UA regents vote to eliminate UAA's teacher preparation programs after accreditation loss

The University of Alaska Board of Regents narrowly voted on Monday to discontinue initial teacher preparation programs at the University of Alaska Anchorage after the programs lost accreditation earlier this year.

The decision, effective Sept. 1, is the latest step in a months long accreditation debacle that blindsided UAA’s hundreds of aspiring teachers and cast an unflattering light on the university, which houses the largest education school in the state.

“This thing is devastating to the state from top to bottom,” said regent Darroll Hargraves, who voted against eliminating the UAA programs on Monday.

UAA is the state’s largest preparer of teachers for Alaska’s public K-12 schools. Its seven teacher preparation programs ready students for their first teaching licenses, and currently enroll roughly 335 students. The programs include bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education and elementary education. News came Jan. 11 that the seven programs had lost national accreditation after failing to meet four of five accrediting standards. That made students’ path toward a teaching license much less certain.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2019/04/09/ua-regents-narrowly-approve-eliminating-uaas-teacher-preparation-programs-after-accreditation-loss/