自1996年教學和美國未來國家委員會（National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, NCTAF）發表《什麼最為重要》報告書後，美國提升教師素質的改革，定調為以教師證照制度做為教師素質保證的機制，以教師繼續專業發展概念的教師證照制度中，師資培育認證制度則是首要的環節。本文旨在透過文獻探討，瞭解美國教師素質把關的歷史發展，並以全美師資培育認證委員會（National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, NCATE）的師資培育認證制度為核心，瞭解其認證制度自1954年建立迄今所面臨的問題。藉由分析NCATE面臨問題的核心議題：認證制度的基本層面、認證過程、認證標準等，以及分析美國在建立師資培育認證制度所面對的深層問題，包括建立教師專業的制度、國家層級認證的價值、一套標準背後的合法性等，以期瞭解全美師資培育認證制度的實施與問題，提供台灣建立相關制度之參考。

Since NCTAF’s ‘What matters most’ was published in 1996, teacher certification was the core of reform of teacher quality in the United States. Accreditation of Teacher Education is the first stage of a teacher’s professional development in order to receive teacher certification. This paper aims to understand the practices and problems of NCATE’s accreditation of teacher education, development as the gatekeeper of teacher quality and challenge of accreditation in America by reviewed references. The need to establish teacher profession, the value to build social closure of teacher profession by national accreditation, and the legal standards will be discussed.