Why does accreditation matter?

Accreditation is designed to help educational institutions boost their ongoing performance efforts for the benefit of their students. Cognia insists on a relentless pursuit of excellence - for itself and the institutions it accredits. This ethic of excellence ensures that institutions will find rich benefits from accreditation and that parents can confidently make informed decisions about their children's education, knowing their child's school is accredited. Accreditation matters because our students deserve the highest level of educational excellence possible.

One of the advantages of accreditation is that it is recognized across state lines, which not only eases the transfer process as students move from accredited school to accredited school but also assures parents that the school is meeting nationally accepted standards for quality and successful professional practice.

Students from accredited schools gain greater access to federal loans, scholarships, postsecondary education and military programs that require students attend an accredited institution.

The foundational meaning of continuous school improvement challenges all educators to commit to continuously push beyond the line of current competence, and to see more than the completion of a management plan. By engaging in accreditation a school will move beyond the internal and isolated discussions about continuous school improvement, and submit their educational environment to a rigorous process of analysis and evaluation. And though continuous school improvement is a formal, disciplined structure of continuous monitoring, evaluation, and adjustments, it is the tireless dedication of educators and administrators to the continuous improvement of our schools and students that leads to true organizational effectiveness.

Schools participating in accreditation benefit from shared expertise and powerful professional learning through local and global workshops, training, conferences, and personalized service. Another benefit from participating in an accreditation program is the school's commitment to raising student performance and accountability.