Louisiana Tech’s Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership (CIL) in the University’s College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS) was recently recognized nationally for its determination, focus, hard work, and commitment to the values of investing in students.
In mid-September, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) awarded Tech’s CIL team the Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement at its Fall 2026 CAEPCon in Arlington, Va.
The Frank Murray award honors providers demonstrating evidence and data trends to achieve CAEP accreditation with no stipulations or areas for improvement. Recipients are selected from providers granted accreditation by CAEP at the initial level in the previous year. Providers selected for this recognition advance excellence in educator preparation through purposeful use of self-study procedures and evidence-based reporting that assure quality and support continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 learning.
“Receiving the Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the collective work of our faculty,” Associate Professor Dr. Dustin Whitlock, interim CIL department chair, said. “Led by our Assessment Coordinator and Associate Dean, Dr. Tina Allen, our faculty are deeply committed to preparing outstanding educators.
“By continually examining and strengthening our programs and responding to the needs of the schools and communities we serve, we work diligently to prepare the best educators possible,” he said. “This national recognition by CAEP belongs to the faculty whose dedication, collaboration, and commitment to continuous improvement make this work possible.”
The mission of CAEP is to advance excellence educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.
“Our approach to continuous improvement is grounded in using data intentionally to strengthen our programs,” Allen said. “We have worked to put processes in place that give faculty and stakeholders opportunities to regularly review and discuss our assessment data, identify areas where we can improve, and determine what changes are needed. Our faculty take that work seriously and are committed to using what we learn from data to make our programs stronger and better prepare our candidates. This recognition reflects the work they do to make assessment a meaningful part of continuous program improvement.”
Louisiana Tech was one of 31 Educator Prep Providers honored during the opening session of the 2026 CAEPCon.
“Knowing that the work we do truly transforms the human experience is exciting, fulfilling, and rewarding,” CEHS Dean Dr. Henrietta Williams Pichon said. “So it’s always nice when that is recognized on a national level; we are especially proud of our faculty and leadership team in CIL for all their hard work with the students, districts, and CAEP.”
Learn more about CAEP on their website.