Proposal عربي
With the rapidly growing number of Institutions preparing educators in MENA region, both public and private stakeholders and decision makers are being pressed to plan simultaneously for improved quality and expanded quantity of higher education.
In this context, Drs. Bob Cryan, Associate Provost; Peggy Blackwell, Dean of Education; and Marilyn Davis, NCATE Coordinator from Zayed University, UAE met with Jim Cibulka, NCATE President, and other Senior Staff in April of 2009 to introduce the concept for a proposed collaborative between the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Education Testing Service and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The collaborative would serve as the hub for education initiatives and involvements. Its mission would be to improve the quality of education for children in the Middle East North Africa Region.
The proposal to create a collaborative Center reflects the growing recognition of accreditation as a mechanism for quality assurance in teacher education and educator preparation.
Education reforms will not and cannot be sustained without improved education programs for professionals educators. Since 1954, NCATE has been recognized for its high quality teacher and administrator preparation standards, its commitment to teacher preparation and student learning. Preparing for accreditation will provide each faculty in higher education the tools they need to deliver a knowledge-based performance and data driven system rooted in the assessment of student learning.
To ensure that the proposed Center assists and supports quality assurance, the leadership of Zayed University has hired a Vice-President from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) to conduct an environmental scan feasibility study to assess the readiness of the MENA Regional Government Universities to pursue accreditation. Zayed University has also invited the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Pearson Education (International Division), and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to join the Collaborative. Each organization will bring its expertise and insights into the operational implementation of the Center, with the assistance from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).