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Educational Renaissance Vol. 6  (2017)

Def in ing and Measur ing Excellence in t he Changing 
Wor ld of  Higher  Educat ion: Case St or ies f rom  Five 
Colleges of  Educat ion

Jannah Ner ren, PhD, Sam  Houst on St at e Universit y
email: jannahnerren@shsu.edu

Chr ist ina Sinclair , PhD, St ephen F. Aust in St at e Universit y 
email: Sinclaircd1@sfasu.edu

Nan Barker , EdD, California St at e Universit y, Fresno
email: nanb@csufresno.edu

Mark  Reid, PhD, Texas A&M Com m erce
email: Mark.Reid@tamuc.edu

Gina Anderson, EdD, Texas Wom an's Universit y
email: ganderson@twu.edu

Abst ract
This paper presents a collection of case stories from five Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) 
within colleges of education, four from institutions in Texas and one from California, to present 
a micro cross-sectional narrative interpretation of what constitutes excellence in educator 
preparation. The broad framework utilized in this interpretation focuses on the individual 
approaches used by each institution for creating and sustaining positive cultures of 
data-informed decision-making, with the ultimate objective of continuous program 
improvement, while also meeting the accreditation expectations of each institution.

Research Article

Teacher preparation is integral to most public 

institutions? missions, as an educated society is 

dependent upon quality teachers. However, 

defining and measuring the quality of educator 

preparation programs has grown more complex 

and challenging as the context in which these 

programs operate have encountered increased 

scrutiny and shifting expectations (AASCU, 2017). 

How are quality and excellence defined in the 

changing world of higher education? This 

collection of case stories from five Educator 

Preparation Programs (EPPs) within colleges of 

education, four from institutions in Texas and one 

from California, presents a micro cross-sectional 

narrative interpretation of what constitutes 

excellence. More specifically, individual 

approaches used by each institution for creating 

and sustaining positive cultures of data-informed 

decision-making with the ultimate objective of 

continuous program improvement is the broad 

framework utilized in this interpretation.

In this paper, the authors have adopted the term 

?data-informed? rather than ?data-driven,? not to 

de-emphasize the importance of collecting and 

utilizing meaningful data to inform decisions, but 

rather to recognize the importance of valuing the 

mailto:jannahnerren@shsu.edu
mailto:Sinclaircd1@sfasu.edu
mailto:nanb@csufresno.edu
mailto:Mark.Reid@tamuc.edu
mailto:ganderson@twu.edu
mailto:ganderson@twu.edu


NERREN, SINCLAIR, BARKER, REID & ANDERSON |  DEFINING AND MEASURING EXCELLENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD 

expertise and input of stakeholders in analyzing 

and deriving usable information from the data. 

The institutions represented recognize the 

importance of institutionally-defined excellence, 

rather than accreditor-defined excellence. While 

there are state and national expectations for 

excellence defined by accrediting agencies, not all 

programs elect to pursue these accreditations. The 

variation in these stances are explored, as the 

authors detail how and why each approach and 

definition of excellence was adopted, utilized, and 

measured, and how each invests stakeholders, 

faculty, and staff in the process of achieving their 

defined excellence. Additionally, continuously 

raising expectations and implementing 

self-assessment, and the empowerment of faculty, 

staff, and students in the process are discussed.

Sam  Houst on St at e Universit y

Sam Houston State University is a comprehensive 

regional university located in Huntsville, Texas. The 

university is uniquely situated, located within an 

hour?s drive to Houston, but also surrounded by 

smaller rural districts. The College of Education 

produces approximately 500 Texas teachers each 

academic year, and candidates receiving their 

teacher preparation at SHSU have the opportunity 

to gain field experience in rural, suburban, and 

urban school settings. The college embarked on a 

strategic planning process in the fall of 2016, and 

central to this process was defining college 

excellence and the belief statements that support 

that. The plan expresses the college?s core values, 

with individualization by units.

The college arrived at a definition of excellence 

focused on preparing teacher leaders who are 

prepared to impact a diverse and evolving world, 

and supported by the following belief statements:

-What we all do matters;

-Innovation fosters creativity, critical thinking, 

and passion;

-Relevant experiences promote growth and 

inspire change;

-Strength is found in valuing diversity;

-Positive relationships influence success.

This definition of excellence was further supported 

by the following goals for the college:

-Thinking critically about the current 

educational system, especially regarding 

curriculum standards, instruction practice, and 

student assessment;

-Serving as leaders of other educators, 

communities, and students;

-Serving as agents of positive change in the 

current educational system;

-Exhibiting creativity and innovation;

-Collaborating across communities and other 

systems to build a common purpose;

-Aligning experiences across departments to 

enhance the student experience;

-Partnering with future-minded organizations 

to enhance impact;

-Valuing diversity and a variety of viewpoints;

-Seeking alternative solutions to the dilemmas 

faced in PK-12 education.

The SHSU College of Education employs the 

following strategies to fulfill the mission set forth 

in the strategic plan to measure self-defined 

excellence:

-Annual Data Day / Program Review;

-NCATE / CAEP Accreditation;

-Signature Assessments (e.g. Capstone 

Portfolio for Initial Certification Candidates);

-SACS Accreditation;

-Texas Education Agency Accreditation;

-State Reporting (ASEP, Title II).

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NERREN, SINCLAIR, BARKER, REID & ANDERSON |  DEFINING AND MEASURING EXCELLENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD 

The SHSU College of Education employs the 

following strategies to fulfill the mission set forth 

in the strategic plan to invest stakeholders:

-SHIPS (Sam Houston Invested Partner 

Schools);

-EPAC (Education Partners Advisory 

Committee);

-Inclusion in Strategic Planning.

The SHSU College of Education employs the 

following strategies to fulfill the mission set forth 

in the strategic plan to invest faculty and staff in 

the continuous improvement process:

-Enhanced Communication: Monday Message;

-Committee Structure;

-Professional Development: Data Day;

-Additional Resources.

At Sam Houston State University, defining 

excellence is not taken lightly. As an institution 

whose teacher production is consistently in the 

top quartile of Texas educator preparation 

programs, it is critical that those graduates are 

well-prepared to impact the future. This 

underscores the multi-dimensional meaning in the 

adopted belief statement ?What we all do 

matters.?Every faculty and staff member in the 

SHSU College of Education is a component of the 

quality of education received by SHSU teacher 

candidates, who in turn impact every Texas 

schoolchild that passes through their classrooms. 

These school children, respectively, can impact the 

future of the state, the nation, and the world.

St ephen F. Aust in St at e Universit y

SFASU is a comprehensive university with a 

breathtaking campus nestled among the tall pines 

of deep East Texas in historic Nacogdoches. The 

university provides transformational learning 

experiences as means to prepare students for the 

challenges of living in a global community.

The Perkins College of Education (PCOE) prepares 

approximately 400 teachers each academic year 

offering graduates field experience opportunities 

across the state of TX. Through collaborative 

strategic planning that included faculty, students, 

and administrators PCOE defines excellence as 

competent, successful, caring and enthusiastic 

professionals from diverse backgrounds dedicated 

to responsible service, leadership, social justice 

and continued professional and intellectual 

development.

In addition to a clear but unique definition of 

excellence, PCOE is committed to the following 

core values:

-Academic excellence through critical, 

reflective, and creative thinking;

-Life-long learning;

-Collaboration and shared decision-making;

-Openness to new ideas, to culturally diverse 

people, and to innovation and change;

-Integrity, responsibility, diligence, and ethical 

behavior;

-Service that enriches the community.

PCOE measures and supports a culture of 

excellence in the following ways:

-Evidence Informed Improvement;

-Planning, collecting, and analyzing 

evidence that promotes meaningful 

changes in programs and processes;

-21st Century data management utilizing 

the LiveText product.

-Effectiveness;

-Collection of meaningful data that have a 

target goal of informing actions to produce 

improvement;

-Annual Data Day and Program Review;

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NERREN, SINCLAIR, BARKER, REID & ANDERSON |  DEFINING AND MEASURING EXCELLENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD 

-Current Accreditations : NCATE / CAEP, 

SACS, TEA.

-Invests Stakeholders;

-Partner Schools across TX;

-Educator Preparation Advisory 

Council/Program Advisory Boards.

-Invests Faculty and Staff in the Process;

-Movement away compliance and toward a 

focus on effectiveness;

-Faculty and staff central to the work of 

specific initiatives drive those processes 

and practices;

-Efficiency--Simple, manageable, flexible 

processes.

CalSt at eTEACH

CalStateTEACH (CST), is a school-based statewide 

online teacher education program, that prepares 

teachers to use innovation, reflection, and 

technology for effective teaching and learning to 

meet the needs of all learners (Mishra, Koehler, & 

Henrikson, 2011). Established in 1999 by California 

State University (CSU), CST focuses on teacher 

candidates in rural, remote, and urban areas of 

California where other programs are not easily 

accessible. Teacher candidates have local field 

experience with CST faculty supervision and an 

onsite mentor in addition to online peer and 

faculty interactions through asynchronous online 

learning.

The program administrative team has a Statewide 

Director in the Office of the Chancellor, Regional 

Directors at two host CSU campus, and specialists 

in curriculum, technology, and systems 

programming. In fall 2017, CST had more than one 

thousand teacher candidates enrolled and faculty 

to serve all 58 California counties.

The goal of excellence, ?Teachers who are 

prepared to be creative, collaborative and 

reflective for California's future? is achieved by:

-Integrating technology into daily classroom 

routines and lessons;

-Using technology to complete academic 

coursework;

-Considering Brain Rules (Medina, 2014) in 

lesson planning;

-Providing explicit examples of Universal 

Design for Learning in lesson planning and 

teaching;

-Demonstrating reflective practice in academic 

work and field placement.

CST is accredited by the California Commission for 

Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) and gathers data for 

continuous improvement similar to all CSU teacher 

education programs. Data collected include digital 

candidate work artifacts with faculty comments, 

customized data retrieval from the program 

learning management system, feedback from 

school site partners, advisory board input, 

statewide credential program surveys of 

candidates and employers, program research 

studies, Teacher Performance Assessment, other 

CCTC required assessments, and candidate 

evaluation of faculty.

The CST program invests stakeholders by 

remaining in contact with alumni for several years 

after program completion, faculty collaborations 

with school districts, statewide CalStateTEACH 

advisory board meetings, conference 

presentations, faculty outreach sessions in all 

areas of the state, and administrative team contact 

with local school leaders. Faculty and staff are 

directly involved in the program improvement 

process through annual two-day statewide faculty 

development meetings, regional face to face 

faculty meetings, and regularly scheduled video 

conference meetings. The curriculum is designed 

by faculty committee and updated based on 

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NERREN, SINCLAIR, BARKER, REID & ANDERSON |  DEFINING AND MEASURING EXCELLENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD 

current research and input from candidates, site 

mentors, and faculty. Data-informed decision 

making is critical to maintaining this effective 

teacher education program (Chiero, R., Tracz, S., 

Marshall, J., Torgerson, C. & Beare, P., 2012).

Texas A&M Universit y ? Com m erce

Texas A&M University-Commerce (TAMUC) began 

as East Texas Normal College in 1889. In 1996, the 

university joined the Texas A&M System and 

became TAMUC. This regional, state university 

serves over 12,000 students with its main campus 

in Commerce, Texas and satellite campuses in 

Dallas, Corsicana, Mesquite, and McKinney. Each 

year the College of Education and Human Services 

(COEHS) produces approximately 500 new 

teachers and 300 other educational professionals. 

COEHS employs its mission statement as a method 

to strive for high quality and to define excellence. 

The statement reads: COEHS ?provides excellence 

driven programs that prepare student-scholars to 

become scientists, teachers, administrators, and 

practitioners who proactively address the 

transformational challenges of a complex digital 

environment and global society. We promote 

instructional engagement, responsive research, 

quality service, and active partnerships with 

external constituencies.?

The push for excellence stems, in part, from the 

legacy of TAMUC?s beginnings as a ?normal? school. 

The university?s reputation of quality and success 

as a producer of teachers and administrators for 

public education still resonates significantly with 

the public. The mission statement also points to 

the need for graduates to address 

transformational challenges. The administration at 

TAMUC recently noted that it would be ideal if 

every employee of the university when asked what 

they do, would reply, ?I transform the lives of 

students.?

Two significant facts point to excellence for COEHS. 

There are currently 21 local school districts with 

teaching staffs compromised of more than 50% 

TAMUC graduates. All of those districts have 

recently had successful ratings from the state. Also 

notable, eighty-six percent of teachers produced 

by TAMUC are still teaching after the first five 

years.

COEHS invests in their stakeholders in multiple 

ways. The state education agency requires school 

district representatives meet regularly with teacher 

preparation faculty and staff. This serves as a 

venue for communication and collaboration. In 

addition, COEHS has recently increased 

collaboration with the local school district, 

Commerce Independent School District (CISD). This 

initiative is called ASPIRE (A School Partnership for 

Innovative, Recreation, and Education). In the first 

year of the ASPIRE implementation, the university 

and CISD have collaborated on a summer camp, 

ASPIRE Summer Experience, that brings 

elementary age students to campus for 

encounters with educational activities such as 

robots, the university radio station, and more. 

ASPIRE?s early efforts have also included 

collaboration with the local Boys and Girls Club for 

an after-school program, and the introduction of 

an AVID program at the middle school.

COEHS recognizes the need to invest in faculty and 

staff. The yearly planning and assessment cycle 

provides a platform for faculty to address program 

weaknesses through data collection and analysis. 

The college recently implemented an online 

database platform to enhance data collection for 

certification programs. Finally, the college has 

been conducting a pilot of several platforms for 

storing video of student teachers that allows 

collaboration with university and public school 

mentors.

Texas Wom an?s Universit y

Texas Woman?s University is a co-educational 

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NERREN, SINCLAIR, BARKER, REID & ANDERSON |  DEFINING AND MEASURING EXCELLENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD 

university in Denton, Texas, with two health 

science center branches in Dallas and Houston. It 

is one of only four other public universities that is 

not affiliated with any of Texas? public university 

systems. While males are accepted into every 

course of study offered at TWU, it is known as the 

nation?s largest public university primarily for 

women. Denton is located at the top of the 

?Golden Triangle? with the Oklahoma state line 35 

miles to the north, Fort Worth 35 miles to the 

southwest and Dallas 40 miles to the southeast. 

TWU?s College of Professional Education (COPE) 

Educator Preparation Program (EPP) produces 

approximately 360 teachers each academic year, 

and these teachers predominantly serve schools in 

Denton, Dallas, and Fort Worth ISDs.

TWU?s newly developed Strategic Plan and 

purpose, mission, vision, core values, and 

principles inform the college?s definition of 

excellence. Moreover, TWU?s COPE mission and 

vision instills a common understanding of 

excellence for the college:

- Vision:  We change lives. COPE programs 

are the foundation on which TWU was built 

and form the basis for all professions. We 

develop leaders who advance knowledge 

through teaching, research, and service. 

Our collective work fosters thriving families, 

schools, and communities.

- Mission: The College of Professional 

Education at Texas Woman?s University is 

committed to increasing and affirming the 

prestige and value of all professionals in 

our disciplines. Our graduates are pioneers 

in the fields of Teacher Education, Reading 

Education, Family Sciences, and Library and 

Information Studies who shape the future 

of a global society.

- We inspire a quest for life-long learning;

- We improve the quality of life for 

individuals in a variety of settings;

- We prepare reflective leaders and 

advocates for children, families, and 

communities. through the use of 

evidence-based practices and experiential 

learning;

- We advance knowledge through conducting 

and disseminating research;

- We connect diverse populations with 

information in accessible ways;

- We collaborate in civic engagement and 

service to support and strengthen 

communities.

Further, COPE?s EPP refers to the standards and 

framework as outlined by the Council for the 

Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and 

the Association for Advancing Quality Educator 

Preparation (AAQEP), as a goal is to pursue 

national accreditation for the educator preparation 

program in the future. High standards and 

continuous improvement underscore the 

objectives of enhancing the quality and reputation 

of the college. Other programs in TWU?s COPE with 

national accreditation include Counseling & 

Development, Family Therapy, and Library and 

Information Studies.

Currently, the COPE?s EPP employs the following 

strategies to fulfill the university?s and college?s 

mission and to measure excellence:

-Annual Institutional Effectiveness Reports;

-Periodic Program Reviews;

-SACS Accreditation;

-TEA (State of TX) Accreditation, including 

associated accountability measures;

-State Reporting (ASEP, Title II);

-Performance Analysis for Colleges of 

Education (PACE) data;

-Course Evaluations;

-Performance Review Process.

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NERREN, SINCLAIR, BARKER, REID & ANDERSON |  DEFINING AND MEASURING EXCELLENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD 

Further, the COPE?s EPP at TWU employs the 

following strategies to invest stakeholders:

-Advisory Councils (Internal and External);

-40+ active Partnerships & Initiatives;

-Grants, including 4.3 million from the U.S. 

Department of Education.

Finally, The TWU COPE EPP employs the following 

strategies to invest faculty, students, and staff in 

the continuous improvement process:

-Enhanced Communication: Dean?s 

Wednesday?s Words Weekly Newsletter;

-Support for Advocacy Participation;

-Internal Advisory Council;

-Recognition via Awards, Grants, and Release 

Time;

-Student Course Evaluations;

-Peer Review within Performance Review 

Process.

When all is considered, excellence and quality at 

TWU?s COPE are exemplified through the unique 

history and mission, underscored by the value of 

the EPP, and evidenced by the depth and breadth 

of stakeholder investment. TWU has a long history 

of preparing women who are leaders in the field. 

Teachers who complete their educator preparation 

at TWU have the highest retention rate in the 

Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, and this legacy 

continues because of the investment of faculty, 

staff, and students as well as authentic 

relationships developed with community partners.

Conclusion and Im plicat ions

Some commonalities as well as notable differences 

emerged as we examined each system?s approach. 

Clearly, the strategies for creating and sustaining 

positive cultures of data-informed decision-making 

for continuous program improvement used by the 

five Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) varied, 

with each taking a unique approach.

The most visible commonalities were the use of a 

college strategic plan to define and guide the 

pursuit of excellence. Additionally, each program 

was fully engaged in supporting faculty and staff in 

the process, and in exploring, creating, and 

utilizing mechanisms to build capacity and 

increase investment in the process.

Standing out as a critical difference was the 

variance of approaches regarding national 

accreditation. While all EPPs are beholden to state 

agencies, the necessity and value of national 

accreditation by agencies such as the now defunct 

National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher 

Education (http://ncate.org), the Council for the 

Accreditation (http://caepnet.org), or the newly 

formed Association for Advancing Quality in 

Educator Preparation (https://www.aaqep.org) is 

questioned by some.

Implications from examining the similarities and 

differences in these case studies are:

-It is critical to involve faculty and staff in 

defining our own excellence at the program 

and college levels, rather than allow accrediting 

bodies to do that for us;

-We can use the accreditation process as an 

opportunity to showcase institutionally-defined 

excellence;

-Defining, employing, and showcasing 

excellence centers on a culture that 

implements continuous self-assessment, 

motivated by improvement, not meeting 

accreditation demands;

-It is critical to continuously seek to empower 

and build capacity for faculty, students, and 

staff in the continuous improvement process;

-We can learn from each other new and 

improved ways to do this.

In summary, this examination of institutionally 

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NERREN, SINCLAIR, BARKER, REID & ANDERSON |  DEFINING AND MEASURING EXCELLENCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD 

defined excellence by five educator preparation 

programs underscores the importance of 

considering program faculty, staff, students, 

partner schools and community stakeholders in 

defining, creating, and sustaining excellence in 

educator preparation programs. If we are to have 

ownership as institutions over our own definition 

of excellence, advocacy participation is an urgent 

cause to consider.

References

American Association of State Colleges and 

Universities. (2017). Preparing teachers in 

today?s challenging context:Key issues, policy 

directions, and implications for leaders of 

AASCU universities. Retrieved from 

https://www.aascu.org/AcademicAffairs/Teache-

rEdReport.pdf.

Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J., & Henriksen, D. (2011). 

The seven trans-disciplinary habits of mind: 

Extending the tpack framework towards 21st 

century learning. Educational Technology, 11(2), 

22-28.

Chiero, R., Tracz, S., Marshall, J., Torgerson, C., & 

Beare, P. (2012). Learning to Teach: Comparing 

the Effectiveness of Three Pathways. Action in 

Teacher Education 34, 368-380.

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