Archive for November, 2017

AACTE Clinical Practice Commission to Release Findings at National Press Club Briefing

To ensure that educators are prepared to meet the needs of all learners, the AACTE Clinical Practice Commission will release its findings on effective clinical educator preparation during a press briefing Wednesday, January 17, 2018. Panelists from the commission will present and discuss their culminating white paper at the event, to be held 9:00-11:00 a.m. EST at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Written by teacher educators representing expertise in theory, practice, and scholarship across the learning continuum, the report, A Pivot Toward Clinical Practice, Its Lexicon, and the Renewal of Educator Preparation, provides research- and practice-based recommendations, including a shared professional lexicon, for all educators to embrace as a foundation for effectively implementing clinical practice.

Vote by Nov. 30 for AACTE Board, ACSR Elections

The annual election for the AACTE Board of Directors opens this week and runs through November 30. This year, just two seats are up for election, both representing the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (although all AACTE Institutional and Chief Representatives are eligible to vote). In addition, the Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) is holding elections this month for vacancies on its Executive Committee.

The slate of candidates for the AACTE Board of Directors is as follows:


Webinar Nov. 9: How Principals Build, Sustain Healthy School Cultures

Please join us Thursday, November 9, at 3:00 Eastern for the third free webinar in the series we’ve organized for AACTE on principal leadership, with support from The Wallace Foundation.

Great school culture starts with strong leadership and builds a context for excellence in every area of the school. Fostering open relationships at all levels, principals are at the heart of building and sustaining a healthy school culture. This webinar, Principals as Transformation Leaders: Changing School Cultures, will feature school leaders who have successfully worked to create a positive school culture that promotes learning and acceptance for all.

The Need for Data Regarding Educator Shortages

AACTE is partnering with the American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) to increase input from educator preparation providers in the organization’s annual teacher supply and demand survey. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

The current shortage of educators is no longer a myth. Data from several reports, including the American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) Educator Supply and Demand Report 2016-17, show that in numerous certification areas in most areas of the country, there are not enough well-qualified candidates to fill educator vacancies. And even in states where the demand for full-time teachers is not as severe as in other states, there is a critical shortage of substitute teachers.

Briefing Spotlights Unmet Professional Development Needs of CTE Teachers

Panelists Ruth Neild (Director, Philadelphia Education Research Consortium), Jon Graft (Superintendent/CEO, Butler Tech, OH), and Carri Risner (Chef Instructor & Lead Teacher, Columbia Area Career Center, MO) participate in a Q & A session with moderator Elyse Eidman-Aadahl (Executive Director, National Writing Project) during a briefing October 26 in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy of ACTE.

 

A briefing hosted last week by the National Writing Project and the Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) highlighted some of the unique challenges facing career and technical education (CTE) teachers, calling attention to their need for better training and support as they enter the classroom.

Panelists at the briefing emphasized that many CTE teachers are career changers and lack the support and pedagogical preparation of a more traditionally trained educator. Describing the acclimation of these teachers to the classroom and the skills they need to acquire on the job as “drinking water from a fire hose,” panelists called for targeted professional development to help career-changing CTE teachers bridge the gap between their technical knowledge and the academic and pedagogical skills they need to succeed as educators. The speakers also called on policy makers to invest in supports for CTE educators to help these programs ensure their students obtain the skills that meet the needs of a growing job market.