December 16, 2016 
December 16, 2016 - Union University’s School of Education has been ranked in the highest possible category on the effectiveness of its teacher training programs according to the Tennessee State Board of Education’s 2016 report card.
Dottie Myatt, Assistant Dean for teacher education and accreditation at Union, said the report card is designed for accountability in educator preparation programs and to supply information they can use to improve effectiveness.
“We have to be accountable for the educators we put out into classrooms,” Myatt said.
Union’s program received an overall performance score of four, the highest possible. Union also received a four in the provider impact category. It includes teacher observation scores as well as student growth assessments. Union received 96.5 percent of all possible points in this category.
“Of all of these, that’s the most important part because it shows that our graduates excel in teaching,” Myatt said. “It shows that they are well-prepared to help their students grow academically.”
Tom Rosebrough, Executive Dean of the College of Education and Human Studies, commented, “To have demonstrated that our teachers are rated highly and that their students are impacted so positively is very affirming to all our teacher educators at Union.”
The 2016 report card evaluates graduates who completed the program between 2013 and 2015. It includes educators from Union’s undergraduate, graduate and Memphis Teacher Residency programs. Myatt said research suggests a “teacher-effect” of a teacher preparation program stays with the teacher for three years. After that, the effect of the school system and personal preparation overshadow it.
The current version of the report card was implemented in 2015 and also includes candidate profile and employment assessment categories. These categories assess the diversity of graduates in racial and content areas and the percentage of graduates employed by Tennessee public schools.
“Union has always done well in these assessments, Dr. Myatt said. “And, this new report card gives us the most current information as we always continue to improve our program.”