October 24, 2017
Superintendent Endorsement Program earns national recognition, certification
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s recently redesigned Superintendent Endorsement Program has recently been evaluated, earning certification and national recognition.
The Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation replaced the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education as the accrediting agency for the superintendent’s program in 2016, setting forth more stringent standards. In addition, Illinois law regarding the program structure changed and SIU’s updated program reflects and implements those modifications. They include higher admission standards and more detailed internship experiences for program participants, according to Saran Donahoo, associate professor and chair of the College Student Personnel Program and doctoral program in the Department of Educational Administration and Higher Education within the College of Education and Human Services.
Donahoo said CAEP emphasizes practical preparation, communicating and assessing clear learning objectives and ensuring that candidates are “job ready” when they complete the superintendent’s program. The evaluation process requires a self-study “that includes information on what we teach, how we teach, who we have taught, how these students performed, how we assessed their performance and how they applied this knowledge in their practical experience,” Donahoo said.
The work of faculty, staff and administrators in redesigning the superintendent program, which prepares participants to be school superintendents and administrators, paid off in multiple ways. The Illinois State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, an Illinois State Board of Education unit, approved the redesigned program this fall. The SEPLB includes teachers, school administrators and higher education faculty and administrators and their review ensures that the program thoroughly addresses both the academic and practical components.
In addition, SIU’s superintendent program earned “National Recognition Status” from CAEP, the first program within the college to do so.
“The fact that the superintendent program has obtained national recognition shows that SIU remains at the forefront of implementing updated national and state standards,” Donahoo said.
SIU’s education program covers the entire gamut for people who want to teach and/or be school administrators. The university offers teaching programs for all age levels as well as a Principal Preparation Program and the Superintendent Endorsement Program.