Hood College Teacher Preparation Program Receives National Recognition

The undergraduate teacher preparation program at Hood College has earned an A from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) for how well it prepares future teachers to teach reading to elementary students. 

The report, Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation, published on June 9, 2026, spotlights Hood College for meeting the standards set by literacy experts for coverage of the most effective methods of reading instruction. Specifically, this means the program is preparing aspiring teachers in all five components of scientifically based reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary. 

A child’s ability to read proficiently in the early grades shapes everything that comes next in school and in life, yet according to NAEP data, four in 10 fourth graders in Maryland cannot read at a basic level. Teacher preparation is one of the most direct levers available to change that—but only if it is aligned to the research-based instructional methods that have been proven to help most students become successful readers. 

Hood College is part of a growing group of teacher preparation programs nationwide helping transform how future teachers are trained to teach reading. 

“Every child deserves a teacher who has been well prepared to teach reading, and every teacher deserves the opportunity to enter the classroom ready to help students succeed,” said Heather Peske, NCTQ president. “Across the country, many teacher preparation programs still do not fully align with the science of reading, but Hood College is demonstrating what strong preparation can look like.”