12. Why would we be interested in National Recognition?

Since the early 1970s the AECT and its members have taken a leadership role in documenting the evolution of the field. This has occurred through task forces that have worked on evolving definitions, publications and presentations focused on the evolution of the media as well as our roles in the field, and through our affiliation with NCATE in support of program guidelines (and now performance-based standards). These performance-based standards provide us with some sense of the quality of the programs which prepare new professionals in our field. NCATE is concerned only with those programs that prepare P-12 school personnel. As currently defined by our field and the AECT Standards, NCATE is only interested in ECIT programs that prepare School Library Media Specialists, School Technology Specialists, K-12 Technology Coordinators, and other P-12 role titles that continue to emerge. By and large, this represents a small percentage of the programs in our field.

However, AECT is interested in a much broader application of the performance-based standards to provide a beginning structure for the quality control of the preparation of professionals in ALL roles within the field, including those outside the P-12 school setting. It is important to note, then, that for most of us this program review process is completely voluntary. Seeking "National Recognition" of your ECIT program(s) says that: (a) you endorse the fundamental premises of the field and the assessment of pre-professional competencies as currently defined by AECT, (b) you join with other colleagues in the field to sanction AECT's process and review of your preparation programs, (c) you accept the evolutionary aspects of the field and acknowledge the need to continually re-assess program quality, and (d) your potential students and graduates have a credible source of evaluation upon which to base their decision regarding graduate study...beyond the infamous listserv question of, "What are the best programs?" with the resultant flurry of personalized endorsements.