Ouachita Stories

Dr. Merribeth D. Bruning, dean of Ouachita Baptist University’s Huckabee School of Education, was recently appointed to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Program Review Board due to her work with the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI).

Ouachita recently earned national re-accreditation from NCATE for meeting the “rigorous professional standards for the preparation of teachers and other school specialists,” said NCATE President James Cibulka.

NCATE’s Program Review Board is made up of volunteers and who are selected and taught to assess NCATE reports for elementary education programs. Although Arkansas uses only Early Childhood (NAEYC) and Middle School (NMSA) for NCATE reports, information Dr. Bruning said the information she gained from working with ACEI was very beneficial in the preparation of Ouachita’s program reports for NCATE.

This fall, Dr. Bruning was appointed to the ACEI Audit Team which oversees the program review process. During the winter break, she completed audit team training in Alexandria, Va. This group will also be involved in re-aligning ACEI and NCATE standards in the future.

"Being appointed to the national Audit Team for ACEI is an honor and a responsibility not to be taken lightly,” said Dr. Bruning. “I hope that though serving on the ACEI NCATE Audit Team, I can share my experiences and assist others in creating excellent programs that are beneficial for children.”

By Julie Hagar