The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) was founded in 1954 to accredit teacher certification programs at U.S. colleges and universities. NCATE is a council of educators created to ensure and raise the quality of preparation for their profession. NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education

United States Department of Education

The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...

 as an accrediting institution. NCATE accreditation is specific to teacher education and is different from regional accreditation

Regional accreditation

Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to educational accreditation conducted by any of several accreditation bodies established to serve six defined geographic areas of the country for accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities...

.

Founding Organizations

Five national education groups were instrumental in the creation of NCATE:

1. The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE, which formerly accredited teachers colleges),
2. The National Education Association
   National Education Association
   The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
   
    (NEA),
3. The National School Boards Association (NSBA),
4. The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)
5. The Council of Chief State School Officers
   Council of Chief State School Officers
   The Council of Chief State School Officers is a non-partisan non-profit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity and five U.S. territories. CCSSO provides...
   
   (CCSSO).

Coalition of Organizations

Today NCATE is a coalition of 33 member organizations of teachers, teacher educators, content specialists, and local and state policy makers. All are committed to quality teaching, and together, the coalition represents over 3 million individuals. The professional associations that comprise NCATE also provide financial support and participate in the development of NCATE standards, policies, and procedures.

External links

• NCATE Website for information and list of NCATE Accredited Institutions