October 22, 2026
By Amelia Glosson (BS 27)
Choosing the right college can be a hard decision for any high school student. For students preparing for a career in education, finding one of the best teaching colleges is especially important. Their programs help future educators develop the knowledge, skills, and experience they’ll need to lead their own classrooms.
But how exactly do students know if the education program a college offers is preparing students well?
One way to figure that out is to look at the college’s CAEP accreditation and program ratings.
Accreditation is a formal process that proves an institution meets high educational standards. It is a non-governmental process that is recognized by accreditation agencies from the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
For students pursuing a career in education, looking at a school’s accreditation is an easy way to compare the best teaching colleges .
The Council of the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) focuses on creating educator preparation programs. If a program is CAEP-accredited, it has met the highest standard for educator preparation. It also means the program is willingly committed to improvements in quality year after year. This is a distinct quality of excellence.
Dr. Bremer, Dean of the School of Education, gives a brief overview of how her team evaluates their students,
“We have a system of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data that leads to informed decisions. This is our quality assurance; measuring the quality of our teaching and our candidates’ performance. Twice a month, we hold data review meetings and determine areas that can be improved on. For example, our data recently suggested that while our candidates are meeting targets for managing classroom behavior, there was still room for improvement. We decided to incorporate targeted training and coursework and then evaluate those skills when they are in the classroom.”
Grace College analyzes students’ data to ensure their knowledge in education improves over time, so that they are fully trained and prepared to walk into their future classroom.
TPI – US stands for Teacher Preparation Inspection – US; a data-driven examiner that evaluates education programs across the nation to improve the quality in and out of the classroom. Before receiving the ratings, Grace College underwent a week-long TPI – US examination that evaluated the quality of our elementary and special education coursework that focused on teaching reading.
“It was a thorough teacher preparation inspection,” explains Dr. Bremer. “They reviewed the aspects of our literacy instruction from coursework, to the professors teaching the courses, to our systems manager, college supervisors, student teaching director, department chair, and dean. Even our local school teachers and principals were interviewed. It was a very comprehensive visit.”
Near the end of the inspection, the cofounder of TPI – US who flew from England for the visit, attended the final review meeting with the president, provost, and reviewers. Grace received the highest ratings possible across all areas of literacy instruction and program quality. In the review, the co-founder praised the School of Education for their work and complimented the faculty, staff, and administration for being considered one of the top programs in the nation.
Accreditation and ratings give students a different angle on the standards for an education program. Even though most colleges and universities can describe their own accreditation, external reviews point to a deeper level of accountability.
For students who want to be a part of a teacher preparation program, the quality of their preparation can help define the confidence they have walking into the classroom. It allows students to look past the degree and question: Am I being prepared thoroughly for my future classroom?
Choosing one of the best teaching colleges is an important investment. The accreditation and ratings can help students take a deeper dive into what experts say about the school. These evaluations also give teachers the opportunity to see what is working and what is not. They can examine where their students are falling short and can improve rapidly.
“Continuous improvement is very important,” explains Dr. Bremer. “We have been highlighted by a national organization in the state of Indiana, and the Indiana Dept. of Ed. recommended Grace College for their education program. Every seven years, we have accreditation reviews; our last was in 2022, and we are preparing for the next one.”
This continuous process is an example that Grace doesn’t view education as something stagnant.
High school students who are interested in education can look at these ratings knowing that their professor values their education highly.
At Grace College, students can pursue a degree in education and continue to be a part of a program that is committed to preparing them for their future classroom.
To learn more about how Grace’s School of Education earned high NCTQ and TPI – US Ratings, click here.
