Thursday, October 08, 2015

UNCW’s Watson College of Education has been named one of the top five “Best Value” colleges of education in the state by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), the university announced today.
 
NCTQ, a national education policy and research organization, ranked Watson College’s undergraduate program fourth in North Carolina based on quality and affordability, average teacher salary, and the ability to prepare future teachers for the classroom. Schools and programs included in the “Best Value” analysis range from undergraduate to graduate-level as well as those that specialize in elementary or secondary preparedness.
 
“The last decade has been one where the education profession, and teaching in particular, has come under increasingly intense, often harsh criticism. The Watson College of Education has and continues to be a leader in the preparation of new teachers and support for best practices of our region’s teachers,” said Watson Dean Van O. Dempsey. “No organization has been more active in the national critique of the profession than NCTQ. Yet NCTQ has recognized what our students, staff, faculty, alumni and education partners have known for some time: the Watson College and UNCW embrace our responsibility to educate the best teachers, support the best professional practices in schools for all children, and ensure proactive policies that support professional educators.”
 
Based on an A-F grading scale and standardizing measures to allow comparison, programs across 35 states were graded in the NCTQ report. Watson College received some of the highest grades in North Carolina, with a “B+” in undergraduate elementary education and an “A-” in secondary education. The graduate program received a “B+” in secondary education.
 
Earlier this year, WCE was ranked 35th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for Best Online Programs in Education (Graduate).

This is the latest in a series of impressive accolades for the university.

-- Venita Jenkins

#WCE