ESU Teacher Preparation Program Receives National Accreditation

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) has announced that East Stroudsburg University has received accreditation for its educator preparation programs. The Fall 2022 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council resulted in 55 educator preparation providers receiving accreditation, bringing the total to 507 providers approved under the CAEP Accreditation Standards – rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.

ESU is one of only 12 institutions in Pennsylvania that is accredited by CAEP, and the only institution in northeast Pennsylvania.

“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 recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting continuous improvement. CAEP is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. More than 600 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including some previously accredited through former standards.

Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review of the CAEP standards, which are based on two principles: solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and solid evidence that the provider’s educator staff have the capacity to create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.

“This accreditation is a seal of approval that assures the quality of our education program,” said Brooke Langan, Ed.D., dean of the college of education. “We know that ESU is preparing the next generation of educators at a gold standard. New teachers will graduate from ESU knowing their subjects, their students, have the training they need to enter a classroom ready to teach.”

“ESU’s Teacher Education Unit (TEU) is housed primarily in the College of Education, but also collaborates with the College of Health Sciences and College of Arts and Sciences to include programs such as health & physical education, health education, early childhood and elementary education, special education, reading, and professional and secondary education,” explained Kathleen Post, Ed.D., director of accreditation and program development for ESU’s college of education. “As our region, and the country face a teacher shortage, this accreditation is one of the many ways we ensure ESU is producing teachers who can meet the challenges of today’s k-12 classrooms.”

“Our students and professors should be very proud of the work they are doing. We’ve set a very high bar for our teacher prep program and CAEP accreditation validates the work they are doing,” said Margaret Ball, D.M.A., interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Our students and their families are investing in an education program that is designed as nationally accredited for teacher preparation.”

For more information ESU’s College of Education, contact Dr. Langan by calling (570) 422-3619 or email blangan1@esu.edu.

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