Reich College of Education

Preparing Quality Educators - Past, Present and Future

• Appalachian State University was first founded as a teaching college in 1899. 
• One of the largest teacher preparation programs in the state with over 2,000 students.
• App State operates one of seven lab schools in the state. The Academy at Middle Fork creates pathways and opportunities for lifelong learning and positive community impact through innovative learning experiences for all students. 
• College Access Partnerships help over 25,000 students across 27 Western North Carolina counties find their own unique paths to postsecondary education. 
• App State partners with the North Carolina Teaching Fellows, a competive, merit-based forgivable loan program providing tuition assistance for students committed to teaching elementary education, special education, science, technology, engineering or math in a North Carolina public school.
• The college engages with public school and community college partners to facilitate alternative routes into the education profession.
• The Appalachian State Region of the North Carolina New Teacher Support Program serves 155 teachers in 13 school districts. Five coaches work to support these teachers in their first, second, or third year of teaching.
• App State is one of eight UNC System institutions selected to serve the state through the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program, which partners with 12 state school districts and the Northwest Regional Educational Service Alliance to prepare and support future principals.

Focus on Student Success

• 5 undergraduate majors, 13 graduate majors, 1 doctoral program — additional teacher education majors housed in other colleges.
• Elementary Education is one of App State's top 10 majors.
• Over 270 students were awarded over $800,000 in scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year. 
• Average class size:
  • Undergraduate: 27 students
  • Graduate: 15 students
  • Doctoral: 10 students
• Graduates approximately 400 teachers per year — almost all 100 counties in North Carolina employ an RCOE teacher or administrator.
• Ranked 1st of Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of National Board Certified Teachers for 2023 - eighth consecutive year
• The Mathematics and Science Education Center offers thousands of materials for pre-service and in-service teachers to use in their classrooms, increasing the engagement and interactivity of STEM lessons across the region.
• The Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program (SDAP) prepares college students with intellectual disabilities for personal growth and occupational success with a focus on health and wellness. 

Award-winning Faculty and Alumni

• App State awarded $35 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand GEAR UP college access program — largest grant in the university history provides college and career services to thousands of middle and high school students.
• Special education faculty were awarded a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Partnering with Watauga County Schools, Catawba County Schools, Caldwell County Schools, High Country Workforce, MyFutureNC.org, and Watauga Opportunities, this grant addresses the special education workforce crisis by providing training, wrap-around support, and financial assistance.
• The child development program received the Audience Choice award for the 2024 Zaentz Early Education Innovation Challenge. As one of ten finalists selected frome over 90 applicants for the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Their presentation focused on the benefits of placing students in a high-quality early childhood education lab school to gain hands-on teaching experience.
• Dr. Jim Beeler was appointed to Governor Josh Stein’s Rebuilding Western North Carolina Advisory Committee. This committee was created to help address the Western North Carolina communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
• Dr. JuanEs Ramirez ’13 ’19 received LatinxEd’s "More Graduates, More Leaders" award for his support of families in the state in planning and financing for college.
• Emily Golightly '22 was named the North Carolina School Library Media Association 2024 School Library Media Coordinator of the Year.