The South Carolina Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe has earned accreditation from Cognia, a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts and education service providers.
"Accreditation as conferred by the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission provides The South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture at John de la Howe a nationally recognized mark of quality for our school,” said principal Gregory Thompson. “It demonstrates to our community our commitment to excellence, our willingness to enact meaningful change based on evaluation and feedback, and our desire to be the best we can be on behalf of the students we serve.”
Mr. Thompson also credited his teachers and staff at the school for their hard work in making the Governor's School for Agriculture an international-caliber school and navigating the accreditation process.
Cognia recognizes schools across the globe that meet rigorous standards focused on productive learning environments, equitable resource allocation, and effective leadership. To earn Cognia accreditation, a school must submit to internal and external review. Earning accreditation from the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission means that the school meets Cognia Performance Standards and maintains a commitment to continuous improvement. Schools in good standing can maintain their accreditation for a six-year term.
“Earning international school accreditation through Cognia is the capstone of our journey in reinventing John de la Howe to the SC Governor’s School for Agriculture. This sends a strong signal to our students, parents, taxpayers, Board of Trustees, Governor McMaster, and the General Assembly of South Carolina,” said Dr. Timothy Keown, president and superintendent. “We are dedicated to providing a top-tier education. I would like to give credit to our principal, Mr. Greg Thompson, for his dedication in seeing this tedious process to the end. The best is yet to come!”
According to Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia, "Cognia Accreditation is a rigorous process that focuses the entire school and its community on the primary goal of ensuring all students can flourish in engaging and equitable learning environments. We commend The South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture at John de la Howe for meeting high standards and making progress on key indicators that impact student learning.”
Cognia is the parent organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). Parents and interested community members can learn more about Cognia Accreditation at cognia.org.
Cognia is a global, nonprofit improvement organization dedicated to helping institutions and other education providers grow learners, teachers, and leaders. Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, and improvement services within a framework of continuous improvement. Serving 40,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 90 countries, Cognia brings a global perspective to advancing teaching and learning.