Webster University has won a highly sought-after distinction for its department that teaches future teachers and administrators.
The Department of Teacher Education within the School of Education at Webster University has earned a 2022 Frank Murray Award from The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Webster’s Educator Preparedness Program is one of 33 schools out of more than 600 around the world that won the honor, and it is the lone Missouri college or university recognized.
Each year, CAEP grants the Frank Murray Award to outstanding educator preparation providers who complete a rigorous accreditation process.
It is reserved for those institutions “that achieve the gold standard in teacher preparation accreditation with a clean review – meaning zero stipulations for change or improvement,” according to CAEP.
The award also specifically honors programs that are laudable for their commitment to continual improvement and ongoing innovation.
Webster School of Education Interim Dean Stephanie Mahfood, called it an “unexpected honor” and yet a fitting one.
“It affirms the depth and rigor of Webster’s educator preparedness,” she said.
Mahfood named the teaching and practice of student assessment and feedback as one of many components of continued excellence at Webster.
“As professionals who teach teachers about teaching by teaching, we teach about assessment of student learning and how data inform instructional decisions,” she said.
“We have worked deliberately to craft an assessment and feedback system for our own students that models this best practice. I’m pleased our accreditors have recognized the ongoing collaborative effort, reflection, and adjustment this requires.
“Our goal is to prepare educators who are able to do the same kind of work for the students they will teach.”
Webster profs examine ‘Colorism’
Rebecca George and Alexanderia Smith, Webster University professors, represented Webster at the National Cross Cultural and Education Conference for Research Action and Change in Savannah, Georgia on Sept. 23.
The duo made a presentation entitled “Complicity in Colorism: Transcending the Shades of Internalized Oppression.” It provided a historical context of colorism and examined ways it remains prevalent throughout the media, the dating scene and even among friends and family.
They also discussed possible solutions, including cognitive restructuring as a means to combat the impact of colorism.
George and Smith are both full-time faculty in Webster’s Department of Professional Counseling and are based in Columbia, South Carolina.
The 2022 conference theme was “Advancing Social Justice through Systemic Change.”
“The tensions between this unrest and the activism of those fighting against it continue to reveal the need for mental health providers, educators, higher education professionals, change agents, and students to be equipped with the multicultural knowledge, awareness, skills, and professional development to meet the social justice demands of the 21st century,” according to the NCCEC.
