NCATE has at last gotten the message that ed schools neither like its arduous accreditation process nor much respect the imprimatur it brings. But how much difference that realization will make as NCATE prepares to revamp its cumbersome process remains to be seen.

New NCATE president James Cibulka didn't waste much time announcing the redesign only a couple of months into his tenure, saying "it's about using accreditation as a lever for reform of educator preparation."

NCATE says the change, to be unveiled in full next spring, will "add value" while demanding "less paperwork." With luck, it might also pave the way for NCATE to merge with its smaller, scrappier rival, TEAC.