Indiana University Northwest School of Education proves to be among the best as it recently received a perfect evaluation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for both its bachelor’s and master’s degrees. CAEP is the only nationally recognized, accrediting body for educator preparation, and its accreditation is valid for seven years.
The accreditation is a coveted stamp of approval that ensures students the best quality of education and promotes improvements in academic standards and practices. The accreditation given to IU Northwest shows that its School of Education goes above and beyond.
“What it means to me is that we’re doing an excellent job with our students, with our curriculum, and with the representation of our program nationally. This program meets every standard and surpasses it in terms of quality,” said Mark Sperling, interim dean of the School of Education. “It was very gratifying to get that. It was a very strenuous process having to meet all of the CAEP standard, and we did really well.”
One way that the School of Education goes above and beyond is its partnerships with local school corporations. These partnerships allow many students to begin full-time teaching positions soon after graduating.
“We have terrific relationships with the local school corporations. We place student teachers in 71 different schools in Northwest Indiana,” Sperling said.
The School of Education also offers an Educational Leadership Program that allows students to receive meaningful, firsthand experience.
“Schools are successful when you have administrators that are able to connect with the community and engage with parents in the quest for academic excellence. I personally spend time with all of my candidates to make sure that they’re prepared,” said Vernon Smith, a professor and coordinator of the Educational Leadership Program. “We’re providing them meaningful experiences so they become effective and productive when they become building administrators.”
The dedication and knowledge of the School of Education’s faculty help to set IU Northwest above the rest.
“We have very devoted faculty members who are overqualified, they are committed, they are knowledgeable, they have technical skills, and they have the interpersonal skills to relate to their students,” Smith said.
The faculty strives to build real connections with students, making sure to provide each student with the support they need during their time at IU Northwest.
“We certainly go the extra mile in terms of working with our students,” Sperling said. “Particularly during this past year with COVID, we’ve been super sensitive to the needs of our kids and making sure they are getting everything they need.”
One student who was able to succeed through the School of Education was 2017 Graduate Bernadette Strbjak.
“IU Northwest instilled confidence in me and prepared me with plenty of real-world experience,” Strbajk said.
Strbajk is now an elementary school teacher for School Town of Munster.
Programs receive accreditation based on peer review since the CAEP is a nongovernmental activity. In order to receive accreditation, institutions must meet five core standards: content pedagogical knowledge, clinical partnerships and practice, candidate quality recruitment and selectivity, program impact and provider quality assurance, and continuous improvement.
“We’re going to continue to document all the efforts we’re making. Just because the accreditation is over, doesn’t mean it’s over,” Sperling said. “We still have to collect data, we still have to make sure we’re doing the right assessments and we still have to make sure that we are serving our students well.”
IU Northwest’s School of Education offers a Bachelor of Science in Elementary/Special Education and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary and K-12 Visual Arts Education. It also offers an Urban Teacher Education Program for bachelor’s degree holders in subjects other than education.
Master’s degrees in elementary education and secondary education, with or without a special education focus, are also offered. A Master of Science in Education and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership are offered as well as a minor or certificate in sports management.
“Even though we had a wonderful evaluation, that doesn’t mean we don’t have room for improvement; there’s always room for improvement. I’m excited about our future, it looks really bright,” Sperling said.
To learn more about IU Northwest School of Education, visit www.iun.edu/education.
