EDUCATORS for America Act is Re-Introduced in Congress

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.

In the States: Arizona School District Uses Housing Project to Attract Teacher

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.

AACTE Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week May 8-12

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.

Asian American Experiences Matter: Centering Asian American Leadership Experiences in Teacher Education

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?  

Registration Now Open: 2023 Leadership Academy

 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  

Call for Reviewers for 2024 Annual Meeting Proposals

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.

$1.45M NSF Grant Awarded to Longwood University to Expand STEM Teacher Pipeline to Rural Areas

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.

A Washington Update: ISTP, Federal Funding and IDEA Annual Report

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.

AACTE Celebrates Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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.

In the States: Texas State Senate Approves Anti-DEI Bill

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.

Cardona Urges Lawmakers to Support Department of Education’s FY24 Budget Request Amidst Proposed Debt Limit Bill

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.