Christopher A. Koch, CAEP President

I was honored to learn of my appointment as President of CAEP!

My interest in CAEP comes from understanding the impact teachers have on student learning. Effective teachers make all the difference in raising student achievement and motivating students with high expectations. I see accreditation as a lever for preparing effective teachers.  Every teacher should be prepared to do a quality job from day one and every child deserves a high quality teacher. 

This is a time when accreditation is getting much national attention, and it is important that we work together to ensure that teacher education is the best that it can be. The CAEP Standards provide a strong foundation for improvement.  I envision CAEP accreditation as part of a process that helps programs use evidence to continually improve, while P-12 students increasingly receive instruction from better prepared teachers.  

Accreditation should not be a one-time event of compliance but rather a meaningful process of professional reflection, in which all faculty work together toward common goals of excellence.  Certainly there is no single way in which to accomplish this goal, as every teacher training program brings unique strengths and opportunities to the accreditation process.  But it won't be accomplished with episodic checklists.  Continuous program improvement will occur within cultures of evidence where routine feedback is received and used to get better at what we do, and where innovation is encouraged.

I envision a future where teacher preparation is properly supported within institutions and where more students choose teaching as a profession.  The public will be better informed with reliable information on which to base decisions about where to find excellent teacher preparation.

I look forward to working together towards the goal of quality preparation and instruction!