Foreword by United States Commissioner of Education Earl James McGrath

FOREWORD * Legal accreditation or approval of institutions and programs for the preparation of teachers rests with the States. In most States the agency charged with this responsibility is the State Board of Education, which operates through the State Department of Education. The accreditation or approval of institutions and programs for the preparation of teachers is essential to a sound program of teacher certification or licensure. A State cannot guarantee the full qualifications of teachers it certifies unless it exercises the authority to approve the institutions and programs in which teachers receive their preparation. The records in the Office of Education show that there are 1217 colleges and universities that are approved by their respective States to prepare teachers. The published standards used by States to judge whether an institution is qualified to prepare teachers range from nothing to quite detailed schedules. The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification has for some time recognized the need for better criteria for use in approving institutions and programs Two years ago the Association authorized its president to appoint a committee to begin an action research project on the development of a set of standards to serve as a guide to States in further refining their own standards and procedures This statement is the result of the work of that Committee. It is published by the Office of Education as representative of the thinking to date of the members of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification It should serve a valuable purpose, not necessarily as a finished product, but as a good basis for further discussion and revision. *By Earl J. McGrath, U. S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D. C., for Proposed Minimum Standards for State Approval of Teacher Preparation Institutions, August 12, 1952.