Title II Report on the Quality of Teacher Preparation
College Mission, Profile, and Superlatives
College of Education Mission Statement
The University of Akron’s College of Education is a community of professionals whose purpose is to provide leadership for community well-being through standard-setting programs that enhance teaching, and learning, and human development; research and inquiry; and outreach. We develop ourselves and others through continuous improvement and through a commitment to these core components of professional practice and scholarship: knowledge, technology, diversity, and ethics.
College Profile
The College of Education, established in 1921, is the second oldest professional school at Akron. Based upon last year's state-reported statistics from all teacher education institutions, Akron is home to one of Ohio's largest teacher education programs. The faculty and staff of the college are committed to the recruitment, pre-service training and continuing professional development and support of a richly diverse student population to serve the educational needs of the P-12 youth in Ohio schools, both now and in the future. College recruitment and training strategies for all educational personnel are reflective of our knowledge of today’s changing societal expectations, school environment and student population.
Student Profile
A primary objective of teacher preparation programs is to prepare teachers who will be successful in any school environment. Emphasis on achieving this objective is seen in the broad diversity of both the student population and the curriculum. The college has a long tradition of serving the needs of the approximate 3,650 full-time (56.5%) and part-time (43.5%) teacher education student body through day and evening classes, and it attracts traditional age students and adult students of all economic, social, and ethnic backgrounds. Committed to a diverse campus population, the University is at the forefront of all Ohio universities in recruiting and retaining minority students.
Programs
- Broad array of baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate programs prepare early, middle childhood and adolescent to young adult subject area teachers, multi-age subject teachers and intervention specialists.
- Master’s level initial preparation for most programs areas for adolescent to young adult and multi-age programs.
- Coursework to support qualified individuals seeking Ohio alternative licensure.
- Continuing professional development through multiple master’s degrees.
Special Program Features
Early and continuous field placements and service learning opportunities; courses in diversity of learners and the developmental characteristics of exceptional individuals are part of the core teacher preparation curriculum; growing success with clustered student teacher placements with a University clinical faculty working on site with both the school’s student teachers and supervising teachers.
Admission
Admission to teacher education requires at least 30 semester hours of prescribed coursework with a minimum 2.5 GPA and demonstrated computer literacy skills. Basic skill tests in reading, writing and mathematics are required if the student's ACT score is less than 22 or the SAT composite score is less than 1050. Admission to student teaching requires a 2.5 GPA overall, in education courses, and in major area(s). Department advisor approval is also required.
Accreditation
Akron has been accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA) since 1914. Programs in the College of Education are also approved by the Ohio Department of Education and have been continuously approved by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) since its inception in 1954.
Superlatives
Akron is home to Ohio's largest teacher preparation proram among those in the public state institutions, and Akron has held continuing accreditation with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) since its inception in 1954. Current accreditation extends through 2009. Besides excellence in teaching, Akron's faculty captured $3,425,143 in awards for research/sponsored programs for 2004 and also produced 104 publications during this time.
The College provides a wide range of initial preparation and advanced licensure programs to traditional and non-traditional students. Multiple pathways to licensure including undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate, and alternative licensure pathways, offer varied opportunities to enter the field of education. Akron's partnerships offer the opportunity for student placements and faculty outreach in 87 public school districts, 50-plus community agencies, multiple colleges and universities, as well as private schools, hospitals, hospices, and corporate settings.
Education students transferring to Akron from other Ohio institutions benefit from TAG (transfer assurance guide) courses previously completed. TAG courses assure students transferring between both 2- and 4-year state colleges and universities to be able to seamlessly continue their educational goals through credit for TAG courses they have completed.
The College continues to expand opportunties to attract and service a widely diverse population of students into education programs. Project Grad, STARS, and CAPE are programs offering high school students the opportunity to learn about careers in education. Akron is the host institution for Ohio's Camp to Attract Prospective Educators (CAPE) for both 2004 and 2005.
Akron actively supports professional development for Northeast Ohio educators. Now in the eighth year of supporting National Board Certification candidates, 179 area teachers have earned this distinctive certification in conjunction with Akron's program. Akron is the only ODE funded National Board support site for the Region Nine area consisting of Holmes, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, and Wayne Counties.
The Center for Collaboration and Inquiry is jointly housed in the College of Education and Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences.
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