In the past few months, there has been some misunderstanding of a term in the glossary of definitions appended to NCATE‘s Standards. The term "social justice" appears in the glossary in the definition of "dispositions", as one of several illustrative examples of professional dispositions. Critics incorrectly alleged that NCATE has a "social justice" requirement. It does not. NCATE "requirements" are spelled out in the Standards themselves where the phrase "social justice" does not appear. To most Americans, the phrase "social justice" is positive and connotes values associated with the Judeo-Christian tradition. To critics of the phrase, it is negative and connotes a dangerous if unspecfied social and political ideological agenda of indoctrination. NCATE‘s expectations with respect to professional dispositions are clearly described in the Standards.

NCATE is an organization dedicated to holding schools, colleges, and departments of education accountable for producing high quality educators who can help all students learn. To this end, NCATE standards require schools, colleges, and departments of education to provide assessment data demonstrating that candidates have the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions to be successful educators. Essentially NCATE requires that accredited institutions ensure that candidates have content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, and the ability to apply these types of knowledge in school settings.

NCATE recognizes that there are significant disparities in the academic achievement of American students and that these differences are often correlated with socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and exceptionalities. The No Child Left Behind Act is designed to highlight and ameliorate these disparities. NCATE seeks to ameliorate the achievement gap by ensuring that its institutions are preparing teachers who will be able to help all students learn, regardless of their socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and exceptionalities. The next generation of teachers must master multiple teaching strategies and must be able to adapt instruction to the students they serve. NCATE expects institutions to ensure that candidates "demonstrate dispositions that value fairness and learning by all students."
See NCATE Standard 4

In addition to these common sense expectations, institutions may develop additional dispositions that fit their mission. NCATE refers institutions to licensing standards for professional educators adopted or adapted by most of the states. Institutions often identify dispositions that encourage pre-service educators to be caring teachers, collaborative partners, life-long learners, and reflective practitioners. Institutions are encouraged to 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 practitioner works with parents and other teachers to help students learn. The life-long learner reads education literature and the reflective practitioner re-thinks how she teaches the unit on geometric shapes.

What parent does not want teachers who exhibit these strengths? NCATE believes that the development of professional dispositions is an important component of pre-service education. NCATE does not expect or require institutions to inculcate candidates with any particular social or political ideology; NCATE respects the unique missions of the institutions it accredits. We hope that the record has been set straight so that we all can get back to the important job of preparing the next generation of highly qualified educators who can work successfully with all students.

The following points explicate NCATE‘s views on the matter:

Professional Dispositions and Diversity

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education sets performance-based standards for the preparation of P-12 teachers and other professional school personnel. The standards require that candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn.

Many state licensing standards include dispositions; colleges of education are preparing individuals for state licenses and state employment. Both NCATE and the states believe that dispositions are an essential element in teacher preparation and licensing standards. Teachers must have appropriate content knowledge but must also have the requisite skills and professional dispositions to help all students learn.

NCATE expects candidates to demonstrate classroom behavior that is consistent with the idea of fairness and the belief that all students can learn. Consistent with their mission, colleges of education may determine additional professional dispositions they want their candidates to develop.

How should dispositions be measured? NCATE expects institutions to assess teacher candidate dispositions based on observable behavior in the classroom. NCATE does not recommend that attitudes be evaluated.

NCATE standards do not expect or require institutions to attend to any particular political or social ideologies. NCATE respects the unique missions of the institutions it accredits.

NCATE expects the institution to provide candidates with opportunities to work with diverse higher education and school faculty, candidates, and students in P-12 schools so that the candidates are ready to help all children learn. In this context, diversity is defined according to U.S. Census categories (gender; racial/ethnic background) socioeconomic status and exceptionalities.

NCATE has endorsed the American Association of University Professors‘ Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure. The Secretary-General of the AAUP, Roger Bowen, says that "NCATE‘s importance to teacher education is unequalled; its endorsement helps ensure a central role of academic freedom in teacher preparation."