Educators Serving on Cognia Accreditation Review Teams Can Earn Free University Credit

Cognia and Newman University offer degree credit for educators who volunteer their time and expertise to serve on school quality review teams for accreditation anywhere in the world

Cognia, the leader in accreditation, assessment, and continuous improvement, has an agreement with Newman University College of Education Leadership in Wichita, Kansas to offer graduate credit at no cost for volunteers who serve on Cognia Engagement Reviews. Cognia’s education experts and trained volunteers serve on 5,000 reviews per year as a part of school quality and improvement reviews for schools seeking Cognia accreditation, certification, and improvement services. Cognia Lead Evaluators and volunteer team members are eligible to earn continuing education and degree-bearing credit for serving on Cognia Accreditation, Early learning, Diagnostic, STEM Certification, Monitoring and Special reviews.

“Whether novice or veteran, building leader or superintendent, educators have always told us how much they value the experience of serving on a Cognia Engagement Review team,” said Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO. “Now volunteers who contribute their expertise to evaluate school quality, observe classrooms, and make improvement recommendations can also earn graduate credit and further their personal continuous improvement efforts.”

Cognia Engagement Review Team Volunteers:

• Engage with colleagues, gain and share knowledge, and see and compare improvement practices through classroom observation.
• Can earn one graduate credit from Newman University’s College of Education Leadership for each review completed for Cognia Accreditation, Diagnostic, Early Learning, STEM Certification, Special and Monitoring reviews.
• Benefit from a streamlined enrollment process with no fees or costs associated with enrollment for eligible credits at Newman University.
• Become eligible to apply the graduate credits for teacher certifications/licenses renewal in alignment with guidelines from individual state departments of education.

Volunteers who have successfully served as Lead Evaluators or review team members are required to submit reflections on their experience as part of their eligibility to earn Newman University credit. This partnership offers an opportunity to add value to an already rich experience by supporting educators who help evaluate school quality who are also looking to earn an advanced education degree or professional learning credits.

“We want our students, from their earliest exposure to the field, to have a mindset of continuous improvement,” said Dr. Cameron Carlson, Dean School of Education & Social Work, Newman University. “We are proud to offer this partnership with Cognia to support lifelong learning.”

Cognia has more than 5,200 active volunteers who donate their time and expertise to evaluate the continuous improvement efforts of institutions of all types. These expert volunteers serve on teams throughout the United States and in more than 80 countries around the world.

Cognia is a forward-thinking nonprofit improvement organization committed to serving schools and other education providers. We offer accreditation and certification, assessment, improvement services, and professional learning within an evaluation and continuous improvement framework. Serving over 40,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 90 countries and territories, Cognia brings a universally recognized perspective to advancing teaching and learning.