Jamie Gibson sat on a pint-sized couch in the Child Care Center with a cluster of 3- and 4-year-olds clinging to her.

Some of the children sat at tables, putting together puzzles. Others danced on a bright rug or played with blocks.

Gibson, a Glendale senior, works at the center as a teacher’s assistant.

She is also a major in Western’s award-winning teacher education program.

Western, along with Towson University in Towson, Md., is a 2008 recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, according to a Western press release.

The purpose of the award is to recognize excellence in teacher education programs and to advance the field of teacher education, according to the press release.

Western is being recognized for its Teacher Education Preparation Programs and its work in developing and utilizing Teacher Work Sample data, according to the press release.

Sam Evans, dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, said he thinks the quality of Western’s teacher education program was influential in the naming of the award.

The TWS is a collection of data teacher education students create while they student teach, Evans said.

It analyzes the relationship between a teacher’s instruction and student learning in order to improve teaching practices, according to documents provided by Evans.

The student teachers who complete the TWS must set learning goals and plan instruction and assessment for their classes.

They must use multiple assessments, profile student learning, communicate information about student progress and reflect on their instruction, according to the documents.

Gibson will begin to student teach next semester, when she will work on her TWS, she said.

Evans said Western’s education graduates have gone on to do distinguished work in schools across the state.

“People who employ our graduates are very pleased,” he said. “They’re happy with the product we’re turning out.”

Gibson said she doesn’t know where she will student teach yet, but she plans to work as an elementary school teacher after she graduates with her bachelor’s degree.

She said she may go into counseling after she completes her master’s degree.

President Gary Ransdell said Western is doing innovative things with educational leadership.

“It’s huge,” he said of the award. “That’s a national award, so to be singled out for that national award is a great boast for WKU and our College of Education. It validates our roots in the education disciplines.”

Reach Emily Ulber at news@chherald.com.