UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Karen Babbs Hollett, assistant teaching professor of curriculum and instruction in the Penn State College of Education, has been named the college’s faculty coordinator of teacher education accreditation and certification.
In the new role, Babbs Hollett will work with Julia Plummer, interim associate dean for undergraduate education, and colleagues across Penn State to coordinate national accreditation and state certification review processes for the University’s educator preparation programs.
“Karen brings valuable experience in organizational leadership, project management and community engagement, along with a deep understanding of teacher preparation,” said College of Education Dean Gwendolyn Lloyd. “Her collaborative approach will help programs across Penn State navigate accreditation and certification requirements while creating clearer, more efficient processes that support continuous improvement and recognize the excellent work already taking place.”
Penn State offers educator preparation programs in areas ranging from elementary and special education to agricultural education. Babbs Hollett said her primary responsibility is to lead communication and coordination among the programs, departments and colleges involved, helping colleagues understand expectations, timelines and how their work contributes to accreditation and certification.
She also plans to develop efficient reporting systems that make it easier for programs to document and share their accomplishments.
“National accreditation is an important marker of program quality,” Babbs Hollett said. “It helps us stand out as a leader in educator preparation for potential students and also assures potential employers that our graduates received excellent training and preparation.”
A central priority during her first year will be helping Penn State transition between national accrediting organizations. The University is moving from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) to the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).
Babbs Hollett said AAQEP’s emphasis on continuous improvement and community partnerships aligns with the values of the college and Penn State’s land-grant mission. At the same time, she noted that changing accrediting organizations is a significant undertaking, making a smooth transition her foremost near-term goal.
Penn State’s initial report to AAQEP will need to demonstrate that its courses maintain high standards and use strong assessments to collect reliable evidence of student progress. Babbs Hollett said faculty and staff already possess extensive evidence of program quality; an important part of her role will be connecting with them and documenting that work effectively.
She pointed to efforts by Lauren Cozad, associate teaching professor of special education, to earn national recognition for teacher education programs through the Council for Exceptional Children. She also cited Assistant Professor Amy Voss Farris’ work in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction to align course assessments with standards established by the Association for Middle Level Education.
“Staff and faculty are experts in their programs and courses and have so many great pieces of evidence that are worthy of sharing in our accreditation reports,” Babbs Hollett said.
Babbs Hollett’s previous professional experience has prepared her to coordinate a process involving numerous programs and stakeholders. She began her work at Penn State 10 years ago as a doctoral student in educational leadership. Before coming to the University, she worked for several years at the Tennessee Department of Education, first in its Division of Curriculum and Instruction and later in its Office of Academic Strategy.
In Tennessee, she led a portfolio of projects, including multiyear efforts that required collaboration among many participants. She said the experience taught her to remain organized and meet tight deadlines while continuing to prioritize engagement and input from others.
Her teaching also provides a direct connection to Penn State’s school partners. Babbs Hollett teaches the yearlong CI 495 seminar sequence paired with teacher candidates’ student-teaching experiences. Through visits to classrooms and communication with mentor teachers and host principals, she receives firsthand feedback about how effectively Penn State is preparing future educators.
That experience is particularly relevant to AAQEP’s focus on partnerships and continuous improvement, she said.
As she evaluates existing accreditation expectations, Babbs Hollett said she wants to preserve faculty members’ ability to respond to student needs, emerging research and their own professional judgment. She looks forward to working with faculty and staff to retain practices that are useful, discard requirements that feel unnecessarily restrictive and develop approaches that fit individual courses while meeting reporting obligations.
Ultimately, Babbs Hollett hopes the new position will reshape how faculty and staff experience accreditation and certification reviews. Such reviews can feel like compliance exercises, she said, and historically have been led by people balancing the work with numerous other responsibilities.
“With this new position, I have dedicated time and energy to create more efficient and more collaborative systems,” Babbs Hollett said, “and hopefully turn these processes into ones that feel genuinely meaningful and supportive.”