NCATE’s Wise Announces He’ll Retire in ’08

Arthur E. Wise, who heads the group that accredits more than half the teacher colleges in the nation, plans to retire next June.

During his 17 years as the president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education , the group has seen a dramatic growth in its reputation as a force for greater quality in such programs, observers say. They point out that although a majority of states do not mandate national accreditation for teacher colleges, NCATE has forged partnerships with 48 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, all of which have either adopted the group’s standards or aligned them with their own.

“In the time that he’s been there, he’s been able to bring some professional consensus and consistency,” Joseph A. Aguerrebere, the president of the Arlington, Va.-based National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, said of Mr. Wise. “He’s had a consistent message on how to build the profession, and you can document that he has made...