Alvin Peters

Q: Why did you decide to volunteer with CAEP?

A: My volunteer work on this began in the early 90’s when I was recommended by Kansas NEA to do program reviews for the State of Kansas. That led to me being trained as a site visitor for the state. This then led to me becoming a site visitor for NCATE for three years beginning in 2001. Then I agreed to become a program reviewer for the National Council for the Social Studies. Because I enjoyed the site visitor experience with NCATE, I eventually sought a similar appointment for CAEP which I received in 2016.

Q: Why did you choose to become a member of the SPA Committee?

A: To say I chose to become a member is a bit misleading. Because of my work as a reviewer and auditor for NCSS, I was recommended by the SPA coordinator for a position on the committee. I was one of several who were recommended. Why I was chosen from the group is unknown to me. (As far as I know they drew my name out of a hat.) I agreed to serve on the committee because I saw it as a chance to get to know about how things work and as a chance to give back to the profession. I do not claim to be an expert on standards; in fact, I think my knowledge about standards is a weakness of mine. Thus, service on the committee is a way to learn more.

Q: What has been the best part of your CAEP experience?

A: Getting to know people and understand more about how education systems vary from state to state. It has also afforded me the opportunity to see some parts of the nation I have never been to before. Though Covid has blocked that part of the experience.

Q: What has surprised you about your experience?

A: There are two things that have surprised me the most about my experiences with CAEP and program reviews. The first is how many people have difficulty writing good rubrics. It is not even close to the majority, but I was still surprised how many there are. The second is that I enjoy doing them. That is surprising because my least favorite part of coursework when I was working on my BA back in the 70’s was educational theory.