacher education programs in the state, recommended the accreditation to the Board of Education.

"I am very proud of the competent and caring teacher education candidates that we graduate. Their success is a direct reflection on the outstanding work of our Education Department faculty. Their commitment to students and to continuous improvement is evident in the positive comments by the state evaluators," said Mark Ward, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college.

"We are incredibly grateful to the area teachers and administrators that serve on our University of Dubuque Teacher Education Advisory Board for providing support and guidance throughout this process, to area school administrators and teachers who share their passion and talents as mentors to our teacher candidates, and to the Dubuque community at large for offering many valuable service learning experiences. We could not have achieved this level of excellence without a supportive community," said Debra Stork, head of UD's Department of Education.

Since the program has fully met Iowa's Standards for Practitioner Preparation, the next full accreditation visit will take place in the 2019-2020 academic year.