University of Redlands Earns Spot in National Review of Teacher Training

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released its 2014 Teacher Prep Review and recognized the University of Redlands School of Education as one of the top three programs in California in training high school teachers. The NCTQ Teacher Prep Review is an evaluation of more than 1,600 colleges and universities that prepare elementary and secondary teachers. The University of Redlands earned national ‘Top Ranked’ status—a distinction awarded to 107 programs in the nation for overall strong performance. “The high ranking for Redlands in the NCTQ report is evidence of the top work of our faculty and staff and the quality of the education our students receive. Graduates from our teaching training programs are often in high demand for jobs in the region’s school districts,” said James Valadez, who stepped down as dean of the School of Education at the University of Redlands later last month. NCTQ’s review of teacher preparation programs focuses on the knowledge, skills, and academic attributes new teachers need to be classroom ready when they graduate. Drawing from a set of 18 standards, NCTQ applies the relevant standards to elementary, secondary or special education programs. Findings for California include: selectivity, early reading instruction, student teaching, classroom management, elementary content preparation and secondary content preparation. New dean Andrew Wall, who began his tenure on July 1, underscored the importance of partnering with local school districts to achieve the standards and accountability that a recognition such as NCTQ acknowledges. "As incoming dean, I am delighted by the University of Redlands’ reputation and the opportunity to work closely with our K-12 and community partners especially as we prepare future teachers to implement Common Core Standards in their classrooms," added Wall. Along with University of Redlands, other California universities doing well at preparing secondary teachers are UC Irvine, UC San Diego, Mills College and UC Berkeley.