WASHINGTON, D.C.— In recognition of outstanding leadership in teacher
education, Western Oregon University (WOU) has been named the 2010
recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher
Education by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities
(AASCU).
The purpose of the award is two-fold: to recognize
excellence in teacher education programs and to advance the field of
teacher education by identifying promising practices and critical issues
related to measuring the impact of programs on teacher candidate
knowledge and the impact of these teachers on pupil learning.
A number of years ago, Western Oregon University created the Teacher
Work Sample, a performance assessment used in WOU programs to document
candidates’ ability to assess, plan and instruct in a standards-based
educational system and impact P-12 student learning in a positive
manner.
Western Oregon University’s latest teacher education
innovation is the development of the Learning Gains Aggregator. This
instrument promises to enrich the Teacher Work Sample process by
documenting and aggregating P-12 student learning gains in ways that
allow institutions to study the effectiveness of various approaches to
teacher education.
Jolanda M. Westerhof, AASCU's director of teacher education,
whose office oversees the award process, said, “The Christa McAuliffe
Award recognizes exemplary models of teacher
preparation that link professional training to pupil learning outcomes.
This year, Western Oregon University has provided a model for measuring
the impact of teacher preparation on P-12 student learning. We think
this new instrument will help other teacher educators as they reshape
their professional preparation programs to meet the needs of 21st
century students.”
The national award, created in 1987, was named in honor of
the first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe, who died in the 1986
Challenger disaster. McAuliffe received her bachelor’s degree from
Framingham State College (Mass.) and her master’s degree from Bowie
State University (Md.), both AASCU members.
“AASCU institutions prepare more than half of all teachers
licensed to teach each year in the United States, and teacher education
continues to be a critical concern for member institutions and the
association,” said Westerhof. The 2010 Christa McAuliffe Award will be
presented during AASCU’s 2010 Annual Meeting on Monday, November 22, in
Charleston, S.C.
###
AASCU is the leadership association of 420 public
colleges and universities Delivering America’s Promise through their
common commitments to access, affordability and educational
opportunity. Enrolling more than 3 million students, these institutions
fulfill the expectations of a public university by working for the
public good through education, stewardship and engagement, thereby
improving the lives of people in their community, their region and their
state.