Union College Receives High Marks in Teacher Preparation Report
Barbourville, Ky. (PRWEB) January 23, 2015 -- Union College receives high marks in Teacher Preparation reportUnion College is among the top institutions in the state for preparing teachers for the workforce, according to a report recently released by the Kentucky Center for Education.
The report, released Jan. 12, focuses on data from all 28 Kentucky public and independent colleges and universities. The data in the report is centered primarily on employment upon completion of a teacher preparation program and retention rates of teachers in those programs.
Robert Brown, executive director of Kentucky’s Education Professional Standards Board, said the 2014 Kentucky Teacher Preparation Report is a “good initial report that provides baseline information about new teachers in Kentucky and the higher education institutions where they received their degrees.”
For instance, the cumulative data in the report shows that three out of four graduates hired as certified public teachers within one year of graduation in 2008 were still employed as public school teachers in Kentucky in 2012. The report goes further to give detailed information about each institution in the state, including Union College, which ranked above the state average in retention rates.
While 75 percent of teachers statewide retained their jobs after 5 years in the profession, 83 percent of all Union educated teachers retained their jobs within the same period.
“Among the most important people in our lives is a teacher,” said David Johns, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs at Union College. “We are proud that so many Union graduates are working to make a difference in our region and across the state.”
“Students come to Union College with a desire to impact the future and make their lives extraordinary. This report recognizes how many of our graduates are doing precisely that.”
Union College is also among the top institutions in the state for enrollment in education programs; 17 percent of Union students were in education programs at the time data was collected for the report in 2013.
In the case of each institution, the majority of graduates from education programs were employed within the institution’s primary service area. Most public teachers educated at Union during the report period were employed within Knox County. However, Union graduates are also working throughout Kentucky in 18 other school districts.
Brown says institutions can utilize data from the report to inform practice and to further analyze in order to achieve continuous program improvement. Colleges and universities can enhance partnerships with P-12 to identify specific district needs and create professional learning opportunities to address those needs, he added.
Union College, founded in 1879, has a long history of meeting the needs of educators within its service area. Union offers a total of 30 undergraduate and graduate programs including an accredited teacher preparation program.
The Educational Studies Unit (ESU) at Union offers initial teaching licensure programs including elementary, middle, secondary education, health and physical education. The ESU also offers graduate programs, Rank I programs, endorsements in cultural competency and educational policy.
To learn more about Union College’s education programs, please visit unionky.edu/education.
The 2014 Teacher Preparation Report can be found online at http://kcews.ky.gov/Reports/TPFeedback/TeacherPrep.aspx
Jay Stancil, Union College, http://www.unionky.edu, +1 6065461292, [email protected]
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