UM College of Education Receives High Grades from Education Policy Organization

MISSOULA – The University of Montana Phyllis J. Washington College of Education (PJWCOE) received an “A” grade for reading foundations and an “A+” grade for elementary mathematics, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), an education policy organization that grades colleges on how well they prepare future elementary school teachers in various categories.

NCTQ reviews programs and makes recommendations to ensure that the institutions provide future teachers with the most effective methods of teaching elementary teachers.

Upon reviewing syllabi and course descriptions from several of the PJWCOE’s reading and mathematics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the NCTQ found that the programs “provide the content and pedagogical knowledge elementary teachers need for effective instruction.” (NCTQ website.)

“We certainly agree with their finding that our preparation of teachers in reading and math is of high quality. Of course, the measure of success we are most interested in is the quality of the teachers we prepare and their positive impact on their students,” says Dr. Daniel Lee, dean of the UM College of Education.

Lee says that both UM and NCTQ believe that teacher education programs should be excellent, as these programs are crucial to bolstering young students’ reading and mathematics achievement.