31 Jul2018
By Deborah Koolbeck
I am thrilled to announce that AACTE’s contact lists for state policy makers in each state and the District of Columbia have been updated and posted in the AACTE Resource Library (accessible to AACTE members only!). In addition, links to these lists can be found on the AACTE Advocacy Center’s State Advocacy page and on AACTE’s State Policy and Legislation page.
These documents are an AACTE member benefit to support you in your state-level advocacy work. Use them to find key state policy makers–for example, legislators for authorizing and appropriating education funds, state department of education contacts, and even your governor’s education staffer.
06 Jul2018
By Meghan Grenda
Applications are now available for the new partnership program of AACTE and the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP). Community colleges that offer educator preparation programs are welcome to apply!
AACTE and NACCTEP launched the partnership for 2018-2019 to foster collaboration among our memberships through the common goals of advocating for, advancing, and diversifying educator preparation programs. This pilot partnership connects 4-year degree-granting institutions and community college educator preparation programs to grow and strengthen the teacher pipeline, bring diversity to the field, and advance the preparation of educators.
10 May2018
By Kimberly Tobey
The author is executive director of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP), an affiliate member of AACTE, which is partnering with AACTE to better align each organization’s members around common work (see this article). The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
I recently had the privilege of flying into Kansas City, Missouri, to attend an education training; as a first-timer to the city I took complete advantage of the amazing barbeque and love for basketball. While my time in the city was grand, one of the most eye-opening moments of my stay had to do with a little tunnel system within the city called The Link. What I found most intriguing about this system, and I know similar ones exist in other cities, is the fact that it was such a useful aid. The Link connected two distinctly different hotel chains, kept me out of the adverse weather conditions, and provided the necessary directions to get me to my next stop—and it immediately reminded me of the NACCTEP partnership with AACTE.
08 Mar2018
By Gail Bozeman
During its meeting February 28, AACTE’s Board of Directors chose officers for the coming year to serve with new Board Chair Wanda Blanchett (see press release).
Effective now through next February, the AACTE Executive Committee includes the following leaders:
28 Feb2018
By Gail Bozeman
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 7 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:
12 Feb2018
By Kristin McCabe
The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) and AACTE are partnering in a new effort to better align their members around common work. In this pilot initiative, the organizations will explore and develop collaborative membership and governance structures, joint programming at the AACTE Annual Meeting, and other offerings.
Currently, 2-year colleges are eligible only for “affiliate” membership with AACTE, but a recent survey of AACTE members revealed an openness to incorporating community colleges more explicitly in the Association’s membership structure. About 800 community colleges nationwide offer some type of teacher preparation, including many programs that lead to bachelor’s degrees and licensure as well as others that prepare candidates to move on to 4-year institutions. Approximately 120 of these community colleges are members of NACCTEP.
01 Dec2017
By Aaron Goldstein
Congratulations to the future members of AACTE’s Board of Directors! In a recent online election, AACTE members and state chapter leaders chose the following colleagues to serve on the Board beginning March 1, 2018:
Michael Maher, North Carolina State University
Advisory Council of State Representatives Chair-Elect
07 Nov2017
By Aaron Goldstein
The annual election for the AACTE Board of Directors opens this week and runs through November 30. This year, just two seats are up for election, both representing the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (although all AACTE Institutional and Chief Representatives are eligible to vote). In addition, the Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) is holding elections this month for vacancies on its Executive Committee.
The slate of candidates for the AACTE Board of Directors is as follows:
10 Oct2017
By Kristin McCabe
The deadline to apply for a 2018 AACTE Best Practice Award or Professional Achievement Award has been extended to Friday, October 20. Act now to win recognition for your program or colleagues and to contribute to “Celebrating Our Professional Identity” at the 2018 Annual Meeting when the awards are given in Baltimore, Maryland!
Award winners are honored during the general sessions at the opening and closing of the conference, providing inspiring bookends to the experience with examples of outstanding achievement and best practice.
06 Oct2017
By AACTE Committee on Membership Development and Capacity Building
AACTE members and President/CEO Lynn M. Gangone enjoy a moment at the 2017 AACTE Day on the Hill. Focus group respondents cited the Association’s advocacy work and convenings among the top member benefits.
As members of the AACTE Committee on Membership Development and Capacity Building, we are eager to learn from the results of the AACTE survey currently under way – and we thank all of you who have participated! In the meantime, we would like to highlight some insights from a recent online focus group of 26 teacher educators from colleges and universities that are current, former, or prospective members of AACTE.
This group, convened on behalf of AACTE by Marketing General Incorporated (the same agency managing the current broad-market survey), reported an almost universally positive image of AACTE’s brand and belief in its mission. But what the current members of AACTE say they value most is the organization’s advocacy work, high-quality resources, and networking connections with other professionals in the field.
26 Sep2017
By Lynn M. Gangone
The greatest benefit of an association is the collective effort of its members to identify and then advance shared values. In the 2016 Harvard Business Review article “The Ecosystem of Shared Value,” the authors describe collective impact as a movement that successfully brings together various actors in their ecosystems to catalyze change. In the ecosystem of educator preparation, every individual AACTE member plays a critical role in creating a collective voice that impacts American education today and beyond. Through members’ active engagement, AACTE is empowered to achieve successes beneficial to our entire professional community and the students we serve.
Leading into this academic year, I have been highlighting AACTE’s core principles as they reflect members’ shared values and the driving force of our work. This month, I celebrate AACTE’s core values around scholarship and knowledge production, which represent your commitment to high research standards and to producing scholarship that contributes to educational practice. AACTE, its members, and its collaborative partners stand ready as a collective voice to effect educational and social change.
11 Aug2017
By Shawn Karim and Kristin McCabe
During AACTE’s membership renewal season, some of our most active members are sharing what AACTE means to them. For this article, AACTE intern Shawn Karim interviewed Board of Directors member Monika Williams Shealey, who is dean of the College of Education at Rowan University (NJ). Learn more about membership here.
Monika Williams Shealey (front) poses with Holmes Scholars in front of the U.S. Capitol building during AACTE’s 2017 Washington Week.
07 Aug2017
By Zachary VanHouten
A new advocacy guide is now available for download in AACTE’s Advocacy Center. This guide, “Creating Leave-Behind Documents for Meetings With Elected Officials,” is part of our ongoing effort to provide opportunities to advance your advocacy capacity.
Through this AACTE members-only resource, you will learn of some best practices for developing materials to take to meetings with elected officials and other important stakeholders. As participants in AACTE’s Day on the Hill can attest, developing one-page “leave-behinds” for these meetings is important when time is short and you have much to share about your programs and their impact on your community and state. Leave-behind documents allow you to focus your meeting time on key talking points while supplying more in-depth information as a reference for elected officials or their staff. To learn more, check out the new guide!
06 Jun2017
By Jerrica Thurman
The AACTE membership renewal season has officially begun! Each institution’s Chief Representative should have received an invoice via mail last month. Although the payment deadline is January 1, 2018, many of you have indicated you prefer to remit dues before your budget year ends in the summer – so we’ve made invoices available now for your convenience.
Your membership in AACTE, the nation’s largest network for educator preparation institutions, provides your faculty, staff, and students with access to valuable resources that help you achieve your program and career goals. Complimentary subscriptions, access to online resources, discounts for conferences and workshops, free continuing education opportunities, and inclusion in the membership directory are just a few of the benefits you’ve enjoyed during the past year.
01 Jun2017
By Kristin McCabe
Today, AACTE welcomes Lynn M. Gangone to the position of president and chief executive officer. Gangone graciously took time during her first day on the job for this introductory interview for Ed Prep Matters:
Q: Your career has spanned a variety of higher education and association roles. What attracted you to AACTE?
A: AACTE’s mission is the first and foremost attraction. In my opinion, educators are the most important professionals in our society, and the opportunity to serve an organization dedicated to their preparation is unparalleled. Not only have educators made a difference in my life, but I have had the extraordinary fortune to “pay it forward” through my career as a faculty member and a dean. AACTE aligns so many facets of my lifelong work as an educator with service to and advocacy for educator preparation programs.
