NIAGARA UNIVERSITY - Niagara University's commitment to holding itself to the highest national and international standards in teacher education has been reaffirmed.

NU's College of Education has received accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), which was created in 2010 by the consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. The college first received NCATE accreditation in 1984 and has continued to expand the quality of its programs and partnerships with local P-12 schools and community agencies over the past 33 years.

The CAEP accreditation was granted for a period of seven years.

"Earning CAEP accreditation attests to the attainment of the highest standards of quality by the faculty in our College of Education, as demonstrated in the student learning outcomes the college delivers, as well as the innovative and practical curricula that help our graduates lead lives of impact," said the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., president of Niagara University. "It also reflects the contributions that Niagara University education majors make within the community - service that reflects our Vincentian mission."

Niagara is one of 43 providers to receive CAEP accreditation this year for educator preparation programs. The fall 2017 review by the CAEP accreditation council increased to 101 the total number of providers approved under the CAEP teacher preparation standards - rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.

There are more than 100 institutions in New York that offer education programs, but NU is one of only eight in the state that has earned CAEP accreditation.

"These institutions meet high standards so that their students receive an education that prepares them to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate," said CAEP President Dr. Christopher A. Koch. "Seeking CAEP accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider."

CAEP is the sole nationally recognized accrediting body for educator preparation. Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. It is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. Currently, more than 800 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP accreditation system, including many previously accredited through former standards.

"Ongoing accreditation offers national endorsement to Niagara's longstanding reputation for curricular relevancy and innovation at both the undergraduate and graduate levels," stated Dr. Chandra Foote, dean of NU's College of Education, which was one of the first NCATE-accredited institutions in New York state. "CAEP also acknowledged our extensive involvement with P-12 schools, the comprehensive field experiences of our students, our first-rate facilities, and the faculty scholarship that ties together teaching and learning. Our students and their families can take comfort in knowing that they are investing in an education program that is nationally accredited for teacher preparation."

Niagara University's College of Education offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in several fields of study. In addition to CAEP accreditation, the college is accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers for its program of professional education for teachers that is offered under consent of the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities in the Province of Ontario.

To learn more, please call 716.286.8560 or visit www.niagara.edu/education.