A comparative study of the NCATE Standards and the Virginia Licensure Regulations for School Personnel with the perceptions of elementary principals and teachers

The purpose of this study was to compare the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) 2000 Standards for Elementary Preparation and the Virginia Licensure Regulations for Elementary Personnel (1998) with the perceptions of principals and teachers in the elementary schools in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The methodology incorporated an exploratory design using qualitative data collection and analyses of surveys of school-based personnel, as well as the NCATE standards and Virginia Licensure Regulations. Specifically, themes were identified through a series of reductions of the terms and phrases contained within the documents and surveys.;The results of this study identified similarities and differences between the perceptions of the school-based individuals and the documents analyzed. Among others, some significant themes that emerged were knowledge of content and pedagogy, assessment, personal and professional skills, and authentic experiences.