School of Education and Human Development Accredited by CAEP

USM’s School of Education and Human Development Accredited by CAEP

The University of Southern Maine is the first institution in the University of Maine System to achieve national accreditation for both its initial and advanced educator preparation programs.

At a meeting on May 1, 2022, the Accreditation Council of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) granted accreditation to USM’s School of Education and Human Development at the initial-licensure level and the advanced-level as described in the Accreditation Action Report.

In the notification letter, CAEP President Christopher A. Koch expressed, “Congratulations on your accreditation achievement. I appreciate your commitment to excellence in educator preparation accreditation.”

USM earned full accreditation for seven years for 32 distinct undergraduate and graduate educator preparation programs.

“We are proud of our continued accreditation of our initial certification programs at USM, and we’re also proud that the four advanced programs we submitted for consideration have also been recognized for excellence and CAEP accreditation: Educational Leadership, Literacy Specialist, School Counseling, and School Psychology. I thank all of the faculty, staff, students, and community partners who worked on making this achievement possible, and for the work they do every day to improve educational opportunities for students.”
–Associate Dean Dr. Andrea Stairs-Davenport

“This full accreditation acknowledges our stellar licensure programs that are made possible by our outstanding faculty and community partners.”
–Fiona McDonnell, Director of Educator Preparation and Accreditation

To learn more about related program offerings at USM, visit the School of Education and Human Development’s website.