07 Apr2020
AACTE Responds to Coronavirus
By Jerrica Thurman
In recent interviews, AACTE Director of Marketing and Communications Jerrica Thurman met with six members of the AACTE Board of Directors to discuss how they are managing their university’s response to COVID-19. The interview participants were Patricia Alvarez-McHatton, Marquita Grenot-Scheyer, Robert Floden, Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, Carine Feyten, and Monika Shealey.
All participants were asked, what words of advice or lessons learned would you share with other university leaders or college deans about what you have experienced so far in your crisis response planning for the coronavirus? Here’s what they had to say:
Patricia Alvarez-McHatton
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
“We have our academic affairs leadership team in which we bring all the chairs, directors, and deans together on a monthly basis. It just so happened, fortuitously, that our March meeting was scheduled prior to when this all began. We placed participants in heterogeneous groups and had them respond to five guiding questions about things to think about should this situation materialize as it has. I think it brought people together. It generated an awakening and understanding of the things that we need to think about. We were able to learn from each other. It became clear that first and foremost we need to empower and have faith in our faculty’s ability to do what needs to be done.
07 Apr2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Lynn M. Gangone and Jacqueline Rodriguez
With the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19), school districts, institutions of higher education, and educators are finding themselves in uncharted territory. As schools across the nation are forced to shut their doors, finding ways to best serve all students equitably has never been more urgent. This is especially true for our most vulnerable students—those with disabilities.
COVID-19 hit hard and fast. And with that, so did the shift from in-school instruction to online learning. We know that special education students receive, consume, and apply information differently in face-to-face settings versus online environments. However, the rapid onset of COVID-19 did not give educators, parents, or students time to adequately prepare for the transition.
07 Apr2020
By Deborah Koolbeck
As the COVID-19 pandemic led the U.S. president to declare a national emergency, education stakeholders began immediate, direct advocacy with the Congress and the Administration, and will continue as federal and congressional actions to address the COVID pandemic unfold. AACTE continues to advocate for educator preparation on Fiscal Year 2021 funding, in particular, and emergency spending packages (often referred to as supplemental measures/bills) with both legislative branches.
When AACTE staff and members talk about advocacy, we talk about the power in the combined voices of stakeholders and partners. To that end, AACTE has joined other education organizations in augmenting the voices on key issues as they emerge with the Administration and the Congress. You can access these letters via the AACTE COVID-19 Resource Hub located under AACTE Advocacy: Letters to Congress, the Administration, or other Leaders. Such letters include one that addresses the release of the Title IX regulations and rapid deployment of the funding from the third stimulus package, the CARES Act.
This section of the COVID-19 Resource Hub will be updated as AACTE signs on to letters for actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
07 Apr2020
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE continues to seek opportunities to support its members in navigating through the unprecedented educational challenges the coronavirus has caused. It is exciting to discover how AACTE members are exploring innovative pathways and solutions to the complex problems and are eager to share with the educator preparation community. Next week, AACTE and Old Dominion University will co-sponsor a 60-minute webinar featuring education faculty advising world nations on COVID-19, Wednesday, April 15 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. The webinar is open to all AACTE members.
06 Apr2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE is committed to providing opportunities for its members to connect virtually during the coronavirus. One of the several initiatives the Association recently launched to support members in this outbreak is the opportunity to share their stories with the educator preparation community. In fact, AACTE has a dedicated section for “Member Voices” on its new online COVID-19 Resource Hub.
AACTE is currently accepting article submissions from members that address questions such as: What lessons have you learned during the crisis response planning process for your institution? What innovations are your programs using to adapt to the needs of your faculty, staff and students? How has the impact of the coronavirus helped you enhance as an education leader?
Article submissions should also address education topics related to the following categories:
06 Apr2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Lynn M. Gangone
During this unprecedented time, AACTE’s number one concern is you, your loved ones, your colleagues, and your institutions. We will get through this together! While we all navigate the impact of the coronavirus, AACTE is working to provide you support through its COVID-19 Resource Hub and collaborations with key stakeholders from the field. Please take a few minutes to watch the video above and learn more.
06 Apr2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Meghan Grenda
AACTE cares deeply about our members and is thinking of everyone in our community during this uncertain time. As such, AACTE is engaging in multiple efforts to support our members as we adapt to new normal in the time of COVID-19.
One resource we know will be of use is a listing of institutions of higher education and how their operating status has changed due to the pandemic. You may view the document that has aggregated data about colleges and universities that have closed or migrated to online instruction within the past few weeks.
Please note this resource is not complied by AACTE and AACTE does not endorse this information. The information contained in this document is open-source and not populated by AACTE staff or members.
06 Apr2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Jane E. West
This blog post is written by AACTE consultant Jane West and is intended to provide updated information. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Implementation of CARES Act – Third COVID Relief Package
The Administration is moving to implement the massive $2 trillion COVID response bill (known now as COVID-3) which was enacted on Friday, March 27 . For education, this means $30.75 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund that includes:
- $13.5 billion for elementary and secondary education (can be used for any activity authorized under major education laws including ESSA, IDEA, CTE and Homeless Education)
- $14.25 billion for higher education; At least 50% is for emergency financial aid to students and expense related to the pandemic
- $3 billion for governors to be used for emergency grants for the most affected local education agencies, institutions of higher education and those deemed essential to providing childcare, early childhood, K-12 or higher education services
06 Apr2020
AACTE Responds to COVID19
By Linda Minor
At AACTE, we continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation related to the spread of COVID-19. We understand that concerns for health, safety, and the impact on meeting attendance, among other issues, are affecting our members.
Keeping this in mind, AACTE has made the decision to move its June meetings to later in the year:
Washington Week will now take place September 8 – 11. The location remains the same: Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel. Check aacte.org for the revised schedule of events.
Leadership Academy has been rescheduled to October 3 – 8. The location remains the same: Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel. Visit the aacte.org for the revised schedule of events.
AACTE is committed to maintaining all appropriate sanitary, health, and safety measures, and encourages attendees to follow guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Please note that due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the coronavirus, AACTE will not charge a cancellation fee if you decide not to attend an in-person event based on concerns around your health or travel.
31 Mar2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Weade James
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions and its students are facing significant challenges and uncertainties. Graduate students enrolled in colleges and schools of education, in particular, have had to respond to the current circumstances and find solutions to continue their academic pursuit and scholarly productivity. AACTE recently interviewed three graduate students from our member institutions about how the current crisis has affected them. The following themes emerged from these interviews.
Challenges with Adapting to Distance Learning
As a result of campus closures, graduate students have found themselves having to engage in distance learning fully. Although some have had experience in taking and teaching online courses, there are still unique challenges when all learning occurs virtually. These challenges are more common for students who are parents and have to oversee instruction for children in PK-12 schools during daytime hours. Additionally, students who are in a household with multiple adults teleworking or engaging in distance learning places a strain on their ability to focus and on resources like Wifi connectivity. Graduate students have expressed having to complete their studies during abnormal hours due to these distractions in their home environments.
30 Mar2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Wendy Murawski
This article originally appeared on the ASCD InService blog and is reprinted with permission.
Social distancing. Stay-in ordinances. Home schooling. Experiences many of us never thought we would be living at the beginning of 2020. Now, the “new normal,” at least for the near future, involves students of all ages at home all day and parents trying to move their work to a virtual format. Managing the stress of change is a lot, but trying to do it while entertaining a kindergartner or overseeing a high-schooler’s online activities is enough to ramp up anyone’s stress level.
Just as businesses are trying to figure out how to sustain their work by renegotiating how to run the corporate world, so too must parents and caregivers renegotiate how things are done at home.
30 Mar2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Jane E. West
This blog post is written by AACTE consultant Jane West and is intended to provide updated information. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
I am in awe of the incredible work of our colleague educators who are managing their ever-changing personal situations, while still stepping up to creatively deliver for our students. And hats off to Hill staff who have worked relentlessly and around the clock to put this third COVID-19 response package together.
Congress Will Pass Third COVID-19 Stimulus Bill with a Boost for Education
The frenzied activity on Capitol Hill has yielded the single largest funding bill in our nation’s history at $2 trillion.The 888 page bill—H.R. 748, the CARES Act—passed the Senate late Wednesday night with a vote of 96-0. (Four Senators were absent due to the virus, including Sen. Rand. Paul (R-KY) who has tested positive, and 3 others who are self-quarantining.) The House is looking to pass the bill today [Friday, March 27], hoping that a voice vote will work—meaning that no Member of the House would object. President Trump has indicated that he will sign the bill.
27 Mar2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Katrina Norfleet
To assist education institutions in transitioning to temporary remote instructions of classroom-based courses, Quality Matters (QM) has created an “Emergency Remote Instruction (ERI) Checklist.” The three-tiered list includes considerations, tips, and actionable strategies, according to prioritized needs. The QM ERI Checklist is organized into three columns to first provide instructors with recommended actions, then add a brief explanation of the action’s importance and impact, and finally, a column to reference related Specific Review Standards from the QM Higher Education Rubric™, Sixth Edition.
This checklist is a useful tool for individual faculty as a prioritized checklist for remote teaching and as guidance for instructional designers and/or educational technologists who are working with faculty in a rapid development process to temporarily move classroom instruction online.
Below is an abbreviated list of the “Recommended Actions for Instructors.” For access to the complete tool, link to QM Emergency Remote Instruction Checklist.
27 Mar2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today that the office of Federal Student Aid is executing on President Donald J. Trump’s promise to provide student loan relief to tens of millions of borrowers during the COVID-19 national emergency.
All borrowers with federally held student loans will automatically have their interest rates set to 0% for a period of at least 60 days. In addition, each of these borrowers will have the option to suspend their payments for at least two months to allow them greater flexibility during the national emergency. This will allow borrowers to temporarily stop their payments without worrying about accruing interest.
27 Mar2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Karen Shrayer
The response to COVID-19 has impacted virtually every industry in this unprecedented time, and the publishing industry is no exception. Here at SAGE Publishing, proud partner of AACTE and publisher of the Journal of Teacher Education, we’ve focused our response on supporting the higher education teaching and research communities we serve as we navigate this difficult time together.
We are committed to doing what we can to support the researchers, teachers, and students in our community. We know that the work of the research and teaching community will be critical to addressing the challenge of COVID-19, and we’re happy to share the resources we have with the readership of the Ed Prep Matters blog.
