Institute Focuses Chapter Leaders on Advocacy, Communications, Leadership
During the week of June 9, more than 40 AACTE state chapter leaders convened in Washington, DC, for the 2014 State Leaders Institute (SLI).
An annual professional development event exclusively for state chapter leaders, SLI aims to strengthen participants’ leadership skills, enhance chapters’ advocacy and communication efforts, and build connections among chapter heads from across the country.
This year’s institute provided an overview of the state and national policy landscape and highlighted chapters’ efforts to engage with policy makers on reform efforts to strengthen educator preparation. Attendees also participated in workshops focused on developing consistent communications campaigns, fostering relationships with state policy makers, and engaging community leaders to support chapter efforts.
Developments of particular interest in the past year include new laws related to educator licensure and certification in three states, rating and ranking of educator preparation programs in two states, and entry requirements and selectivity into preparation programs in two states. Another issue of concern is the 2014 elections for governors, state education chiefs, and state board of education members, which could shift the state education policy landscape from its current focus on highly effective teachers to one on high-quality and selective educator preparation.
To support state chapter leaders’ organizational capacity, AACTE and the Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) also released a new State Chapter Leaders Manual during SLI. Developed following requests from participants last year, the manual is a resource for incoming chapter presidents as well as for state leaders interested in establishing a new AACTE chapter in their state. The manual compiles ideas and examples from affiliates across the country addressing chapter leadership and engagement, organization and management, advocacy, communications, and financial health.
ACSR comprises the presidents or designated liaisons from AACTE’s state chapters and serves as the governing body of the affiliates, providing a collaborative network for leaders across the states as well as bringing state-level perspectives to all AACTE activities.
To view photos from SLI, visit our Facebook page. For more information about ACSR and the state chapters, visit http://aacte.org/state-chapters.
Tags: events, state affiliate
