Education Program Reaccredited until 2017

The Unit Accreditation Board of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has approved the continuing accreditation of the College of Staten Island’s Education program.  

The reaccreditation process involved examining the standards for the Education program at CSI such as faculty qualifications, unit governance, and field experiences and clinical practices. The NCATE passed CSI in all areas involved and awarded CSI’s Education program with an unqualified reaccreditation.  

“CSI has met the highest professional standards,” said David Bloomfield, the Chair of the Education program, in a recent interview. “We’ve leapt the bar.” Although the reaccreditation is the result of a several-years-long effort headed by Professor Ken Gold, Bloomfield is determined to continue raising the proverbial bar by demonstrating “a foundation of excellence in teaching.”  

Looking toward the future, Bloomfield envisions the program building on this foundation by working with the Staten Island Foundation and other grantors through increased publications, program grants, and program improvement. 

CSI will “give students an experience consistent with New York State’s emphasis on clinically rich preparation, Bloomfield said. “We are the leaders in giving our students a diverse, quality field experience through student teaching, which is integrated throughout undergraduate and graduate study.”  

Bloomfield plans on blending the two “pillars” of teaching and scholarly excellence by “integrating the content knowledge of scholars that is geared toward the practical application.” CSI and CUNY are the leaders in offering field placements, with many students accepting placements in the CSI High School for International Studies. 

CSI’s emphasis on content plus practical application is what makes it one of the leaders in teacher education, placing its students in classrooms studying under master teachers. This blending of content-based training and practical application will give CSI’s student teachers a leg up in the field and this, of course, will “be better for the kids they teach,” said Bloomfield. 

NCATE currently accredits 623 institutions that produce two-thirds of the nation’s new teacher graduates each year. Ninety-nine institutions are candidates or pre-candidates for accreditation. 

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education. NCATE is composed of more than 30 professional and policymaker organizations representing millions of Americans committed to quality teaching. It was founded in 1954 by the teaching profession and the states. NCATE continues its mission today: the profession and the states working together for excellence in teacher preparation and development.