Teacher Education, Certification, and Licensing

Teacher Education, Certification, and Licensing

The primary level of governance for accreditation and certification of teachers and teacher education programs is the State.

• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
  ISBE offers a directory of Directory of Approved Programs for the Preparation of Educational Personnel in Illinois Institions of Higher Education and links to related rules and guidelines governing accreditation. The site also offers a section devoted to Resources for Teachers section with information about certification, testing and renewal requirements and content-area standards for educators.
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
  NCATE is the voluntary accrediting association for schools, colleges, and departments of education that prepare teachers and other school specialists. Less than 50% of schools of education in the U.S. participate in NCATE accreditation.
  • Directory of NCATE Constituent Organizations
  • Directory of NCATE Accredited Schools, Colleges, and Departments of Education
    
• A Guide to Organizations Involved with Licensing and Certification of Teachers and Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs. ERIC Digest. Publication Date: 1999-12-00 Author: Oakes, T. J. Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education Washington DC. ED437367
• National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)
  Maintains a browsable database of state certification agencies that includes complete contact information and web addresses.
• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
  NBPTS, created in 1987, is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization governed by a board of directors consisting of a majority of classroom teachers as well as school administrators, school board leaders, governors and state legislators, higher education officials, teacher union leaders and business and community leaders. It sets standards for what teachers should know and be able to do and offers a voluntary certification program for teachers who have a baccalaureate degree and three years of classroom experience in either a public or private school. NBPTS also advocates related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers.
• National Center for Alternative Certification
  Sonsored by the National Center for Education Information, this site offers a state-by-state listing of pathways to become K-12 teachers for those already holding Bachelor degrees. The Library subscribes to the Center's annual publication in print, Alternative Teacher Certification (Call Number: LB1771.A47 Location: Regenstein, 4th Floor Reference Collection. Older Volumes: Regenstein, Bookstacks).
• National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ)
  NCTQ advocates for reforms in the teacher policies at the federal, state, and local levels in order to increase the number of effective teachers. Its research agenda seeks to identify policies and practices that can lead to better teaching and increased student achievement. Its focus is on three sets of institutions that the organization believes have the greatest impact on teacher quality: state departments of education, teacher preparation programs, and teachers unions. NCTQ's website offers its research reports in full-text.
• States' Certification Requirements
  This collection of links is maintained by the University of Kentucky College of Education.
• Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)
  TEAC began in 1998 as a pilot project, initiated by the Council of Independent Colleges and originally funded by FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Secondary Education, a program of the U.S. Department of Education), to provide an alternative accreditation mechanism to that offered by NCATE. TEAC's motto is "Accreditation of teacher education through the audit of evidence of student achievement..." and the website has information about its procedures and standards.

Professional Organizations

• American Federation of Teachers
• Association of Teacher Educators
• Chicago Teachers Union | Quest Center
• National Education Association
• Directory of NCATE Constituent Organizations

Additional Web Resources

• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
  AACTE is a national, voluntary association of colleges and universities with undergraduate and/or graduate programs to prepare professional educators.
• Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education
  This is a voluntary association of relatively small institutions that operate teacher preparation programs. The website includes information about the organization and a list of members is available.
  
• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
  The mission of this Carnegie Foundation is "to do and perform all things necessary to encourage, uphold, and dignify the profession of the teacher and the cause of higher education." It conducts research and operates projects to improve education policy and practice; it does not award grants. Its website includes descriptions of projects, research reports and studies, and full-text articles on a wide array of topics related to teaching including the professoriate, education for professions, and preparation of K-12 teachers. The Foundation is the author of the standard work The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (also available in print: LA227.4.C53 2001 Regenstein Library, 4th Floor Reference Collection).
• Holmes Partnership, Inc. | Midwest Region
  The Holmes Partnership is a network of universities, schools, community agencies and national professional organizations working to create high quality professional development and significant school renewal.
• National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education
  Website includes career information, a directory of educational programs, licensure information, reports about recruitment and retention intitiatives, statistics, salary data, and links to resources for employment listings.
• National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF)
  NCTAF is a nonpartisan and nonprofit group dedicated to improving the quality of teaching nationwide as a means of meeting America's educational challenges. Established in 1994 by Linda Darling-Hammond, with initial funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Commission includes a diverse cross-section of public officials, business and community leaders, and educators representing major stakeholders in education. NCTAF works with States and school districts on projects to improve teacher education and quality education and the website includes a variety of resources to assist in these activities ranging from full-text publications and directories of model programs to links to additional resources and a database of sample policies.
• National Council on Teacher Quality
  Non-profit group seeking to improve teaching at all levels of education. The site links to research reports demonstrating the importance of teaching, to resources on government policies, and to resources for teacher preparation.
• Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
  This agency administers a number of programs to improve teacher quality, many authorized by Title II of the Higher Education Act. Title II Annual Reports are required from the Secretary of Education, the States, and other institutions operating funded programs. The Department contracts with Westaw to deliver technical assistance to the States on the accountability and reporting requirements of Title II. To this end, a Title2 website is available with resources and guidance.

Selected Print Resources

• Alternative paths to teaching : a directory of postbaccalaureate programs. Washington, D.C. : American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 1993-- .
  Call Number: L901.A4956. Location: Regenstein, 4th Floor Reference Collection. Older Volumes: Regenstein, Bookstacks
• Alternative Teacher Certification: A State by State Analysis. Washington, D.C. : National Center for Education Information, c1990-
  Call Number: LB1771.A47. Location: Regenstein, 4th Floor Reference Collection. Older Volumes: Regenstein, Bookstacks
  
• Graduate programs in education. [Princeton, N.J.] : Peterson's, 2000-- . Annual.
  Call Number: L901.P4544. Location: Regenstein, 4th Floor Reference Collection. Older Volumes: Regenstein, Bookstacks
  Also see Peterson's Education Portal
• Handbook of research on teacher education : a project of the Association of Teacher Educators / John Sikula, senior editor ; Thomas Buttery, editor, Edith Guyton, editor. New York : Macmillan Library Reference, USA, c1996.
  Call Number: LB1715.H2740 1996. Location: Regenstein, 4th Floor Reference Collection.
• Requirements for certification of teachers, counselors, librarians, administrators for elementary and secondary schools. 54th ed. (1989-90)-- . University of Chicago Press, 1989-- . Annual.
  Call Number: LB1771.W8. Location: Regenstein, 4th Floor Reference Collection. Older Volumes: Regenstein, Bookstacks