Earlier this summer, Lipscomb was one of four universities across the nation that were awarded four out of four stars by the National Council on Teacher Quality, a research and policy group dedicated to establishing teacher quality in the nation.
According to College of Education Dean Candice McQueen, the students and faculty were the ones at the heart of the ratings.
“We are a program that really prepares our students in content, and we also do a lot with assessment and making sure we’re using survey data to make program improvements,” McQueen said.
This is not the first time the College of Education has been recognized for its program. McQueen expressed her excitement at the national level recognition.
“For two years now, our program has been highlighted for our ability for our own graduates to come out and impact student achievement in a positive way,” McQueen said.
The most recent report card noted that Lipscomb’s graduate performance was better than many three-year veteran teachers already out in the field.
“When [students] get to student-teaching, they’ve already had experience in working with a very diverse population of students, and this allows them to feel confidant to work with students of all different socio-economic levels,” said Junior High, director of undergraduate education.
High said he believes that teaching is a service occupation and strives to instill a good value system in his students.
“We build on what they bring to the classroom,” High said. “We are very concerned that they not only leave here with a skill to go into the classroom professionally and to be effective educators, but we want them to be Christian and provide for them to make a difference in the lives of individuals.
“We provide them with a toolbox full of tools, so when they go out into the field, the instruction that they use is current, challenging and interesting to students.
“Wherever they choose to serve or teach, they have a gift to share with other people.”