WASHINGTON – Recently two columnists and an individual from a think tank, reflecting the conservative views of certain foundations and organizations, have attempted to discredit schools of education. The writers have asserted, contrary to fact, that schools of education ignore preparation in the disciplines and concentrate on the inculcation of certain political and social ideologies. In addition, they have asserted, again contrary to fact, that the accreditation agency I head requires the teaching of these ideologies. In fact, schools of education are undergoing unprecedented reforms.

I invite these columnists to visit today’s schools of education. There they would find teacher candidates first and foremost majoring in the disciplines they are preparing to teach. They take the same English, mathematics, history, and physics courses as other students, and they take the same examinations. This is not only the prevailing practice; it is the law in most states. Teacher candidates, even those preparing to become elementary school teachers, spend 70 to 80 percent of their college careers taking courses in the arts and sciences. As they master the disciplines, they begin to take the courses and have the practical experiences that will teach them how to make what they know accessible to the increasingly diverse population of today’s schools. Teacher preparation is an all-university responsibility, with most of the preparation taking place outside the school of education.

The first accreditation requirement for an education school is to present proof that its teacher candidates have knowledge of the subject that they plan to teach. Schools must provide at least two kinds of evidence. First, their candidates must pass increasingly common state licensing tests of that knowledge. Second, schools must provide additional information based on the university’s own assessment of its candidates’ knowledge.

The education school must then provide additional data demonstrating that candidates know the research on teaching and learning, can employ effective teaching strategies, and can, in fact, teach so that students learn. Accreditation standards expect that candidates exhibit two professional dispositions: (1) fairness and (2) the belief that all students can learn.

As an independent, non-profit, non-partisan accreditation agency, recognized by the Federal Government and nearly every state, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education has never espoused nor expected or required its institutions to espouse any particular political or social ideologies.

Most schools of education serve their local communities, and may expect their candidates to develop additional professional dispositions. For example, the University of Alabama at Birmingham , one of the schools mentioned by the columnists, is “committed to promote social justice…and to recognize individual and institutionalized racism…” The columnists cast this commitment in a negative light, as an example of “ideology.” In an unpublished letter, James E. McLean, the dean of the college of education at the University of Alabama responds: “The people of Alabama and most good educators today understand that a quality program of teacher preparation cannot succeed without respect for diversity, equality, and the dignity of each individual. We have learned from our mistakes...In 1956, two years after the Supreme Court’s Brown decision, the first admitted African-American student was denied enrollment at the University of Alabama due to racist opposition. Seven years later, federal troops overturned Governor George Wallace’s denial of enrollment of two very brave African-American students. As recently as 1960, 63 percent of Alabama’s non-white adult population had eight years of schooling or less! Alabama was the last state in the Union to pass a free textbook act for all of its students in its public schools--in 1963.”

Continuing, McLean says, “The very night of Wallace’s infamous stand, President John F. Kennedy announced to the nation the most sweeping civil rights reform bill in our nation’s history. He called it the moral challenge of our times. We could not possibly forget our own history, as some may wish us to do. Providing equal opportunity for every child to have a quality education, so that no child is left behind, is part and parcel of our responsibility as teacher educators.”

Unfortunately, even today there are significant disparities in the academic achievement of American students and these disparities are often correlated with socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. The President and the Congress addressed these disparities in the No Child Left Behind Act. NCATE addresses these disparities by encouraging its institutions to prepare teachers who will be able to help all students learn, regardless of their socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, limited English proficiency, or learning disabilities. The reality is that these children are in America ’s classrooms and all children deserve the best education we can provide for them. The next generation of teachers must master multiple teaching strategies and be able to adapt instruction to the students they serve.

Teacher licensing standards in most states expect new teachers to have developed professional dispositions. Schools of education usually identify dispositions that encourage pre-service educators to be caring, collaborative, reflective teachers. They measure dispositions by translating them into observable behaviors in school settings. The caring teacher creates a classroom in which children respect each other. The collaborative teacher works with parents and other teachers to help students learn. The reflective teacher modifies instruction until students learn. What parent does not want teachers who exhibit these strengths?

Arthur E. Wise is president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education in Washington, D.C.