Commission on Public Schools

The NEASC Commission on Public Schools, one of three commissions within NEASC, accredits and supports public elementary, middle, and high schools, and career and technical schools/centers throughout the six states of New England. With a structured, ongoing cycle of self-reflection, peer review, school improvement, and monitoring, NEASC assists schools to ensure that all students experience a high quality education.

Through the efforts of elected Commission members, professional and support staff, and thousands of educators and administrators who volunteer their time to serve as professional peer reviewers each year, hundreds of diverse public schools from across New England are NEASC Accredited or Candidates for Accreditation.

Public School Accreditation

Public schools are under constant demand to improve. The primary goal of the NEASC public school accreditation process is to provide support and opportunities to develop realistic improvement and growth plans to enhance teaching and learning in order to maintain a quality education for the entire student population.

Accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges indicates that an educational institution has completed a community-wide self-assessment process and has hosted a visiting team of peer reviewers who evaluate the institution in terms of its own stated goals and the Standards for Accreditation of the NEASC Commission on Public Schools.

Career and Technical Education (CTE)

NEASC accredits a wide range of comprehensive technical high schools and career centers throughout New England. Career and Technical Education (CTE) in New England is delivered through a variety of models, including but not limited to: comprehensive technical high schools, technical career centers, vocational, and agricultural high schools, agricultural high schools, Job Corps Centers, and vocational aquaculture centers. A common pedagogy unites all CTE approaches: a belief that students are most engaged when teaching is personalized, inquiry-based, applied to real world situations, and problem/project-based. A key feature of CTE is on-the-job experiential learning. CTE programs are STEAM based (science, technology, engineering, arts, math), aligned with career pathways, and combine rigorous academic and technical curriculums that lead students to earn stackable credentials, licensure, and hours toward state apprenticeships.