WELCOME
Greetings!
As Dean of the Benedict College School of Education, I welcome you to our NCATE Accreditation Website. This is an exciting time in the life of the Benedict College Teacher Education Program. The atmosphere of energy and compassion with which the program was founded is evident here on a daily basis as we continue the legacy of preparing teachers to serve as powers for good in society. Our faculty, staff, students, teacher candidates, and school partners are working collaboratively to address the critical challenge of providing high quality educational experiences for our nation's children.
Teacher preparation has been a key part of the Benedict College curriculum since the institution was founded in 1870. Thousands of teachers have completed their training at Benedict College and have gone on to serve tens of thousands of students across the nation and the world. Among the ranks of our graduates are teacher leaders, administrators, curriculum specialists, mentor teachers, and celebrated teachers-of-the year. The legacy has continued with a focus on student learning. Graduates must complete all program and certification requirements prior to graduation. This ensures that once they leave Benedict College, our new teachers are ready to focus on their students from Day One of their induction year of teaching.
The School of Education is the professional education unit at Benedict College. The Dean serves as Director of Teacher Education and provides oversight of the unit that prepares teachers in six areas: art (grades K-12); early childhood (grades PK-3); elementary (grades 2-6); English (grades 9-12); mathematics (grades 9-12); and music (vocal/choral and instrumental; grades K-12). The program is driven by the conceptual framework that was first drafted prior to the initial NCATE accreditation in 2003 and later revised by faculty, teacher candidates, alumni, and public school partners during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years. The overarching goal of the BCTE program is to prepare teachers who will become powers for good in schools and communities. This goal is reflective of the institutional mission and characterizes what the stakeholders defined as the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that a Benedict College teacher education graduate should know and be able to do. There are four outcomes required for BCTE teachers: (1) scholars; (2) effective practitioners; (3) reflective decision makers; and (4) resources for the community. Teacher candidates who successfully demonstrate proficiency on each of the 29 competencies are eligible for program completion and recommendation for certification.
Again, welcome to our website. We welcome your comments and questions.
With warmest regards,
Janeen P. Witty
Dean