About NACCTEP

The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) is the national voice for community college educator preparation.
 

Founded more than 24 years ago, NACCTEP was created to elevate and connect community colleges engaged in high-quality teacher education at a time when their role in the educator pipeline was often overlooked. Today, NACCTEP represents a growing national network of institutions committed to expanding access, equity, and innovation in preparing the nation’s educators.
 

Community colleges serve as powerful entry points into the profession, educating first-generation students, paraprofessionals, bilingual educators, career-changers, and place-bound learners. NACCTEP supports these institutions by strengthening pathways that reflect local workforce needs while maintaining rigor, quality, and sustainability.
 

 

Our History

Since its founding in 2002, NACCTEP has evolved alongside the educator preparation field. What began as a small professional network has grown into a nationally recognized organization supporting associate-to-bachelor’s pathways, university and district partnerships, registered apprenticeships, and community-college-based bachelor’s degrees in education.
 

As educator shortages intensified nationwide, NACCTEP emerged as a leader in systems-level thinking, helping institutions design scalable, workforce-aligned solutions that respond to state policy, licensure, and accreditation landscapes.
 

 

Our Impact

Over the past 24 years, NACCTEP has:

• Built a national network of community colleges, universities, school districts, and education organizations.
   

• Convened hundreds of leaders annually through national convenings, leadership forums, yearly Fall institutes, webinars, and regional meetings.
   

• Supported the design and scale of innovative teacher pathways, including para-to-teacher, apprenticeship, and stackable credential models.
   

• Provided practical tools and guidance related to accreditation, licensure, articulation, and program quality.
   

• Elevated community college voices in national and state policy conversations.
   

• Amplified practitioner expertise through podcasts, panels, and publications.
   

 

Our Role Today

NACCTEP serves as a connector, convener, and catalyst for community college educator preparation programs nationwide. We support institutions at every stage, from emerging programs to fully scaled degrees, by fostering collaboration, sharing evidence-based practices, and advocating for policies that recognize community colleges as essential partners in addressing the educator workforce crisis.
 

 

Looking Ahead

As NACCTEP enters its next chapter, our mission remains clear:
Our role is to strengthen and advance community college pathways that prepare diverse, well-supported educators for the classrooms and communities that need them most.
 

Twenty-four years of impact… and growing.