For Immediate Release—Friday, May 18, 2007

Contact:
Mary E. McCrank
Media Relations Officer
(585) 245-5516
mccrank@geneseo.edu

SUNY Geneseo's Shear School of Education Praised by NCATE for
High Quality of Teacher Preparation

"No official areas for improvement" noted as school receives accreditation

GENESEO, N.Y.—The Ella Cline Shear School of Education at the State University of New York at Geneseo has aced a rigorous national test, earning accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The NCATE accreditation, which covers teacher preparation and advanced preparation levels, is valid for five years. The Unit Accreditation Board offered special congratulations to Geneseo President Christopher C. Dahl, noting the board found "no official areas for improvement relative to any of the standards."

"I am pleased that our education programs have received full and enthusiastic accreditation from NCATE, which is the largest and most prestigious accrediting body for education programs in the U.S.," said Geneseo Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kate Conway-Turner.

"The School of Education, in collaboration with our liberal arts programs, is dedicated to developing outstanding and highly qualified students. As I meet with K-12 administrators across the state and country, I am bombarded with praise for Geneseo graduates who studied in the Cline School of Education," said Conway-Turner. "The challenge moving forward is to enhance our programs in ways that continue to make our education programs exemplary."

In the 2006-07 academic year, Geneseo enrolled 683 undergraduate education majors in early childhood education, childhood education and childhood with special education and about 100 graduate students in the School of Education.

This May, the college awarded 203 bachelor of science degrees and 83 master of science degrees to education majors. Among the education majors receiving their bachelor's degrees were two recipients of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence.

Meeting NCATE accreditation standards helps institutions prepare new teachers for new, more rigorous licensing standards in many states. It also provides assurance to the public that graduates of accredited institutions have acquired the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to help all students.

Accreditation is based on surveys and interviews with graduates, school administrators who employ graduates, student internship supervisors, faculty best practices, information technology resources and other criteria. A team of five NCATE representatives visited Geneseo for a week last September, with two officials from the New York State Department of Education.

School of Education Dean Osman Alawiye said the NCATE accreditation verifies what he has been hearing from the community since he arrived at Geneseo last July.

"Our students are highly sought after in the region and across the state," said Alawiye. "We are well known for the high performance of our candidates, and our passing rates are among the highest in New York state."

 "This accreditation enhances our reputation for excellence and allows us to continue to provide national leadership to advance teacher education quality," said Alawiye.

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