"Advocates of bureaucratic and professional teacher accountability have been battling each other for decades in a war that has barely been acknowledged," write Arthur E. Wise and Michael D. Usdan. Teachers' organizations and others who favor advancing the teaching profession have promoted professional accountability mechanisms, such…

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004. In those 50 years, NCATE has become a learning community, growing and evolving as the knowledge base in teaching and learning has evolved. NCATE starts its second 50 years with a record 690 institutions in its system as accredited…

Teacher licensing, accreditation, and advanced certification must be fully developed, strengthened, and supported as in other professions. Some alternative approaches are less rigorous shortcuts that do not ensure effectiveness. (SK)

To avoid treating or paying teachers as professionals, our society and its educational system have willingly accepted mediocrity. Moving toward a new vision of teaching, this article proposes the integration of three policy mechanisms (accreditation, licensing, and advanced certification) producing three types of teachers: instructors (college…

A survey of 1,000 adults nationwide revealed that 75% believe teachers are only partially trained or not adequately trained. A national certification program for experienced teachers in at least 30 specialties is being developed, and tougher accreditation standards are being applied to teacher preparation programs. (MLF)

Until recently, the teaching profession has lacked "official" accreditation standards. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has developed rigorous standards that have been adopted by about 500 institutions offering teacher education. NCATE-accredited institutions are held accountable for subject matter,…

The idea of teacher growth and development as a continuum spanning a teaching career guides the National Council for Accreditation for Teacher Education's emerging standards. The 1995 NCATE standards revision emphasizes performance and performance-based assessments, professional collaboration and community, technology, and diversity of curriculum,…

An educator describes what our education system could look like in the next century if policymakers, teachers, and teacher educators committed to it. Strategies for achieving this vision through teacher education are discussed, and two policy recommendations are made: accreditation of all schools of education and their graduates, and minimum…

Candidates at schools of education accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) will be expected to show mastery of their fields' content knowledge and demonstrate that they can teach effectively. Administrators will have to demonstrate skill in creating an effective learning environment. (MLH)