Lake Erie College School of Education among 36 Educator Preparation Programs| Recognized for National Excellence

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced today that Lake Erie College’s School of Education is one of 36 providers from 22 states to receive accreditation for their educator preparation programs.

The Fall 2025 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council resulted in 36 educator preparation providers receiving accreditation. Currently, 544 providers are approved under the CAEP Accreditation Standards—rigorous, nationally recognized standards developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.

“These institutions meet high standards so that their students receive an education that prepares them to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate,” said CAEP President Dr. Christopher A. Koch. “Seeking CAEP Accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”

CAEP is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. CAEP is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation.

“Our students and instructors should be very proud of the work they are doing. We’ve set a very high bar for our teacher preparation programs, and CAEP Accreditation validates that commitment,” said Dr. Greg Rothwell, Dean of the School of Education at Lake Erie College. “Our students and their families are investing in an education program that is now nationally recognized for excellence in teacher preparation.”

Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review of the CAEP standards, which are based on two principles:

Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators.

Solid evidence that the provider’s educator staff have the capacity to create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.

If a program fails to meet one of the standards, it is placed on probation for two years. Probation may be lifted if, within that time, a program demonstrates that it meets the standard.

Students interested in the School of Education at Lake Erie College should reach out to Dean Rothwell at grothwell@lec.edu