Archive for 2016

Custom E-mail Alerts Available Through AACTE State Policy Tracker

I am excited to announce an expansion of services through AACTE’s State Policy Tracker, which now provides not only a searchable database of legislation and regulations but also state-specific e-mail alerts for any interested state chapters and member institutions.

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The State Policy Tracker is an online tool, launched last November, for member institutions and state chapters to track state legislation and regulations related to educator preparation. Beginning in December 2015, we piloted the e-mail alert program with 17 of AACTE’s state chapters (in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin) and two individual member institutions (Bank Street College and Western Governors University). This pilot program distributed state-specific alerts using information from the tracker on pertinent state policy affecting educator preparation.

Advocacy Pays Off With a Seat at the ‘Teach to Lead’ Table

You frequently hear AACTE champion the virtues of advocacy—of making your voice heard to help land you a place “at the table” rather than “on the menu.” AACTE staff are practiced at this habit, engaging in regular meetings with key officials at the U.S. Department of Education and elsewhere to share the work of the Association and our membership. I am pleased to share that some of these efforts have paid off with an invitation from the Department to collaborate on an upcoming teacher preparation summit.

The Department invited AACTE and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities to be partners on the summit, scheduled for November 3-4 in Washington, DC, as part of the “Teach to Lead” series focused on amplifying teachers’ voice and role in transforming education and related policy. This event will bring teams of educators together to discuss actionable ideas for collaborative, teacher-led improvements to teacher preparation. We are honored to represent you at the table on this critical issue.

State Legislators Want Input from Teacher Educators

Last week, I joined a small group of AACTE staff attending the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Legislative Summit with over 5,000 state legislators, legislative staff, and trade associations.
One key takeaway from our interactions with state legislators and staff is that they are eager to hear from educator preparation programs. Some of the topics that state legislators referenced as their priorities:

  • Examining licensure requirements
  • Offering more pathways into the teaching profession
  • Boosting the rigor of educator preparation programs
  • Aligning the educator pipeline with school districts’ needs and challenges

New Holmes Cadets Pilot Launches in Texas

This month, I visited the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) to participate in a kick-off symposium for the new AACTE Holmes Cadets Program starting there. The participating high school students were a dynamic reminder of why AACTE is expanding the Holmes Program: to support historically underrepresented students pursuing careers in education in order to diversify the field, from PK-12 through the professoriate. I was honored to welcome these passionate Holmes Cadets, who are poised to bring a strong Hispanic/Latino contingent to the teaching profession.

Resources to Engage Your Campus in the Democratic Process

As Americans, one of our most important duties is to participate in our democracy. Although it can be challenging to get out the vote on college campuses, engaged citizenship is one of the desired outcomes of postsecondary education, and we certainly want to nurture in our students a sense of responsibility to participate.

To help students navigate residency requirements, absentee ballots and their filing deadlines, and other voting rules and options, I encourage you to consult the resources compiled by the “Your Vote, Your Voice” campaign. This effort is spearheaded by the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, which includes AACTE and nearly 50 other national higher education organizations.

Last Call: Survey on Preparing Educators to Work With LGBTQ Students

Are your teacher candidates prepared to work with LGBTQ students? We’d like to learn about your perspectives and practices in our joint survey with the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), which closes September 15.

In educator preparation, we continually strive to prepare teachers to be more inclusive of and responsive to the range of human diversity their students bring. To help inform this work, it’s useful to survey the field periodically to monitor trends in practice and define a course for moving forward.

‘What Matters Now’: Empower Teachers, Reorganize Schools for Success

In a new report issued August 10, the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) calls for reorganizing schools to better cultivate deep learning for all students. The report, What Matters Now: A New Compact for Teaching and Learning, lays out an ambitious vision for educator-driven improvements buttressed by a coordinated system of policy and community supports.

It’s Still Recess! Time to Meet With Members of Congress

Did you know that August and October are great times to meet with your U.S. Representative and Senators? During these months, Congress is in “recess,” meaning members are back home meeting with constituents like you.

Time is running out on the August recess, but it may still be possible to land a meeting with some members of Congress before they return to Washington, DC, after Labor Day weekend. If not, October is coming fast, and now is an excellent time to ask for a meeting—or even work with your institution’s government relations office to invite elected officials to an event you are hosting.

Ileana Cortes-Santiago Named Scholar of the Month

Congratulations to August Holmes Scholar of the Month Ileana Cortes-Santiago of Purdue University (IN)!

Cortes-Santiago’s research interests include Latino/a family literacies and engagement, English language learning, multicultural education, and community-based research. Her commitment to being a change agent in the field of education is evident not only by her scholarship, but in practical application.

USED Proposes Regulation on State Authorization for Distance Education

The U.S. Department of Education released a proposed regulation last month dealing with institutional eligibility for Title IV funds (federal student financial aid). Comments on the proposal are due by August 24 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

In an effort to address concerns over fraudulent practices, noncompliance with requirements of Title IV programs, and other challenges, the Department is offering this latest round of proposed regulations (the initial work on this began in 2012) on distance education programs with an eye to those that operate in more than one state.

Aug. 17 Webinar to Kick Off New Series on Principal, Leader Preparation

On Wednesday, August 17, AACTE will present the first webinar in a new series called “Raising the Bar and Enhancing Partnerships for Principal and Supervisor Preparation.” This event will look at how colleges of education can engage with state legislators and agencies responsible for standards implementation, program approval, licensure, professional development, and school improvement.

Author Interview: Meghan Barnes, Peter Smagorinsky

Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education editorial team? Check out the latest entry below.

In this author interview, Meghan Barnes discusses her article with Peter Smagorinsky, “What English/Language Arts Teacher Candidates Learn During Coursework and Practica: A Study of Three Teacher Education Programs.” Their piece will be published in the September/October issue of JTE, but you can read it now via OnlineFirst.

Last Call for AACTE Dissertation Award Applications

Time is running out to apply for AACTE’s 2017 Outstanding Dissertation Award! Entries must be made online by Tuesday, August 16. Help AACTE showcase outstanding doctoral research at your institution by encouraging your top recent graduates (or recent hires!) to apply for this prestigious award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize.

The Committee on Research and Dissemination will review submissions this fall, and applicants will learn of their status in November (although the announcement of the winner is embargoed until February). The winner then will join other award recipients for special recognition at AACTE’s 69th Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida, March 2-4, 2017.

Expanding Horizons With Global Partnerships

What did you do this summer?

For many of us in education, summer is a time for reflection on the past and planning for the future. We engage in professional learning, and if we’re lucky, we expand our horizons by visiting new places.

I had the great fortune to do all of these things last month during a fascinating trip to China.

At the invitation of China’s National Center for School Curriculum and Textbook Development, several U.S. education leaders and I participated in the China Teacher Leaders Forum and a series of other meetings with Chinese agency heads, educators and teacher educators, and business and philanthropic representatives.*

Call for Submissions: AACTE Innovations Inventory

AACTE is excited to announce a call for new submissions to the Innovations Inventory! Online submissions will be accepted now through September 23.

The Innovations Inventory is an online repository of successful programs and initiatives that are improving educator preparation at AACTE member institutions. By documenting successful innovations, the inventory aims to inspire and support advances in educator preparation based on proven approaches that will benefit the field broadly. Members and their PK-12 partners are invited to submit examples of unique or new approaches to educator preparation programs or initiatives that address critical issues in educator preparation and show evidence of positive impact.

In this year’s call for submissions, we are pleased to offer two pathways through which faculty and partners can share their innovative programs: