In examining current practices and issues in the accreditation of schools of education, this digest first lists the agencies responsible for accreditation--governmental, professional, and regional. A description is given of the accreditation process in California which includes four procedures that might be applied to any teacher education program. Research, however, shows that standards and evaluation methods differ vastly across state agencies and that national, regional, and state concerns often overlap, producing redundancies. A description of the role and function of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) includes a listing of the representatives of the professional and public policy organizations that comprise it and an explanation of how the NCATE evaluation process works, and of the evaluation criteria used. The Digest concludes with brief comments on the ultimate goals of all accrediting agencies. Resources for further reading are provided. (JD)