The 2017 AACTE Annual Meeting will feature six major forums, inviting you to explore pressing issues and cutting–edge research with colleagues from around the country. The following forums are planned for the conference in support of the theme “Acting as One: The Power of the Professional Community”:
The Wallace Foundation has named seven universities to partner with their local school districts as part of a new $47 million initiative to improve principal preparation, particularly for high-need schools. We heartily congratulate the recipients – all AACTE member institutions – and their partners selected for the University Principal Preparation Initiative (the following descriptions are courtesy of The Wallace Foundation):
Last week, AACTE’s Clinical Practice Commission (CPC) met to continue its consensus work regarding clinical experiences in teacher preparation. Colorado State University was a gracious host, and the high altitude was matched perfectly by the commission’s high expectations.
After our last meeting in June, commission members had been hard at work reviewing literature, considering exemplars, and drafting pieces of a large research document. Early on at this meeting, we affirmed our belief in the centrality of clinical practice and clinical partnerships for high-quality teacher education programs and practices. In hopes of maximizing the usefulness and traction of our work in the field, we decided to adjust our focus to producing a shorter white paper outlining bold claims and key supporting tenets for successful clinical partnerships and practices. The white paper will be accompanied by several additional pieces of scholarship aimed at different audiences and providing more details.
On October 12, the U.S. Department of Education released the final version of its teacher preparation regulations. AACTE will offer two webinars next week to discuss the regulations and discuss what implications they are likely to have for the profession.
Join AACTE’s Director of Government Relations, Deborah Koolbeck, at one of two times:
Press Release
(October 18, 2016, Washington, DC) – The AACTE Board of Directors today announced the planned departure of President and Chief Executive Officer Sharon P. Robinson. After more than a decade at AACTE, Robinson will retire in July 2017.
“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Dr. Robinson for her many contributions to AACTE,” said AACTE Board of Directors Chair Jane Bray. “Since 2005, Dr. Robinson has led AACTE to achievements well beyond our expectations and has challenged our profession to aspire to great heights. AACTE is met with mixed feelings as Dr. Robinson deservingly transitions into retirement. We are happy for her next phase of life and grateful for her wonderful tenure, yet we realize she leaves a cavernous hole for us to fill.”
AACTE has extended the application deadline for the 2017 Best Practice and Professional Achievement Awards until October 26! Now you have an extra 2 weeks to submit an entry through AACTE’s online submission site or to finish an entry you have already started. For detailed submission information, please refer to the official Call for Entries.
Our Best Practice Awards recognize your institution’s exemplary and innovative work in one of three areas:
Congratulations to October Holmes Scholar of the Month Cara Gafford!
Gafford is a 4th-year doctoral student at Bowie State University (MD). She is also academy director (vice principal) of the Academy of Information Technology at Friendship Collegiate Academy, a college preparatory high school in Washington, DC.
Her research interests include science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and student achievement in STEM learning at high-poverty schools.
Press Statement
(October 12, 2016, Washington, DC) – Today, the U.S. Department of Education released its final rule on the regulations for each of our nation’s 26,000 teacher preparation programs. The official version will be published in the Federal Register by the end of the month, and the Department is expected to release guidance in the coming weeks as well. AACTE is carefully analyzing the new rule and urges members and stakeholders to do the same to determine its potential impact on the profession.
Time is running out to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration rate for AACTE’s 69th Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida! This special offer expires October 19 at midnight EDT.
At the Annual Meeting, you’ll get a high value for your registration dollar. Hundreds of enriching sessions, networking opportunities, multiple meals and receptions, and access to the latest research and best practices are all included – giving you a great bang for your buck!
AACTE will host an interactive webinar next week discussing the intersection of educator dispositions, ethics, and law—and how teacher educators can assist their candidates in navigating the broad range of gray areas that they will face as professionals. Please join us!
Beyond the Obvious: The Intersection of Educator Dispositions, Ethics, and Law
The AACTE Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) seeks nominations by October 24 of state chapter leaders to run in an election for the ACSR Executive Committee. The positions open for election are the Northeast Region representative, Western Region representative, and ACSR chair-elect, all to take office in March 2017.
NOTE: This webinar has been postponed until further notice.
The U.S. Department of Education released guidance (see PDF) for the implementation of Title II of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in late September. I’ll discuss the guidance and its implications in a free webinar for AACTE members October 25 at 4:00 p.m. EDT.
As you might recall, Title II of the new law is focused on recruiting, preparing, and retaining high-quality teachers, principals, and other school leaders. With many allowable uses of funds for both state and local education agencies to engage in, it is vital that educator preparation be at the table with opportunities and options in hand to support the workforce pipeline of the profession.
Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team? Check out the latest entry below.
This interview features insights from the JTE article “Social Justice and Teacher Education: A Systematic Review of Empirical Work in the Field”, written by Carmen Mills and Julie Ballantyne. The article is featured in the September/October issue of JTE.
Linda Darling-Hammond will be the featured presenter at the AACTE 69th Annual Meeting Speaker Spotlight Session on March 4, 2017. As an internationally acclaimed thought leader in education, Darling-Hammond will share the latest research and policy analysis on issues affecting educational equity and quality.
Darling-Hammond is president of the Learning Policy Institute and Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University (CA), where she is faculty director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. Her research and policy work focuses on educational equity, teaching quality, and school reform. She has advised school leaders and policy makers at the local, state, and federal levels. In 2008, she served as director of President Obama’s education policy transition team. She is a former president of the American Educational Research Association, a former member of AACTE’s Board of Directors, and a member of the National Academy of Education as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
AACTE is excited to launch a new webinar series highlighting the experiences and findings of each of the 10 institutions in the AACTE Black and Hispanic/Latino Male Teachers Initiative Networked Improvement Community (NIC). Kicking off Thursday, October 20, 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. EDT, the inaugural webinar is “Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline at MidAmerica Nazarene, Western Kentucky, and UConn: Lessons From AACTE’s NIC.”
The goal of this NIC is to identify and test strategies to increase the percentage of Black and Hispanic/Latino men receiving initial teaching certification through educator preparation programs. This webinar series will provide an inside look at the path of inquiry guiding the NIC’s work and process and how that has shaped and changed recruitment and retention of Black, Hispanic, and Latino male teacher candidates at each institution.
