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Awards and Recognition

In the mid-1980s, the Curry School of Education reorganized both the education school and its associated teacher education program. Educational technology was one of three strands (along with special education and multicultural education) designated for integration throughout the program. The results of this effort have led to national prominence and further recognition.

In 1994 the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment identified the Curry School as one of four schools of education judged exemplary for integration of technology. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) also has cited the Curry School as a model, stating:

Teacher preparation programs at some accredited institutions already embody the new NCATE educational technology standards and are providing models for other institutions to follow.... For example, the University of Virginia's effort to integrate technology into its teacher education program is multifaceted (NCATE Briefing Materials at the 1996 White House Conference on Technology and Teaching).

Linda Roberts, U.S. Department of Education Director of Educational, comments,

One of the terrific things about the new technologies is the interconnectivity they allow; teachers from all over can share information and ideas. The University of Virginia, for instance, is a wonderful example of a university that is demonstrating the power of connectivity by allowing the networking of in-service teachers and student teachers to supervisors through e-mail and on-line discussions (Technos, 1994, Vol. 3, No. 1, p.5).

Similarly, the Committee for Economic Development (a national organization of corporate chief executive officers) policy brief, Connecting Students to a Changing World: A Technology Strategy for Improving Mathematics and Science Education, has cited the Curry School for exemplary integration of technology in its teacher education program (New York: Committee for Economic Development, 1995).

In 1998 the Curry School was recipient of the first annual American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Best Practice Award. This award was developed to recognize teacher education institutions modeling the innovative use of technology for others in the profession.

The Curry School submission to the AACTE Innovative Use of Technology Award was not based on a single innovation or technology, but on a sustained commitment by a broad spectrum of Curry faculty to integration of appropriate technologies in the Curry teacher education program over the course of nearly two decades.

Most recently, the Curry School received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Society for Technology in Education for exemplary integration of the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers in our teacher education program.