SUNY COLLEGE AT OLD WESTBURY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION EARNS NCATE ACCREDITATION College Achieves ‘Gold’ Standard in Field

The School of Education at SUNY College at Old Westbury has received full accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), College President Calvin O. Butts, III, announced today.

“NCATE accreditation is the ‘gold standard’ for colleges with teacher education programs,” said College President Butts. “This achievement means that Old Westbury’s School of Education prepares future teachers through programs that meet the most rigorous and most widely respected standards in the country.”

The preparation of teachers has been a key component of Old Westbury’s curriculum since 1975. Today, Old Westbury’s School of Education follows its mission to prepare teacher candidates to be progressive citizens who value human diversity and exemplify an appreciation of knowledge and learning as a lifelong process. The College boasts more than 3,000 alumni with undergraduate degrees in education. Currently, nearly 600 students are pursuing degrees in education through the School’s Childhood Education and Literacy, Adolescence Education, and Exceptional Education and Learning departments.

“Earning this accreditation is an endorsement of what we at Old Westbury already know — that our graduates are well prepared for the challenges of the classroom and beyond with expertise in passing on appropriate knowledge and modeling behavior to their students,” said School of Education Interim Dean Ruben Gonzalez. “National
accreditation assures our students, as well as those who hire our graduates, that ours is a very high quality program.”

A coalition of more than 30 organizations representing teachers, teacher educators, policymakers and the public, NCATE currently accredits 632 of the more than 1,200 education programs nationwide. Among its 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.

Located on the historic North Shore of New York’s Long Island, the State University of New York College at Old Westbury is a small public college that teaches students to lead at work, in the community and in life. In an environment that demands academic excellence and offers close interaction among students and faculty, Old Westbury offers more than 40 undergraduate opportunities in its liberal arts and professional programs and graduate programs in accounting and taxation. For more information on the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, visit www.oldwestbury.edu.