AACTE Names Rutgers Language Partnership for Global Award
Congratulations to the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education (New Brunswick, NJ) on its selection to receive the 2018 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives! The award will be presented March 1 at the Opening Keynote of the AACTE 70th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Rutgers Graduate School of Education (GSE) offers learning opportunities that link the local and global to connect future educators, leaders, and researchers to the reciprocal influences of local communities and global society. Teacher candidates may participate in several global opportunities, including education-study abroad programs, PK-12 mentoring, and a new linguistically diverse program, “The Conversation Tree: Community-Based Language Partnerships.”
“This program was selected due to the unique perspective it offers to its students to engage in culturally responsive pedagogy and ethical action in ways that have a measurable transformative influence on the community at large,” said Janine Allen, chair of the AACTE Committee on Global Diversity, which reviews applications for this award.
The Conversation Tree, which the GSE created in partnership with the Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research and Service, is the main focus of AACTE’s award. The program provides opportunities for adults to practice English conversation in informal settings called Conversation Cafés. Rutgers GSE students participate in The Conversation Tree through curriculum-based service-learning in three academic courses: Community-Based Language Learning; Community-Based Language Learning Leadership; and Community-Based Language Learning Internship. Within these courses and this program, Rutgers offers a unique pathway for contributing to educators’ global and international perspectives.
“The Rutgers GSE faculty and staff members have developed many opportunities to support the development of GSE students’ global and international perspectives, and our students have a robust, comprehensive array of research, teaching, and service options through which they can develop and enhance their global competence,” said GSE Dean Wanda Blanchett. “The GSE’s global and international efforts align with the GSE’s strategic plan distinction goals of promoting diversity, equity, social justice, and effective teaching and learning. We are grateful to AACTE for recognizing our work as having met the high standard of ‘Best Practices in Global and International Perspectives’ as it is truly a tremendous honor and I applaud our students, faculty, and staff for their efforts as we continue our journey of ‘Advancing Excellence and Equity in Education’ in New Jersey and beyond.”
Offered annually, AACTE’s Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives recognizes a member institution for exemplary practice in the intercultural, global, cross-cultural, and international arenas. It is sponsored by AACTE’s Committee on Global Diversity as part of its mission to assure that a global/international perspective is brought to policy and programs associated with the preparation of education professionals.
AACTE issued a press release today announcing all of its 2018 award winners. For more information on AACTE’s awards program, visit http://aacte.org/professional-development-and-events/awards. Applications for next year’s awards open in June.
Tags: Annual Meeting, diversity, global issues, inclusion
