About Us
The North Carolina Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NCACTE) unites teacher educators from public and private colleges, university faculty and staff involved in state initiatives, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. As the leading advocacy group for teacher preparation policy in North Carolina, we invite you to join our efforts and help advance this important work.
NCACTE is a state unit of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). Through a voluntary affiliation with AACTE, we collaborate to strengthen advocacy, share expertise, and expand professional development opportunities for our members.
Purpose & Objectives
The purpose of NCACTE is to promote and advance effective ideas and practices in teacher education through professional collaboration. Representing all education professionals in North Carolina, NCACTE serves as a unified voice for teacher education institutions, advocating to strengthen and develop teacher preparation across the state.
To fulfill this role effectively, NCACTE supports the following objectives:
To provide leadership in the continuing development of high-quality educator preparation in North Carolina.
To provide an active strong voice for educator preparation in North Carolina.
To promote the continuous improvement of all aspects of both pre-service and in-service educator preparation in North Carolina through the cooperation of all personnel engaged in such work.
To develop and maintain a partnership relationship for educator preparation among personnel of colleges and universities, PK-12 schools, state agencies, and education advocacy groups.
To maintain productive and mutually beneficial working relationships between the North Carolina Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the National Association of Teacher Educators and other agencies and organizations involved in teacher education.
To maintain state affiliations with national teacher education organizations by providing both institutional and individual membership categories.
What We Do (At-a-Glance)
Advocacy: Representing teacher education programs in policy conversations at the state and national levels.
Professional Development: Hosting events such as the annual Fall Forum and webinars to support continuous learning.
Collaboration & Networking: Building partnerships across institutions to share best practices.
Recognition: Honoring excellence through initiatives like the Student Teacher of the Year Award.
Our History
NCACTE was established in 2005 through the merger of North Carolina’s state units of the Association of Teacher Educators and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. This unified both individual and institutional voices in educator preparation under one statewide organization.
Prior to the merger, collaboration across institutions was largely coordinated through the Teacher Education Forum (TEF)—a long-standing partnership led by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and UNC System institutions.
Due to the informal nature of early efforts, limited historical records exist. However, this foundation of collaboration continues to shape NCACTE’s work today. Rebecca Blomgren served as the organization’s first president.
Governance
NCACTE formalized its structure with the adoption of its Constitution in 2005, with revisions ratified in 2013.
The organization is led by a Board that includes:
An Executive Committee (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Past President)
Six elected board members representing public and private institutions across North Carolina
Board representation is intentionally balanced to reflect institutional diversity and geographic regions across the state. The Board also appoints the Executive Director and Manager.
Membership
Membership includes:
Faculty in educator preparation programs who are members of AACTE
Individual ATE members across North Carolina
Meetings
NCACTE supports ongoing collaboration through:
One annual membership meeting
Board meetings as needed
Executive Committee meetings as called
Moving Forward
Building on decades of collaboration through the Teacher Education Forum, NCACTE continues to strengthen partnerships and advance educator preparation across North Carolina.
Members of NCACTE are encouraged to contribute information about the history and development of the organization that can be recorded on this website. Please send an e-mail message to info@ncacte.org. Relevant documents, photographs, copies of past proceedings, and other information will be accepted with appreciation, and will help to create a history of the organization as this website continues to develop.
Get Involved
Join a Working Committee
We would love to have you join our work! If you are interested in serving on a working committee, please contact us and someone will be in touch soon.
