Accreditation for the Education Business:Why It's Good For you, Why It's Good for EIA
Submitted By: Lynne Master
It might have been 1997 when noted education researcher and marketer John McLaughlin gave the opening keynote at EDVentures EIA’s annual summer conference. He spoke about opportunities and challenges for private providers of education. One small portion of his talk concerned the recent availability of accreditation.
Each year I attend EDVentures, my goal has been to return home with one new idea on which to work. In 1997, this was it—to get my company accredited!! However, it probably took over two years to complete. I had to rewrite the required Self Study guide, make it applicable for a small education clinic instead of a traditional public school, and engage everyone in the company to participate. The learning process was phenomenal; self-improvement became more than just a business plan.
Today, we track long-term data of our student achievement and demographic information of our clients. As result of internalizing the lessons of accreditation, we have improved our internal systems, technology and policies, as well as relationships with other businesses and agencies in the community.
By marketing ourselves as accredited by NCA/Advance-ED, our public credibility has been vastly enhanced. And because this authority also accredits public schools, new contracting opportunities and partnerships have been forged with government agencies, courts, public schools, health providers, hospitals, corporations, unions, insurance companies, and veterans groups -- far beyond anything imagined. Equally exciting, I have a waiting list of Master and Ph.D.-level teachers wanting to work for my company because of our high standards and public recognition.
As a result of accreditation, Learning Disabilities Clinic offers alternative schooling and high school course credit recovery for students who need more time and individualized instruction to learn class material than may be offered in the traditional education setting. Earned credits must be accepted by the student’s home school as a policy of reciprocity.
The bottom line for us: the respect we earned for ourselves and the authority with which we can speak to schools, agencies, and parents has been achieved through the distinction of accreditation.
I whole-heartedly recommend this process of improvement and public recognition to my EIA peers, and I am very excited about EIA’s embrace of accreditation as a key strategy to raise the quality bar in the supplemental education/private and specialized schools industry.
A post-note: At the close of 2010 I became certified as a Quality Assurance Review Chair for AdvancEd. My purpose is to encourage and assist small education businesses to take the challenge of accreditation. At the moment, Learning Disabilities Clinic is the only accredited education clinic in the United States. I look forward to using my knowledge and experience to assist other EIA members in their quest to become accredited.
Each year I attend EDVentures, my goal has been to return home with one new idea on which to work. In 1997, this was it—to get my company accredited!! However, it probably took over two years to complete. I had to rewrite the required Self Study guide, make it applicable for a small education clinic instead of a traditional public school, and engage everyone in the company to participate. The learning process was phenomenal; self-improvement became more than just a business plan.
Today, we track long-term data of our student achievement and demographic information of our clients. As result of internalizing the lessons of accreditation, we have improved our internal systems, technology and policies, as well as relationships with other businesses and agencies in the community.
By marketing ourselves as accredited by NCA/Advance-ED, our public credibility has been vastly enhanced. And because this authority also accredits public schools, new contracting opportunities and partnerships have been forged with government agencies, courts, public schools, health providers, hospitals, corporations, unions, insurance companies, and veterans groups -- far beyond anything imagined. Equally exciting, I have a waiting list of Master and Ph.D.-level teachers wanting to work for my company because of our high standards and public recognition.
As a result of accreditation, Learning Disabilities Clinic offers alternative schooling and high school course credit recovery for students who need more time and individualized instruction to learn class material than may be offered in the traditional education setting. Earned credits must be accepted by the student’s home school as a policy of reciprocity.
The bottom line for us: the respect we earned for ourselves and the authority with which we can speak to schools, agencies, and parents has been achieved through the distinction of accreditation.
I whole-heartedly recommend this process of improvement and public recognition to my EIA peers, and I am very excited about EIA’s embrace of accreditation as a key strategy to raise the quality bar in the supplemental education/private and specialized schools industry.
A post-note: At the close of 2010 I became certified as a Quality Assurance Review Chair for AdvancEd. My purpose is to encourage and assist small education businesses to take the challenge of accreditation. At the moment, Learning Disabilities Clinic is the only accredited education clinic in the United States. I look forward to using my knowledge and experience to assist other EIA members in their quest to become accredited.
About the Contributor
Lynne Master, M.Ed.
Acknowledged as one of Michigan’s leading authorities on learning disorders, Lynne Master has served as a member of the graduate teaching faculty in the Clinical Psychology Department at Wayne State University; consults and lectures internationally, conducts in-service training for hospitals, school districts, mental health agencies, the United Auto Workers, and the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. Her syndicated column has been published in more than nine newspapers; and she is a frequent guest on Detroit radio and television. Ms. Master is the past President of the Education Industry Association and a charter member of the Education Industry Leadership Board. She provides expertise in numerous professional boards, including CH.A.D.D., the Gibson School for the Gifted and The Children’s Center. She is a member of the Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan, Michigan Association of Learning Disabilities Educators, Michigan Head Injury Providers Council, and the Michigan Inter-Professional Association.