Ball State University’s Teachers College has received the 2026 Distinguished Educator Preparation Program Award from ISTE+ASCD, a national education organization formed by the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
The award recognizes educator preparation programs that are leading in improving teacher preparation by providing preservice teachers with opportunities to build their skills through technologically innovative practices while promoting collaboration, continuous professional learning, and equitable learning opportunities, according to a press release.
“This national recognition is a meaningful affirmation of the innovative and collaborative work happening across Teachers College,” said Katrina Bulkley, dean of Ball State Teachers College, in a statement. “We are grateful to ISTE+ASCD for recognizing our faculty’s leadership and our shared commitment to preparing future educators who are ready to serve students in a rapidly changing world. This work also reflects Ball State’s strategic commitment to using emerging technologies in thoughtful, responsible ways that strengthen teaching, learning, and student success.”
Ball State Teachers College was recognized for its college-wide approach to preparing future educators to use technology in purposeful, ethical, and effective ways.
As a unified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, ISTE+ASCD supports educators throughout their careers by providing strategies and support for creating effective teaching and learning environments.
According to a statement from ISTE+ASCD, Ball State’s Teachers College is Indiana’s largest educator preparation provider and has been nationally accredited since 1954. The organization also highlighted the college’s combination of innovative programming and support services that prepare future-ready education professionals and leaders.
“Preparing future teachers to use technology well requires more than introducing a new tool,” said Susan Tancock, associate dean for undergraduate and graduate studies and professor of elementary education at Ball State. “It requires faculty and candidates to think carefully about when, why, and how technology can support learning. We are grateful for this recognition because it reflects the intentional work of our faculty to engage these questions together and to help our candidates become thoughtful, critical, and ethical users of emerging technologies in their future classrooms.”
Ball State’s recognition follows its participation in ISTE+ASCD’s Alliance for Innovation in Teacher Education and its adoption of the organization’s “AI for Tomorrow’s Teachers” module. The college has used the module as part of a broader faculty-first approach, in which faculty members learn together, discuss the role of emerging technologies in teaching and learning, and identify ways to incorporate responsible technology use into coursework and candidate preparation.
For more information visit bsu.edu/teacherscollege.
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
