The Professional Education Unit (the "Unit") at West Chester University includes all programs culminating in either a teacher education degree or Pennsylvania teacher certification, or both. The Unit is comprised of teacher education programs from all five academic colleges in the university.

The teacher education programs at West Chester University are guided by an integrated set of overarching principles and values. These principles and values are incorporated into the WCU Conceptual Framework, Learning and Teaching in Context.

The Unit is proud to be accredited, recognized, and approved by a variety of national and regional accrediting bodies, professional organizations, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). This level of recognition is clear evidence that the Unit does an excellent job of preparing teacher education candidates with the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions they will need to be successful and effective teachers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and beyond.

A critical element of any accreditation or program recognition process is assessment. The Unit maintains a sophisticated assessment system that allows us to measure the performance of teacher education candidates as well as the effectiveness of our own operations.

Please use these web pages to learn more about our NCATE accreditation, national recognition of our teacher education programs by Specialized Professional Associations, regional accreditation by Middle States, and approval of our teacher certification programs by PDE. Please take time as well to learn more about assessment of teacher education at West Chester University.