09 May2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
It was another busy week in Washington — with conversations surrounding the debt limit continuing to dominate much of the conversation. As you will recall, last month House Republicans passed a bill which ties the debt limit to appropriations by raising the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or through the end of next March, whichever happens first, in exchange for a wide range of proposals to decrease government funding. The cuts to federal funding would include capping federal funding at fiscal year (FY) 2022 levels- a nearly 22% cut to non-defense discretionary programs (i.e., education)- while also limiting spending growth to 1% every year over the next decade.
09 May2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
As school districts across the nation struggle to find qualified educators to fill classroom vacancies, one Arizona school district will utilize an unconventional recruitment tool: tiny houses. As reported by CNN, the Chino Valley Unified School District is using federal money to build 10 studio units, each 400 square feet, on a vacant lot behind an elementary school, where teachers will pay roughly $550 per month in rent — well below the market rate for the area.
09 May2023
By Brooke Evans
AACTE is pleased to honor P-20 educators during National Teacher Appreciation Week. Typically held the first full week of May, this week is dedicated to America’s educators who commit their lives to service by educating, encouraging, and advocating for all students. Inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt’s 1953 call to Congress to create a National Day of Recognition for Teachers, and through the contributions of both the National Education Association (NEA) and National Parent Teacher Organization (PTA), America celebrated its first Teacher Appreciation Week in 1984.
09 May2023
By Nicholas D. Hartlep and Rachel Endo
In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month, Asian American leaders in educator preparation programs (EPPS) Rachel Endo and Nicholas D. Hartlep, share their collective experiences that caused their interest in collaborating on researching and writing a critical inquiry paper that explores the experiences of current and former Asian American leaders in EPPs in the United States. Endo is dean of the School of Education at the University of Washington, Tacoma and Hartlep is chair of the Education Studies Department at Berea College.
Our paper seeks to answer the following questions:
- What are the intersecting social identity markers within the current pool of Asian American leaders?
- How do Asian/American EPP leaders describe their trajectory into leadership positions?
04 May2023
By AACTE
Registration is now open for AACTE’s Leadership Academy — a unique opportunity for deans, department chairs, and other administrators and faculty to enhance their leadership skills, address current issues, and build a professional peer network. Whether just beginning your career in academic leadership, or a seasoned and experienced leader with years of experience, this year’s Leadership Academy provides professional development that is essential and applicable to everyone, including a New Deans Academy:
- Leadership Academy: Sunday, July 30 – Thursday, August 3, and
- New Deans Academy: Thursday, August 3 – Friday, August 4
02 May2023
By AACTE
At AACTE’s Washington Week 2023, being held June 4 – 7, we have gathered a diverse lineup of speakers — policy leaders and experts from Congress, the Biden Administration, the media, and national organizations — to share insights and experiences on attracting, preparing, and retaining educators. Take a look at the full schedule of sessions and events.
02 May2023
By Weade James
AACTE is pleased to announce the call for volunteer reviewers for its 2024 Annual Meeting conference slated to occur February 16 – 18, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. The conference theme, “Ascending New Heights: Propelling the Profession into the Future,” will bring together scholars, researchers, leaders and practitioners to share impactful research, programs and practices in teacher education, and identify new opportunities to advance the field.
02 May2023
By Longwood University
Longwood University faculty members were recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) totaling $1.45 million to recruit and support future secondary school teachers who want to teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects in Southside and southwestern Virginia.
The NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant will fund a five-year project that aims to serve the national need for preparing and retaining highly qualified science and mathematics teachers to teach in rural, high-need school districts. The grant will be used to provide scholarships and academic support to 20 undergraduate students, 14 of whom will be transfers from the Virginia Community College System who will major in biology, chemistry, mathematics or physics and pursue a STEM teaching career.
02 May2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
It was another busy week in Washington. The Department of Education co-hosted the 2023 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP), welcoming more than 22 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The theme for this year’s summit was “Poised for the Future: Transformative Teaching for Global Engagement, Sustainability, and Digital Access.” Building on discussions held during past summits, 2023 focused on elevating and enhancing the teaching profession, educating for global and cultural competence and civic engagement, and leveraging digital technologies to ensure equitable access and enhanced learning for all. Jill Biden and Secretary Cardona both participated in the convening using the opportunity in part to tout President Biden’s commitment to educators. This comes on the heels of President Biden announcing his 2024 reelection campaign. In his first two campaign videos President Biden has referred to Republican-led efforts to restrict what’s taught in schools — we expect education will continue to be a major theme throughout this election cycle.
02 May2023
By AACTE
With the projected shortfall of teachers hovering around 200,000 by the 2025-26 school year, state leaders are looking for ways to intervene and increase the pipeline of teachers into schools1. Teacher registered apprenticeship programs (RAPs) can potentially fill this high-priority workforce need.
01 May2023
By Nicole Dunn
In May, AACTE joins together with cultural institutions, school districts, municipalities, state legislatures, public servants, and non-profit organizations around the country to celebrate the immeasurable contributions of the Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) community and recommit to the work of making sure that all people have the opportunity to be a part of the nation’s exceptional and equitable education system. AACTE encourage members to share the history, culture, and achievements of those who identify as AANHPI in their classrooms and on their campuses in observance of AANHPI Heritage Month.
25 Apr2023
By Brooke Evans
The “science of reading” has garnered enormous attention among educators and the general public over the past few years. The research literature about effective reading instruction and intervention and effective teacher preparation should inform program design decisions and teacher education practices.
25 Apr2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
Last week, the Texas State Senate approved a bill that would largely restrict how the state’s public universities can promote equitable access to higher education and cultivate diversity among students, faculty and staff. The bill, SB17, would require universities to close their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices; ban any mandatory training surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion; and eliminate the completion of diversity statements as part of the hiring process.
25 Apr2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
To say it was a busy week following the spring recess would be an understatement. The House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee held their Budget Hearing on the FY24 request for the Department of Education, Speaker McCarthy released his Debt Limit Proposal calling for a roll back to the FY22 funding levels — a nearly 22% cut in funding to non-defense discretionary programs, House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing on school choice and vouchers, and the house passed a GOP-led bill that would ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions.
I cannot overstate this — now is the time to get to the table. We need you to help lawmakers understand what these proposed cuts could mean for education. Stay tuned for more direct next steps, but in the meantime don’t forget to respond to action alerts and to follow up with Member offices who you have relationships with.
25 Apr2023
By AACTE
Are you ready to find opportunities to grow as a leader and make an impact in educator preparation? It’s a great time to volunteer at AACTE! Lend your talent to one of AACTE’s
programmatic advisory committees or nominate a colleague.
Nominations are due by May 15.