VCU news

By VCU News staff

Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education was one of 32 institutions recognized this month for its leadership and forward-looking approach in training future teachers and educators.

VCU and the other providers selected for 2022 Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement honors advance equity and excellence in educator preparation through self-study and evidence-based reporting that assure quality and support continuous improvement to strengthen pre-K through 12 learning, according to a news release last week from the Council for the Accreditation for Educator Preparation.

The award, said Christopher A. Koch, president of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, “is reserved for those institutions that achieve the gold standard in teacher preparation accreditation with a clean review.” The council evaluates 600 institutions for accreditation and selected 32 institutions in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Jordan for this recognition. VCU was one of four Virginia universities to earn the recognition.

“The CAEP accreditation standards require schools of education to focus on how they recruit students and emphasize diversity in order to build a pool of teachers that reflect the students they will be teaching. CAEP-accredited providers must have systems in place to monitor and support these prospective teachers as they progress through their educator preparation,” Koch said. “Virginia Commonwealth University does just that. They are producing new teachers based on evidence of what makes a difference in K-12 students’ lives.”

Students at VCU’s School of Education have completed more than 1.4 million field hours over the past decade. VCU’s students learn in an environment where they are encouraged to redefine and reshape the educational landscape by pursuing initiatives that prioritize social justice and promote equity as they navigate the challenges facing students and their communities, including systemic racism, poverty and disability.

“This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our faculty and staff as they prepare students for the realities of teaching and for how they can make an impact in their classrooms and in their communities,” said Andrew Daire, Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Education. “Improving the world for future generations is at the heart of everything we teach our students as future educators and leaders, and our faculty, staff, students and alumni are more than deserving of this recognition for leadership and continuous improvement as they advance opportunities for all through their education of our communities.”