Elon University’s teacher education program received an exemplary rating, the highest possible, in the Performance Report on Teacher Education Programs for 2001-02, issued Dec. 12 by the North Carolina State Board of Education. Elon is the only private institution among the seven universities receiving an exemplary rating.
The report rates teacher education programs at the state’s 48 public and private colleges and universities based on three overall criteria: compliance with state and national accreditation standards, the quality of program graduates and involvement with and service to public schools. Elon earned the highest marks in meeting state accreditation guidelines, employer satisfaction and faculty involvement in the program.
“Elon’s exemplary rating is the result of hard work by faculty members who are committed to excellence in preparing future teachers,” said Gerald Dillashaw, dean of the School of Education. “We are particularly proud of the work of our school outreach programs, which have enhanced Elon’s ties with area schools, including the Alamance-Burlington Schools.”
State Board of Education Chairman Phillip J. Kirk Jr. said the report has become an important tool to help teacher education programs improve. “This is our report card on how well the teacher education programs in North Carolina are performing. As North Carolina moves forward to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind legislation with its focus on high quality teachers, we especially need our teacher education programs to be as strong as possible.”
Elon offers a master’s degree in education as well as a bachelor’s degree with majors in elementary education, middle grades education, special education, secondary education and special subject areas including French, health education, music education, physical education and Spanish.
Listed below are the top 15 teacher education programs in the state rankings, including ties. Each school is followed by the number of points it earned out of possible total of 140; schools earning 126 points or higher qualified for exemplary status:
- 1) Appalachian State University, 135
- tie) East Carolina University, 135
- 3) Western Carolina University, 133
- 4) University of North Carolina-Greensboro, 129
- tie) University of North Carolina-Wilmington, 129
- 6) Elon University, 126
- tie) University of North Carolina-Pembroke, 126
- 8) University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 125
- 9) University of North Carolina-Asheville, 124
- 10) North Carolina State University, 123
- 11) Meredith College, 122
- 12) Duke University, 121
- tie) High Point University, 121
- 14) Lenoir-Rhyne College, 120
- 15) University of North Carolina-Charlotte, 119
- tie) Wake Forest University, 119
- tie) Barton College, 119