Institutional/Image

Summary: The graphical image shows the application of accreditation by both private and public institutions of teacher education. The function of this graph is to plainly show the vast difference between the two institutions, causing the viewer to reflect on why private education programs have such a disinterest in accreditation when compared to the overwhelming employment by public educations programs. The inference that can be made is that the choice to become an accredited institution is based largely on political pressure rather than results that affirm the efficiency of the process.

Topic: Accrediting all schools of education

Category: Still Image/Institutional: Non-profit

What is it? A graph accompanying an online article

Publication Information: Education Next: Stanford, Fall 2002.

Author: Sandra Vergari and Frederick M. Hess

Location: http://media.hoover.org/images/ednext20023_48fig3.gif

Accessed: March 3, 2009

Support:

National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education
Public institutions with teacher-training programs
Private institutions with teacher-training programs
National Center for Education Statistics

The first three programs listed symbolize the main components of the accreditation process today. The NCATE nearly has a monopoly over the accreditation of education programs in the U.S. and public institutions are their most frequent customers. Meanwhile, private institutions are surviving nicely without the accreditation stamp of the NCATE. This makes a statement about the neccessity of accreditation, suggesting that appearances and political expectations are what drives the decision to accredit a school of education. The figures used to create the graph were taken from The National Center for Education Statistics.

Audience and Agenda: Education Next is a research journal published by the Hoover Institution, created by Howard Hoover in 1919 with the objective of collecting war documents for research. The Hoover Institution has since developed into a non-profit research institution that seeks to shape public policy. The institution is funded largely by endowment funds and donations.

Usefulness: The Hoover Institution created the journal Education Next to address the need for immediate educational reform. Knowing that Hover Institution seeks to change policy, the graph depicting NCATE’s popularity in public institutions in comparison to private institutions shows that the Hoover Institution does not find NCATE to be comprehensive enough to accomodate all schools of education. Also, the graph goes as far to suggest that there really is no value in accreditation, and the usage of accrediting agencies is simply done by schools to send a political message. The graph and article were created to reach educational leaders and those with the power to affect educational policies.

Works Cited: