We know that the current accreditation systems for teacher education are not working the way they should. Many of you have commented about the problems with accreditation, including large amounts of people and financial resources devoted to preparation instead of improving our programs, inconsistent feedback and evaluation from reviewers, two competing systems, and a lack of a clear reporting process to policy makers.  AACTE has been instrumental in bringing leaders from NCATE and TEAC together to address these issues. The first concrete step in moving forward was announced this week. A joint NCATE/TEAC Design Team examining multiple pathways to accreditation is being established. While the process may take a couple of years to fully develop, it is good news for all of us. Below is a short version of an announcement from the NCATE website.

Washington , DC -- Dr. Frank B. Murray, President of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council, and Dr. Arthur E. Wise, outgoing president of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, today jointly announced the unanimous agreement of their respective governing boards to work together on the development of an accreditation system for educator preparation that has multiple pathways to accreditation. Both agencies currently perform the accreditation function independently of each other. In particular, both boards authorized the appointment of a joint NCATE/TEAC Design Team to develop a specific proposal for an accreditation system with multiple pathways to accreditation. See http://www.ncate.org/public/063008_NCATE_TEAC.asp. for more details.