Wagner Earns NCATE Approval for Education Program

The department of education at Wagner College has received full accreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), college President Richard Guarasci announced today.

“Accreditation by NCATE means that Wagner’s Department of Education which offers undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare future teachers and administrators meet the most rigorous and most widely accepted standards in the country,” President Guarasci said.  NCATE accredits about 625 institutions nationally.

The preparation of teachers has been a key component of Wagner’s curriculum since the college was founded in 1883 in Rochester, N.Y.  The program began significant expansion with Wagner’s relocation to Staten Island in 1918. Today about 180 of the college’s 1960 undergraduates major in education.
 
Wagner’s teacher education programs are unusual in that all undergraduates preparing to teach follow a two-track curriculum that leads to certification as elementary and special education teachers.  The curriculum readies these new teachers to work in schools that include students with special needs in regular classrooms.

 “Research shows that most elementary school students with learning disabilities learn best in regular classrooms,” says Jeffrey Glanz, professor and chair of the department of education. “Several public schools on Staten Island are guided by this philosophy.  They provide excellent opportunities for our students to gain first-hand experience with the integration of regular and special education.”

Teacher education at Wagner differs in another way from most other programs in the country.  “All of our students are liberal arts students first and complete a liberal arts major,” says Devorah Lieberman, academic vice president and provost of the college.  “Through participation in The Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts, every student, including those majoring in professional fields, develops the skills in research, reasoning, and communication and the broad perspectives that prepare them to adapt to and thrive in our rapidly evolving society.”

Prof. Glanz and the eight-member education full-time faculty at Wagner have been working toward NCATE accreditation for the past five years.  Last spring, a team of NCATE reviewers conducted a site visit, the organization’s first to Wagner.  In their report to the college, reviewers cited intensive practical experience for undergraduates in partnering schools and the department’s commitment to systematic assessment to ensure the quality of its graduates as core strengths of Wagner’s teacher preparation programs. “It is an honor to receive full accreditation on its first try. Not many do,” said Prof. Glanz.

In addition to preparation for certification in regular and special elementary education, Wagner offers a minor in educational studies for students who plan to complete a master’s program to meet teacher certification requirements.  Four of the college’s five master’s programs lead to dual certification.  And Wagner offers a post-master’s level certification in educational leadership that’s modeled after weekend executive MBA programs.

NCATE accreditation is granted to education units – departments, schools, or colleges depending on the type of institution – that meet exacting standards. Among the standards are student knowledge of subjects they plan to teach; the college’s commitment to assessment; preparation of students to serve diverse school populations; partnerships with preK-12 schools; and the level of human, technological, and financial resources provided by the college. 

Wagner is an independent college of about 2,000 undergraduate and 350 graduate students located on Staten Island.  Winner of the 2005 TIAA-CREF Hesburgh Award, the college is widely known for the integration of the liberal arts, professional programs, and civic engagement.  Wagner’s signature curriculum, the Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts is frequently cited by media and higher education associations as a national model.