Robert McPherson has served as the dean of the College of Technology since 2011. During this time, the college has ranked among the top ten programs nationwide for three consecutive years.  | Courtesy of UH Media Relations

In December, the National Council for Teacher Quality ranked the University of Houston College of Education in the top 1 percent for undergraduate elementary teacher preparation programs.

This marks the third year that the University’s Elementary Teacher Preparation program has ranked among the top ten nationally, according to a 2015 release from the University. According to a UH news release, 875 public and private programs were evaluated for the review.

“No evaluation system is perfect, but we at the college are always working to improve and to ensure our teachers are well prepared to enter today’s diverse classrooms,” said Robert McPherson, who has served as dean of the College of Education since 2011.

In 2015, the College of Education ranked in the top five for undergraduate elementary and secondary programs, and in the top 20 for its Graduate Elementary Teacher Preparation Program.

According to a news release from NCTQ, Texas universities performed better than the national average in classroom management, content preparation, math and reading. The council additionally commended the UH College of Education on its selective admissions criteria and high-quality student-teaching program.

In November, the College of Education  became the first college in Texas to be accredited using the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation’s new standards, UH Media Relations said. The college is also participating in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s $34 million teacher-preparation transformation project, which provides monetary grants in order to foster the development of future teachers.

Through a partnership with the Houston Independent School District, the college will participate in Teach Forward Houston. According to HISD’s website, the program offers financial incentive to high achieving high school students for attending the UH College of Education. Students who later return to teach in HISD for a minimum of four years can receive tuition reimbursement.

“I am continually proud of our faculty, staff and students for their commitment to strong teaching,” McPherson said. “We at the College believe in high standards, meaningful instruction and practical experience as we prepare our teaching candidates for one of the most important jobs in the world.”

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“College of Education ranked top ten for third year” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar