School of Education earns national seal of approval

Baker University’s School of Education has been accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation as a result of  meeting CAEP’s rigorous, nationally recognized standards that ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.

Accreditation is based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. CAEP is a unified accreditation system focused on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation.

The CAEP standards are based on two principles: First, that graduates are competent and caring educators, and second that faculty create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.

“Our students and faculty should be very proud of the work they are doing. We’ve set a high bar for our teacher preparation program, and CAEP accreditation validates the hard work we are doing,” said Dr. Matthew R. Bice, vice president of academic affairs. “Our students and their families can be assured they are investing in an education program that has a proven track record of training excellent educators.”

Colleges of Distinction

Baker University was also recently recognized as a 2024-2025 College of Distinction, and the education program was one of the areas honored specifically. Recognizing its outstanding curriculum and outcomes for education majors, Colleges of Distinction granted this award for the preparation Baker provides students to lead their own classrooms after graduation and as a testament to the quality of its hands-on approach to learning, leading, and succeeding.

Starting from the first year, students in the School of Education engage in real-world teaching experiences in schools in urban and rural settings with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and of different sizes.

Students enrolled in the School of Education have numerous opportunities to establish professional connections in their field through job placement, student teaching, directed field experiences, advisory councils, and networking activities.

Baker University Education Advisory Council

A significant factor in Baker’s strength in preparing educators is its Education Advisory Council, made up of educational leaders from across Kansas and Missouri. The council’s primary purpose is to establish touchpoints with educators from the smallest to the largest schools in rural, suburban, and urban areas and to seek input from a wide variety of districts to ensure that Baker’s educational offerings are meeting the demands within the schools.

“The council provides feedback and suggestions and reviews our current academic offerings and potential areas for expansion,” Dr. Bice said.

The advisory council was created shortly after Baker’s School of Education formed in 2005 to build better relationships with the districts throughout Kansas and Missouri known to hire Baker graduates.

The council’s priorities include reviewing programs, providing feedback from the employer perspective, serving as a sounding board for ideas, and identifying gaps and educational offerings to fill those gaps.