The Mississippi Association of Colleges for Teacher Education provides leadership in Mississippi for the continuing transformation of professional preparation programs to ensure competent and caring educators for all of Mississippi's children and youth. It is the principal professional association and primary voice for college and university leaders with responsibility for educator preparation.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB Act), which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), places a major emphasis upon teacher quality as a factor in improving student achievement. The new Title II programs focus on preparing, training, and recruiting high-quality teachers and principals and requires States to develop plans with annual measurable objectives that will ensure that all teachers teaching in core academic subjects are highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Reaching this goal will require reform of traditional teacher training, which usually conducted in colleges if education, as well as the innovative expansion of alternative routes to teacher licensure. It will also require more effective in-service training and professional development for teachers currently in the classroom.

The State of Mississippi provides support to public school teachers with at least three years of teaching experience seeking advanced certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. This support includes:

• Reimbursement of the $2,300 fee on completion of the process (whether or not certification is achieved);
• Provision of a salary supplement of $6,000 per year for the life of the National Board Certificate (10 years); and
• Renewal of the Mississippi Teaching License for one five-year period.