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A Look at UNCC’s Black Male Teacher Initiative, “What’s Your Impact?”

Group of UNCC Black Teacher Initiative Participants
AACTE member institution Cato College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) works to create effective solutions to the shortage of Black male teachers. Thomas Fisher, supervisor of student teaching in the Office of School and Community Partnerships, recruited four of his former students to help implement a program to engage and recruit Black male students into the teaching profession. The team visits schools and shares their story to inspire a new generation of educators in the most underrepresented demographic in teaching. 

“There’s only 2% Black male teachers in the United States,” says Timothy Wells, social studies teacher at Ridge Road Middle School, who is featured in the “What’s Your Impact?” video. “Studies show that your success increases if you have a Black male teacher or a male teacher in general from an early age.” The video spotlights Black male graduates of UNC’s Cato College of Education as they share why they pursued a teaching career. It also includes Edwin Campbell, American history teacher at Vance High School; Devin Murphy, math teacher at Myers Park High School; and Dwayne Simmons, English teacher and dean of students at Quail Hollow Middle School. Please take a few minutes to watch the video above to hear the dynamic stories of these educators.

Update your AACTE Member Profile to Access Member-Only Resources


Help AACTE keep you informed on developments that impact educator preparation. Update your member profile! Our online process makes it easy and fast—just visit aacte.org to access the AACTE Profile Manager. 

The AACTE Profile Manager allows us retrieve the most accurate member information to deliver the content and communications you’ll find most valuable. The Profile Manager allows you to edit your contact information, select your research areas of expertise, view any outstanding orders, and manage your subscriptions.  An updated profile also provides us the opportunity to customize information specific to your member needs. 

Why Board and Standing Committee Service is Important, Valuable, Gratifying, and Fun

How often have you said (or thought to yourself), “I can’t possibly take on any more responsibilities!  I can barely keep my head above water now?” 

As I write to encourage you to serve on the AACTE Board of Directors and standing committees, I’m acutely aware   that concerns about time and commitments exist for each of you. Given that we all struggle to balance our professional and personal lives, why should we commit time for service to AACTE?  As someone who manages to serve on the Board of Directors—and who is now the chair—let me offer a few reasons why I find service to AACTE worth the investment of time and talent.

  1. It is important. Our institutions prepare students for the most important profession in the world. Yet, we are regularly reminded that policy makers and political leaders, the members of our communities, and sometimes even our colleagues in the academy don’t fully value the breadth or impact of our work. AACTE, through our collective voice, is both a vehicle and a resource for highlighting the value and importance of high-quality, university-based educator preparation. Being actively engaged in the work of AACTE has provide me with opportunities to influence the national conversation about educator preparation, helped me be better aware of developments beyond my institution, and provided tools and materials by which to more effectively communicate to my own regional and state audiences.

Call for Board and Standing Committee Nominations Now Open

Your association wants you! Are you ready to become a leader in the national educator preparation community, or do you know someone who is? Nominate yourself or a colleague by May 10 to serve in an AACTE governance role.

AACTE is currently seeking applications from volunteers to serve on the AACTE Board of Directors and the following standing committees:

  • Global Diversity
  • Government Relations and Advocacy
  • Innovation and Technology
  • Meetings and Professional Development
  • Membership Development and Capacity Building
  • Professional Preparation and Accountability
  • Research and Dissemination

AACTE Board Election Results

Congratulations to the following individuals who will join the AACTE Board of Directors effective March 1, 2019.

Patricia Alvarez-McHatton, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Representative


Jennie Carr, Bridgewater College (VA)
Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education Representative


Radio Show Profiles Colorado State University’s School Leadership Institute

AACTE members Donna Cooner and Wendy Fothergill at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins were featured in a recent episode of Education Talk Radio to discuss their university’s School Leadership Institute. CSU launched the institute a year ago to identify effective ways to support new PK-12 principals and administrators.

The institute helps identify effective ways to support principals in their critical first year on the job based on feedback from recent program graduates. The goals of the Institute are

Community College Educator Preparation Programs Are Invited to Join the NACCTEP/AACTE Partnership

In July 2018, AACTE and the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) entered into an 18-month pilot partnership program to foster collaboration through the common goals of advocating for, advancing, and diversifying educator preparation programs. Since then, the partnership has grown with community colleges from seven states: California, Oregon, Maryland, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas. If you are part of a community college educator preparation program interested in connecting with 4-year degree-granting institutions, then you can join the partnership too!

The partnership helps strengthen the teacher pipeline, bring diversity to the field, and advance the preparation of educators. In addition to receiving NACCTEP benefits, all partners receive AACTE benefits, including the following:

Towson University Builds Clinical Curriculum Through Virtual Simulation

In Fall 2017, AACTE member institution Towson University’s College of Education launched a pilot program, SIMTeach@TU, to strengthen its clinical and practice-based curriculum through virtual simulation. The program features eight faculty who develop problem-based case scenarios for teacher candidates to experience real-world human interactions with avatars via the virtual reality technology called Mursion. The training simulations recreate the most demanding interpersonal challenges that teacher candidates may confront in the classroom with PK-12 students. It allows preservice teachers to practice and master the complex interpersonal skills necessary to be effective in difficult situations.

“We see simulation—or approximations of practice—work as part of the trajectory of getting our preservice teachers ready to work with real students in classrooms,” said Laila Richman, associate dean of the College of Education at Towson. “We think about this as the first phase of a university-based clinical curriculum that moves them towards being able to work with students.”

AACTE Board Election Underway Through Nov. 30

The election for the 2018 AACTE Board of Directors is now under way through November 30. Seven seats will be decided via online voting: one representing the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE), one representing the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities, one representing the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and one representing the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), and three at-large seats.

The slate is as follows:


Explore New Member Benefits at AACTE

As summer comes to a close, AACTE would like to introduce you to a few new (and a few updated) membership benefit offerings that can be of service to you as the 2018-19 academic year begins.

Colleges of Education: A National Portrait (2018) – This report provides a comprehensive picture of colleges of education: the work that they do, the people who do that work, and the students they serve. The report describes in detail the key trends and challenges in meeting the nation’s need for highly skilled teachers. This exclusive, members-only tool is now available for download.

Rowan University Offers New Degree in Inclusive Education

Rowan University’s College of Education is the founding college on campus but that doesn’t stop it from continually innovating its practice and creating forward-thinking opportunities for teaching and learning. And so, this year, the oldest college on campus is offering an innovative new degree: the Bachelor of Arts in Inclusive Education.

The concept of inclusive education is simple, yet profound: teachers must be prepared to meet the needs of ALL the learners in their classroom, regardless of differences in race, language, culture, and physical ability.

It’s Renewal Season at AACTE

renew-membership-banner

Is your institution one of the nearly 800 members of AACTE? As your membership director, I’d like to thank you for being part of this community of postsecondary institutions, PK-12 and state affiliates, and strategic partners who are dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are ready to teach all learners. As AACTE opens renewal season for the coming year, I’d also like to remind you of the network of tools and resources at your disposal – all to help you prepare profession-ready educators.

You can discover how to take advantage of a wide range of AACTE member benefits at https://aacte.org/membership/benefits. Let me call your attention to just a few here:

New Holmes Postdoc Launches at Boston University

AACTE and member institution Boston University (MA) are delighted to announce a pilot expansion of the AACTE Holmes Program in a new postdoctoral fellowship. The Holmes Postdoctoral Program in Education and Human Development welcomes its first two associates to the Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development this fall for a 2-year residency.

Jeana E. Morrison, who earned her Ph.D. in educational leadership development and learning technologies from Drexel University (PA), studies the postsecondary experiences of underrepresented students and the policies that affect their success.