National Council on Teacher Quality Rates CWU a Best Value

When quality and affordability are both taken into account, Central Washington University’s College of Education and Professional Studies offers a best value to its students. That’s the assessment of the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), which recently released its ‘Best Value’ ratings of colleges of education across the United States.

It is the first time that a national education policy organization has conducted a comprehensive review of quality paired with affordability.

“While there are an unlimited number of guides to help people buy products, when it comes to picking the best college of education, people are left to fend for themselves,” says NCTQ President Kate Walsh.

Universities and colleges that made the organization’s list scored highest on a combination of factors, which included tuition, fees, and financial aid awards, average teacher salaries within the state, and how well the institution prepares future teachers for the classroom.

In all, 1,100 education schools and programs across the nation, that produce 200,000 new teachers annually, were reviewed. Based on a standard grading scale, 416 programs received an A or B, including CWU, which received an A- in the area of secondary education.

Institutional quality was judged using data from NCTQ, which evaluates teacher preparation institutions on standards identified by public school educators as knowledge and skills every new teacher needs. Affordability was calculated based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

The rankings have been published on the NCTQ PathToTeach website.

Media contact: Robert Lowery, director of Radio Services and Integrated Communications, 509-963-1487, loweryr@cwu.edu

October 15, 2015