New Head of Teacher Accreditation

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Veteran educator Dr. Leo Corriveau has recently joined Plymouth State in an effort to improve the Teacher Accreditation process. Dr. Corriveau has been involved in educational systems for 33 years. His school administration career began when he was 29, as assistant principal at Mondanock Regional High School. He then moved to Woodstock, VT where he as principal and superintendent, worked with 52 school board members and eight different school boards. He then moved back to New Hampshire where he was superintendent of SAU 34-Hillsboro, Deering, Washington and Winsor. Currently, Dr. Corriveau is the director of the Office of Teacher Accreditation, Assessment and Clinical Experiences at Plymouth State University, and the chief certification officer. Dr. Corriveau expressed his enthusiasm about the opportunities for teachers today. “Nationally, almost 50% of the teaching force are baby boomers. There is going to be a major shortage of teachers and administrators in the near future. My vision is for PSU teacher education candidates to be sought by school systems.” This shortage means that there will be a broader range of programs. Corriveau intends to ensure this diversity by focusing on producing more math, science, specialty education and foreign language candidates. To facilitate this diversity and the quality of the programs he will develop additional relationships with rural and even urban schools. The current Professional Development School Partners are mostly rural. A partnership with the Concord School district would offer a more urban and diverse setting for teacher development. This is not the only improvement that Corriveau has in mind, “The position here at Plymouth has been restructured to be responsible for the oversight of clinical experiences of teacher certification candidates as well as the program’s accreditation by NCATE and the New Hampshire Department of Education.” NCATE stands for the National Council for Accreditation and sets new standards in the field of Teacher Education across the country. “Plymouth State is only one of two NCATE accredited institution in New Hampshire.” This means that the teaching experience will be improved for Plymouth State students and in their future classrooms. Corriveau will be able to mould the programs as chair of the Council of Teacher Education. The Council sets policy for courses and programs in the teacher education program in all disciplines. He will also serve as chief certification officer for graduate students in the masters of education program seeking certification. Corriveau is also on the executive board of New Hampshire Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NHASCD), and was a past president. His many honors include: being selected by NHASCD in 1999 for awards including: Excellence in Education Award, having been nominated three time by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) for National Superintendent of the Year (1995, 1996 and 1999), received a Leadership for Learning Award from AASA in 1995, and selection for Who’s Who Among Outstanding Americans in 1994 and 1995.