News Release: APU School of Education Receives National Reaccreditation

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) recently reaccredited Azusa Pacific University’s School of Education (SOE). The programs under CAEP’s accreditation include APU’s Multiple Subject, Single Subject, Special Education, School Counseling, and School Psychology programs. APU joins Chapman University and Loyola Marymount University as the only California universities with national accreditation through CAEP.

“I am delighted by CAEP’s reaccreditation of the School of Education. This announcement, following the Spring 2023 reaccreditation by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), confirms the academic rigor and quality of professional preparation as well as the extraordinary impact and value across our education programs,” said Anita Fitzgerald Henck, PhD, provost. “As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of APU’s School of Education, I applaud the faculty and staff’s deep investment in our educator candidates who go on to make a significant impact on thousands of students and families throughout California and the nation.”

The accreditation process requires a comprehensive evaluation of the curriculum and field experiences. This includes reviewing the educator’s content knowledge, skills and dispositions for candidates to successfully enter the profession. APU demonstrates quality assurance and evidence that all candidates, completers, and preparation programs meet both the expectations of the state of California as required by CTC and CAEP national standards. The process included a self-study report from APU, followed by feedback from the CTC and CAEP accreditation teams, and a virtual site visit by 16 individuals from CTC and CAEP. APU successfully met each CTC and CAEP standard.

“During our site visit, we had more than 350 students, alumni, district partners, employers, site supervisors, faculty, and staff who participated in more than 90 interview sessions,” said Rebekah Harris, MS, associate dean for academic planning and accreditation in the SOE. “The summative feedback APU received indicates our programs hold high standards, current students and alumni are happy with the support they receive, and employers indicate that APU alumni are very well prepared to begin careers as educational professionals.”

APU is the only Minority Serving Institution in California to receive national recognition from CAEP. APU is also one of only five Minority Serving Institutions in the U.S. selected to be part of Cohort 3 in Branch Alliance for Educator’s Diversity National Teacher Preparation Transformation Center. This partnership aims to produce highly effective and diverse teachers through increased collaboration across educator preparation programs and with school district partners, including APU’s P-12 partner Azusa Unified School District (AUSD). Through participation in the Transformation Center, APU faculty and AUSD partners access resources and professional development, share data, and learn from each other to move forward with sustainability and innovation.

“I am continually impressed by our faculty’s hard work, dedication and passion for education, and their commitment to the values and mission of APU,” said Marjorie Graham-Howard, PhD, interim dean of the SOE. “I am so proud that the SOE is one of only three universities in California to have successfully navigated national accreditation.”

The SOE is comprised of experienced faculty, 100 percent of whom are skilled practitioner-researchers. The school’s dedicated faculty have a tremendous impact on student success and 96.2 percent of graduates report being effectively prepared by their program, which is eight percent higher than the state average. In addition, 95 percent of graduates report being employed in the field of education in their first year following graduation. Many of these graduates are employed by institutions in the more than 150 school districts that APU partners with across Southern California.