11 Apr2023
By Nicole Dunn
This month, 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 Arab Americans to our nation. As part of National Arab American Heritage Month this April. AACTE recommits to the work of making sure that all people have the opportunity to be a part of an exceptional and equitable education system as part of the American dream. AACTE encourages its members to share the history, culture, and achievements of Arab Americans in their classrooms and on their campuses during the month of April, such as the Arab American National Museum offers Educator Resources for free.
As part of its strategic plan to increase access and opportunities for diverse voices in educator preparation programs, AACTE will set up a database where members — faculty and teacher candidates — can post their research and publications to be cited by the field. If you identify as Arab or Arab American, you are encouraged to share your educator preparation research with your peers. This form also provides you with an opportunity to create a profile so that people can learn more about your research interests and other works.
Please take a moment to fill out the AACTE Cited Research Database Form or send it to your Arab/Arab American colleagues who may want to take advantage of the opportunity to highlight their work on AACTE’s website.
10 Apr2023
By Weade James
AACTE is pleased to announce a strategic collaboration and mentoring opportunity with the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE), AACTE’s flagship journal, and the Holmes Scholars Program. Through this collaboration, the JTE leadership team will select and mentor Holmes Scholars to co-write an editorial or manuscript that will appear in one of JTE’s special anniversary issues in 2024! This opportunity is specifically for Holmes doctoral and post-doctoral scholars who would like to learn how to write and publish a piece of quality scholarship in a high-impact academic journal. JTE helps ensure that the next generation of teacher education scholars are supported as they take on real-world challenges for the professoriate.
04 Apr2023
By Alice Ginsberg, Marybeth Gasman and Andrés Castro Samayoa
While the majority of U.S. K-12 students are children of color, only 20% of teachers are people of color — and 40% of the nation’s public schools do not have a single teacher of color on record. Despite a now decades old, nationwide effort to diversify the teaching profession, there is obviously still much work to be done. Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) hold great promise towards the goal of bringing more teachers of color to the profession. They also provide teacher candidates opportunities to do their student teaching in schools and communities that are racially diverse. Of importance, these teacher candidates share a common interest in remaining in multicultural and high-needs schools after getting certified.
A related, but significantly less prominent issue, concerns the diversity of teacher educators. Across higher education, 75% of professors are White and teacher educators are over 76% White, demonstrating that many teacher candidates will not have a single professor of color as they make the transition through their teacher preparation programs. This challenge has huge ramifications for what happens in teacher education programs, including how candidates are recruited, how the curriculum is designed, and how urgently a program works to address critical issues of race and equity. Moreover, as Galman, Pica-Smith, and Rosenberger note: “It’s important that teacher educators have examined their own implicit biases before asking preservice teachers to engage with [them].”
04 Apr2023
By AACTE
As AACTE continues its work to revolutionize education and advance the educator profession, the Association celebrates the committed, talented, and thoughtful volunteer leaders who serve on its programmatic advisory committees. Are you ready to lend your expertise and assume a leadership role in the national educator preparation community, or do you know someone who is? Nominate yourself or a colleague by April 28 to serve on one of the following programmatic advisory committees:
- Educator Diversity
- Global Diversity
- Government Relations and Advocacy
- Holmes Program
- Innovation and Technology
- Meetings and Professional Development
- Membership Development and Capacity Building
- Research and Dissemination
04 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.
It was a busy week in Washington as lawmakers prepared to head back to their home states and districts for the two-week spring recess. From oversight hearings to the Congressional Review Act, we have much to cover this week — let’s dig in.
Education Leaders Push Back on Attacks Against the Public Education System
This week, following House Republicans passing the “Parent Bill of Rights,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, American Federation of Teachers’ President Randi Weingarten and several Democratic Members of Congress and advocacy groups have pushed back on what they are calling a dangerous effort to undermine and politicize public schools.
04 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.
Recently published data shows that the Commonwealth of Virginia is relying more heavily on provisionally licensed teachers than ever before. As reported, Virginia issued a total of 8,434 provisional licenses in 2021–22 compared to an average of 6,787 in the years prior to the pandemic.
04 Apr2023
By Weade James
To commemorate AACTE’s 75th Anniversary and vibrant history, AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone and Dean-in-Residence Leslie Fenwick — in collaboration with the co-editors of the Journal of Teacher Education, Valerie Hill-Jackson and Cheryl Craig — have co-authored a historical paper of AACTE’s impact leading educator preparation since 1948. Published in JTE’s Issue 2, volume 74, this issue encapsulates AACTE’s 75th Anniversary theme, “Remembering the Past to Revolutionize the Future” by featuring well-regarded articles of the 21st century and reflexive rejoinders from the authors.
The Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) is AACTE’s flagship journal and ranks 43 out of 267 Education and Educational Research Journals and has a five-year Impact Factor of 4.9. JTE’s mission is to serve as a research forum for a diverse group of scholars invested in the preparation and continued support of teachers who can have a significant voice in discussions and decision-making. JTE has been in continuous production since 1950 elevating scholarship that has shaped educator preparation research, policy and practice.
Read AACTE’s 75th Anniversary Editorial featured in the Journal of Teacher Education.
04 Apr2023
By Weade James
During its 75th Annual Meeting, AACTE recognized outstanding dissertation proposals submitted by Holmes Scholars as part of the Annual Holmes Dissertation Funding Competition (DFC). The competition awarded three non-renewable awards to support Holmes scholars’ dissertation expenses, including data collection and analyses costs, software fees, and editing services. Congratulations to Leslie Ekpe of Texas Christian University, Latifa Sebti of Rowan University, and Takeshia Pierre of University of Florida for placing in the top three of the competition.
This year’s competition was sponsored by AACTE, the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges of Teacher Education (AILACTE), Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), and the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI).
04 Apr2023
By Brooke Evans
Educators play a crucial role in how students are welcomed both into the classroom and within their communities — and understanding how to integrate international, intercultural, and global experiences and perspectives into the curriculum of teacher education is vital in a globally connected and diverse world.
As part of the first webinar in the Global Education Faculty PLC Professional Development Series, AACTE members are invited to join a panel of faculty experts and international scholars as they discuss educator prep program recruitment and support for international students on April 17. Save your spot and register today.
28 Mar2023
By AACTE
Registration is now open for AACTE 2023 Washington Week, a set of advocacy-focused events held annually in the nation’s capital. Teacher educators and other members from colleges and institutions nationwide are invited to register and attend on June 4 – 7 in Washington, DC.
28 Mar2023
By Todd Finkelmeyer
This article was originally published by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education.
As the nationwide teacher shortage continues to generate headlines, stress education leaders, and frustrate policymakers in search of answers, the UW–Madison School of Education is announcing the extension of an innovative program aimed at addressing the problem in Wisconsin.
The UW–Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge program first started supporting students in the fall of 2020 and is dedicated to bolstering Wisconsin’s teacher workforce. This donor-funded initiative pays the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing, and licensing costs for students enrolled in one of the School’s teacher preparation programs. In return, graduates “pledge” to teach for three or four years at a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school in Wisconsin.
27 Mar2023
Marilyn Cochran-Smith and Gloria Ladson-Billings will share their perspectives on navigating K-12 education.
By Ruben Hidalgo
Texas A&M University’s School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) will host a meeting of two renowned and respected minds in teacher education with a combined 90+ years of experience.
Marilyn Cochran-Smith and Gloria Ladson-Billings, both National Academy of Education members, will share their perspectives on navigating K-12 education in a conversation moderated by SEHD professor Cheryl Craig.
27 Mar2023
By Nicole Dunn
According to the Williams Institute at UCLA, there are over 1.6 million trans youth (13+) and adults across the United States. With new language and increased social acceptance to explore gender identity, the number of students identifying as transgender, non-binary, or any other gender non-conforming identity continues to rise. AACTE celebrates educators, policymakers, communities, and advocates that are doing the work to ensure transgender youth have the inclusive spaces and access to equal rights they deserve. In honor of International Transgender Day on March 31, AACTE encourages P-20 educators to do the work of learning how to support the identities of trans students and teachers, a sentiment shared by many of our members.
27 Mar2023
By Elaine Tubré
A new grant will support TCU’s effort to determine how it has implicitly influenced the inequities found in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) departments. The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant is titled ADVANCE Catalyst: Faculty Resources and Opportunities for Growth in STEM, also known as FROG in STEM. By identifying barriers and bridges for women STEM faculty, this project aims to produce institutional change that will impact not only STEM, but also all women faculty at TCU.
“Receipt of this award will facilitate our institutional goals to increase the representation and advancement of women among our academic science and engineering faculty and ensure that all our faculty in every discipline are supported and thrive at TCU,” said Floyd Wormley, associate provost for research and dean of graduate studies. “I can think of no better person at TCU than Dr. Weinburgh to lead these efforts, and she has the administration’s full support.”
27 Mar2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The new “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.
On Thursday, lawmakers in the Florida state Legislature sent Governor Ron DeSantis a landmark education bill, FL HB1 (23R), that guarantees vouchers to any family regardless of income. The legislation comes as Republican lawmakers in Florida and the nation more broadly have led an effort to expand parental rights in education. Democrats argue that the bill is essentially a giveaway to millionaires and billionaires across the state who send their children to choice options. Currently, the vouchers are available to students whose families earn no more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $120,000 for a family of four.
