January 2025

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Looking for an engaging professional learning experience to advance your work in accreditation and program improvement? Try an in-person AAQEP seminar!

We’ve heard many of you ask for more opportunities for face-to-face professional learning, and we’re excited to launch this new offering in partnership with AAQEP member campuses. These 2-day seminars follow the format and content of the national AAQEP Institute, but are hosted by members to offer more options and regional accessibility. 

Registration is open to all! Sign up now for one (or more) of this semester’s four seminars:

AAQEP is delighted to announce Kevin Kumashiro as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Quality Assurance Symposium in Phoenix. Kumashiro, founding chair of the national network Education Deans for Justice and Equity, will open the 2-day symposium April 3.

Preview the conference agenda, including dozens of peer-reviewed concurrent sessions in six thematic tracks, at aaqep.org/qas-25.

Still need to register or book a hotel room? Visit aaqep.org/symposium.

Please give a warm welcome to AAQEP’s newest members working toward accreditation:

• Ferris State University (MI)
• Southern Arkansas University

Learn about membership at aaqep.org/why-choose-aaqep, or sign up for a webinar to learn about the value of national accreditation and how AAQEP's collaborative, contextual approach can benefit your program:

Congratulations on Your Accreditation

Congratulations to the educator preparation providers that earned AAQEP accreditation in the past 2 months:

• Christel House Indianapolis (IN)
• Harris-Stowe State University (MO)
• John Carroll University (OH)
• Northern Michigan University
• SUNY Cortland (NY)

For links to action reports and a complete list of AAQEP-accredited programs, visit https://aaqep.org/accredited-programs.

Linda McKee, Chief Operations Officer

This past semester, I had the pleasure of working with Camilla Brown, an undergraduate in policy studies at Emory University, as an AAQEP intern. Her work helped advance AAQEP’s mission to support high-quality educator preparation.

During the internship, Camilla conducted research and compiled information on attention by 17 national organizations to four critical topics: teacher education; apprenticeship models; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and trauma-informed practices. The work culminated in a meticulously annotated spreadsheet that catalogues and links to key policies and other materials from each organization related to these areas.

This resource will be instrumental in informing AAQEP staff’s understanding of current policy frameworks and in supporting our members through their accreditation journey. We’re incredibly grateful for Camilla’s dedication and insight, and we know she will make a great impact in her future work, wherever it takes her next!

AAQEP is open to working with other interns in fields such as education policy, accreditation, strategic planning, and marketing. If you know of an undergraduate or graduate student who would benefit from an internship for credit, please contact me at l.mckee@aaqep.org.

Board of Directors

Congratulations to the leaders who were elected or re-elected to serve on the AAQEP Board of Directors through December 2028:

• Olga DeJesus-Diaz, Independent Consultant (NY)
• Carrie Griffith, Texas State Teachers Association
• Amy Holcombe, High Point University (NC)
• Sarah-Kate LaVan, Grand Valley State University (MI)
• Scott Myers, Unified School District #363 (KS)
• Reyes Quezada, University of San Diego (CA)
• George Ann Rice, Heroes to Education (NV)
• Alan Sebel, Touro University (NY)
• Catherine Snyder, Siena College (NY)

For the full list of Board members, visit https://aaqep.org/board-of-directors.

Officers of the Board

The following directors were elected by their peers to serve 2-year terms as officers:

• Chair: Virginia Goatley, University at Albany, SUNY
• Vice Chair: Anthony Rivera, Universidad Ana G. Mendez, Carolina Campus (PR)
• Secretary: Sharmila Mann, Bellwether Education Partners
• Treasurer: Amy Holcombe, High Point University (NC)

Accreditation Commission

Three new commissioners were appointed to a 4-year term running through December 2028:

• Kimberly Dickerson, Stockton University (NJ)
• Nancy Murray, Fitchburg State University (MA)
• Michelle Santos, University of Guam

Seven commissioners were reappointed for an additional 2 years (through December 2026):

• Chris Godwin, Campbell University (NC)
• Katia González, Wagner College (NY)
• Joe Lubig, Northern Michigan University
• Rod Lucero, Texas A&M University
• Louise Moulding, Weber State University
• Rebecca Pelton, Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education
• Tim Wall, Northwest Missouri State University

For a complete list of commissioners and to download their professional bios, visit https://aaqep.org/accreditation-commission.

Sara Hiller, Director of Accreditation Services

If you have a site visit in the next 18 months, please consider attending our Site Visit Essentials webinar on Thursday, January 23. The webinar goes over timelines and logistics around the site visit process and only happens twice a year. 

Another upcoming webinar that may be useful to you is Navigating Self-Study Templates in the Accreditation Management Platform (AMP), on Wednesday, January 29—remember that all self-studies must be submitted via this platform beginning with this fall’s site visits!

Meanwhile, here’s a quick overview of where the action is in the current AAQEP accreditation cycles. Remember to consult your Provider Review Timeline or Provider Review Timeline for Initial Accreditation for details.

• Fall 2024: The accreditation decision meetings are still in progress from our fall visits. To see the Accreditation Commission’s running record of actions, click here.
• Spring 2025: Our spring reviews are underway. Consult your Provider Review Timeline for details of what to expect. 
• Fall 2025: Fall reviews are still being scheduled. Remember that all self-studies and local practitioner nominations are due 6 months before the scheduled visit date. I will reach out to schedule your logistics calls within a few months. 
• Spring 2026: I will be reaching out in February to schedule your site visit dates. 

Visit our Member Resources web pages for guidance documents, templates, and other support for all stages of your quality assurance review, or contact me at s.hiller@aaqep.org with any questions.

Collaborative Conversation: Preparing P-12 Leaders to Support Schools and Communities in Times of Crisis

February 26, 1:00-2:00 EST

Education leaders are asked to handle a wide variety of responsibilities, and preparing them to lead schools and communities through trauma can be a daunting task. This collaborative conversation will focus on how education leader preparation programs can foster their candidates' skills to navigate crises effectively. We’ll discuss how coursework, invited guest speakers, resources, and partnerships can help prepare and support our future school leaders. We’ll also hear from current/recently retired administrators.

Is your program in need of clarity or coaching for quality assurance work? AAQEP’s expert consultants can help you move forward with confidence!

Our consulting engagements are tailored to your specific goals and needs. Bring us to campus for a day, or opt for a virtual or hybrid consultation, to support your team in:

• Creating data analysis and reporting routines that yield results for program improvement
• Strengthening internal support for quality assurance efforts
• Developing stronger stakeholder engagement strategies
• Mapping accreditation self-studies

We'll work with you to design an agenda to meet your needs, from one-on-one coaching to a large-group presentation or facilitated workshop for faculty, stakeholders, and partners.

Act now to book your preferred dates!

“The AAQEP consultant was valuable to us in that we could tailor questions and work through scenarios that were particular to our institution. The consultant was responsive and helpful at every turn along the way.”

— Nancy Robb Singer, University of Missouri-St. Louis

We’ll be attending several national and state meetings this winter—and hope to see you there! Here are some of our destinations:

• National Convening on Registered Apprenticeships in Teaching, January 29-31, Austin, TX - Sungti Hsu is presenting a session with Susan Boe of the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission on “Ensuring Educational Excellence: The Role of Quality Assurance in the Apprenticeship Pathway.”
• National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs Preconference, February 20, Long Beach, CA - AAQEP is a sponsor, and staff will be in attendance.
• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Annual Meeting, February 21-23, Long Beach, CA - Come visit AAQEP in the exhibit hall.
• Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting, March 7-12, New Orleans - Linda McKee will be speaking with the Certification and Accountability SIG and staffing an exhibit table for AAQEP.

January 15 – Introductory Webinar for Pennsylvania

January 22 – Introductory Webinar

January 23 – Member Webinar: Site Visit Essentials 

January 23 – Initial Accreditation Pathway Webinar

January 29 – Member Webinar: Navigating Self-Study Templates in the AMP

January 30 – Implementing the 2025 Standards Webinar

February 5-6 – Online Workshop: Making the Case for Quality

February 19 – Introductory Webinar

February 26 – Collaborative Conversation: Preparing P-12 Leaders to Support Schools and Communities in Times of Crisis

February 26 – Initial Accreditation Pathway Webinar

March 4-5 – Data Visualization and Storytelling Seminar at St. John's University

March 4 – Member Webinar: Writing the Accreditation Proposal

March 5 – Member Quarterly

March 6 – Reviewer Interest Session

AAQEP — Always improving together