05 Feb2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE is delighted to announce the selection of Millennial Teachers of Color, by Mary E. Dilworth to receive the 2019 AACTE Outstanding Book Award. The award will be presented at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting Closing Session, February 24, in Louisville, KY.
The volume, published in 2018 by Harvard Education Press, explores the opportunities and challenges for creating and sustaining a healthy teaching force in the United States. Millennials are the largest generational cohort in American history, with approximately 90 million members and, of these, roughly 43 percent are people of color. This publication offers a fresh look at these millennials and explores their views of the teaching profession, focuses attention on their relation to schools and teaching and considers how these young teachers feel about teaching for social justice.
05 Feb2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE will honor announced Emily Evans Fanaeian as the recipient of the 2019 AACTE Outstanding Dissertation Award for Preparing Pre-service Teaches for Working with Linguistically Diverse Students: Examining University Teacher Preparation Programs Across the United States. The author completed her dissertation for the Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and is now the interim director of English as a Second Language/Bilingual Graduate Programs for the School of Education at Edgewood College (Madison, WI). She will be recognized formally with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.
In her dissertation, Evans Fanaeian designed an ambitious multiple case study to examine the ways in which university-based teacher education programs take up the task of preparing general education teacher candidates to provide instruction to English learners. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Director of Teacher Education Center, Kimber Wilkerson, explained: “Dr. Evans Fanaeian’s dissertation research provides many important implications for teacher education. Acknowledging the importance of preparing general educators to meet the needs of the wide diversity of learners in our schools, Dr. Evans Fanaeian designed an ambitious multiple case study to examine the ways in which university-based teacher education programs take up the task of preparing general education teacher candidates to provide instruction to English learners. In this study, she surfaces the very real local and contextual constraints that teacher educators face when attempting to add complexity to teacher preparation programs. This is particularly important at a time when teacher preparation programs face pressure to reduce the time and cost toward degree. Dr. Evans Fanaeian’s research provides insightful guidance to teacher educators considering different approaches to incorporating new content. Her recommendations for practice are thoughtful as well as pragmatic, and could be applied conceptually to other types of expertise beyond educating English learners.”
05 Feb2019
By Katrina Norfleet
AACTE is delighted to announce the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) College of Education is the recipient of the 2019 AACTE Best Practice Award for Innovative Use of Technology for its iPad Mobile Initiative program. Donna Wake, associate dean of UCA’s College of Education, will be presented with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.
The UCA College of Education is in its third year of implementing the intensive 1:1 mobile technology initiative for all undergraduates in its initial preparation programs. Beginning in fall 2016, students who were enrolled in the university’s undergraduate elementary, special education, middle level, and all secondary education programs were immersed in the mobile technology initiative. The iPads devices were formally listed as a College of Education curriculum requirement, and students were able to purchase the devices at the education rate.
“Vision isn’t something you declare. It’s something you build. The mobile learning initiative has given our school the opportunity to transform traditional approaches into a commitment to active learning, increased student voice, and accessibility,” said Victoria Groves-Scott, dean, UCA College of Education. “This has been especially important as we strive to prepare the teachers of tomorrow to educate students who live in an increasingly interconnected and information-saturated world. Through contextual analysis and application, we aim for our students to be creators and designers of learning opportunities rather than simply as carriers of information.”
05 Feb2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE has chosen an article by Melanie M. Acosta of the University of Alabama, Michele Foster of the University of Louisville, and Diedre F. Houchen of the University of Florida, as recipients of the 2019 AACTE Outstanding Journal of Teacher Education Article Award. Their article, “Why Seek the Living Among the Dead? African American Pedagogical Excellence: Exemplar Practice for Teacher Education,” was published in the September/October 2018 issue of the journal and will be recognized formally with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.
In this article, the authors address current dilemmas in recruiting and preparing a diverse teaching force by reorienting teacher education toward an underutilized resource—African American pedagogical excellence. This article outlines the core attributes of African American pedagogical excellence, including its historical genesis, and reveals ways public school desegregation has jeopardized the transcendence of African American pedagogical excellence within teacher education. The article concludes with possibilities and recommendations for moving African American pedagogical excellence from margin to center in teacher education.
05 Feb2019
By Katrina Norfleet
AACTE’s Committee on Professional Preparation and Accountability has selected Kelly C. Henson to receive the 2019 AACTE David G. Imig Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teacher Education. Henson, who in January 2019 retired as the executive secretary at the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, will be presented with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.
The Imig Award, named for AACTE President and CEO Emeritus David G. Imig, recognizes distinguished achievement in the formulation, implementation, or analysis of teacher education policy, or in the performance of distinguished scholarship in educator preparation.
Since 2007, Henson has led substantive educator preparation policy, certification, and ethics reform efforts in his role at the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. During his distinguished career of over 45 years in education, he also served as the superintendent of schools in Floyd County, principal of Walton High School, principal of Pope High School and associate superintendent in Marietta City Schools in Georgia. He has contributed to the statewide and national implementation of tiered certification, preparation program effectiveness measures (PPEM), performance-based educational leadership, enhanced ethics instruction and assessment and job-embedded professional learning.
05 Feb2019
By Deborah Koolbeck
As the U.S. Department of Education is engaging in negotiated rulemaking on the TEACH grants, the Department announced that it is opening a process for reconsideration of conversion. TEACH grant recipients study to teach in a high-need field and commit to teaching in a high-need school in their chosen field for 4 years. Recipients have an 8-year window in which to complete these 4 years of service. If a TEACH grant recipient does not complete this service, the grant funds received convert to Direct Unsubsidized Federal Loan. For those TEACH grant recipients whose grant(s) were converted to loan(s) and who met or are meeting the TEACH grant service requirements, a reconsideration can be requested.
The Department shares the following on its webpage:
If you met or are meeting the TEACH Grant service requirements within the eight-year service obligation period, but had your grants converted to loans because you did not comply with the annual certification requirement, you can request reconsideration of those conversions.
31 Jan2019
By Benita Kluttz-Drye
Congratulations to Madjiguene (Madji) Falls, Holmes Scholar of the Month for January 2019!
Falls is a 3rd-year doctoral candidate at Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey. She is part of Rowan’s inaugural cohort and is a professor in residence at West Avenue School in Bridgeton, NJ. Falls is devoted to social justice and equity in education. Her areas of specialization are language literacy and working with students who are English language learners. She fluently speaks five languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Wolof.
As founder of her own language literacy company, Language for Work, Falls helps to eradicate barriers hindering families and children’s whose first language is not English. She provides cultural diversity training and occupational language courses to help students and families to engage with and be able to communicate more effectively with various systems. In addition, she partners with the Family Success Center of Glassboro, NJ and the Glassboro Child Development Center. Falls has provided other humanitarian services such as providing free Spanish classes to families in need, advocating for families involved with immigration services, and using her voice to speak out against violence.
31 Jan2019
By Beth Fornauf
This article and photo originally appeared in UNH Today and are reprinted with permission.
When Kayla Croteau earned her master’s in secondary education from UNH in 2015, she never imagined that she was only three short years away from another teacher education experience — this time as a teaching mentor for the University of New Hampshire’s Teacher Residency for Rural Education (UNH-TRRE) program.
UNH-TRRE, designed to prepare elementary and secondary math and science teachers to work in rural, high-need New Hampshire schools, is working with its second cohort of future teachers. These UNH students, known as teaching residents, live, learn, teach and volunteer in rural New Hampshire communities over the course of the 15-month master’s program.
Croteau serves as a UNH-TRRE teaching mentor to Alexzandria Steiner, a native of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and current teaching resident in the TRRE program. Steiner, who is seeking secondary certification in life sciences, works with Croteau at Groveton High School, one of the UNH-TRRE partnership schools in Coӧs County.
Teaching residents, embedded in the areas in which they will teach, make connections with local families and begin to identify assets and resources each rural community has to offer.
30 Jan2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE’s Annual Meeting is just 3 weeks away, and one place you certainly must visit on site is the Conference Community Center. Located on the second floor of the Omni Louisville Hotel, the Center is the place for you to expand your network by connecting with thousands of educators, vendors, and strategic partners to discuss solutions to your program needs.
Adjacent to many of AACTE’s Learning Labs, and also the location for official Annual Meeting registration, the Center offers you a place to take a break, socialize, network, greet old friends, and meet new ones, all while engaging with our Annual Meeting sponsors in the following booths:
Premier Sponsor
28 Jan2019
By Meghan Grenda
Are you a current AACTE member and want to make the most of your membership? You’re invited to stop by the AACTE booth during the 71st Annual Meeting to learn more about the benefits offered to you as a member and how to become an even more engaged member. All members who stop by the booth will have the opportunity to receive a complimentary gift!
Stop by the AACTE Booth
Visit the AACTE Gallery and drop by the AACTE booth where the membership team will be on hand to share information on how to take full advantage of your membership and answer any questions you may have. Plus members will be able to join a Topical Action Group (TAG), subscribe to AACTE’s official blog, Ed Prep Matters, update your membership profile, and much more when you visit the booth!
24 Jan2019
By Jacqueline Rodriguez and Brandon R.T. Frost
Please join us at the Holmes Community preconference at #AACTE19! All Cadets, Honors, Masters, and Scholars are highly encouraged to attend the session on February 21. Sessions at this year’s preconference emphasize building a research agenda and networking with your colleagues and mentors across the country.
Holmes students are distinctly advantaged as this preconference spans two days! The Holmes Student Council, members of the National Association of Holmes Scholars Alumni (NAHSA), and AACTE staff will facilitate the sessions, which emphasize the theme, Professional and Personal Learning, Networking, and Mentoring. Several sessions will focus on building and maintaining a rigorous research agenda. Holmes students will hear from alumni with unique pathways into education-related careers. In addition to presenting the annual Holmes Poster Session, NAHSA and AACTE are proud to support the Holmes Dissertation Funding Competition.
24 Jan2019
By Jacqueline Rodriguez
The Global Lens to Educator Preparation: Shared Knowledge and Advocacy for Diverse and Multicultural Perspective preconference will explore opportunities for a global focus in educator preparation that includes diverse perspectives and multicultural experiences, beginning in the university classroom and moving to infused clinical practice. Selected AACTE award recipients will share best practices, as well as innovative experiences and partnerships that prepare mindful teacher candidates who advocate for and insist on multicultural education and diverse global perspectives within the classroom
Sessions will take place 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on February 21, and will include a focus on the internationalization of teacher preparation. The first presentation and panel discussion, “Identifying and assessing unique indicators of global competency in pre- and in-service teachers and programs, and how to measure the benefits and impact of internationalization on teacher education programs,” ensures participants will walk away with tools and criteria for evaluating their programs on effectiveness on internationalization, as well as framework for positioning themselves for international engagement.
24 Jan2019
By Caitlin Wilson
As you are making plans for the 2019 Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY next month, please consider joining us for a free preconference workshop focused on Overcoming Challenges to Developing a Quality Assurance System that will take place Thursday, February 21 from 1:00-5:00pm. Given the iterative nature of continuous improvement work, it is critical to develop a quality assurance system (QAS) that is sustained beyond an external review and provides meaningful data upon which evidence-based actions can be made.
24 Jan2019
By Caitlin Wilson
The challenges educational leaders face in today’s school environment are ever evolving. With concerns related to school safety, the social emotional well-being of students and staff, and the pressures related to the role of instructional leader, school leaders are expected to have a wider variety of expertise in order to be successful. Several universities, and their district partners, are tackling these challenges and taking steps to ensure their candidates are prepared to meet the real-world demands of the job.
Attend the free Enhancing Principal Preparation through P-12 Partnerships preconference session at the AACTE Annual Meeting to hear about how university based principal preparation programs have redesigned their programs to better align with the challenges facing school leaders. Presenters will highlight the important role that P-12 partnerships play in building a pipeline of school leaders that have the tools and experiences they need to be successful in their new roles.
24 Jan2019
By Linda Minor
When you think of Louisville, KY, what is the first thing that comes to mind? The Kentucky Derby? Bourbon? Baseball bats? Sure, but there are so many other fun and unique things about Louisville, host city to #AACTE2019, that you may not know.
For example, did you know … ?
- Louisville is the disco ball capitol of the world. In fact, 90% of the disco balls in the USA are produced in Louisville.
- There is a replica of Babe Ruth’s baseball bat in downtown Louisville.
- The Old Fashioned is Louisville’s official cocktail, which is not to be confused with the Mint Julep that is the official Kentucky Derby cocktail—where over 100,000 Mint Juleps are served.
- The oldest operating Mississippi-style steamboat is in Louisville – the Belle of Louisville is over 100 years old!
- In October of 1803 Meriwether Lewis met William Clark just across the river from Louisville, at the Falls of the Ohio.
- Louisville’s signature dish is a comfort food free-for-all called the Hot Brown. It’s an open-faced sandwich with turkey and bacon smothered in Mornay sauce (main ingredients: butter and heavy cream), topped with Parmesan cheese and roma tomatoes, and oven-broiled.
- Louisville has one of the largest collections of Victorian homes in the country, and the largest collection of cast-iron building facades outside of New York’s SoHo district.
- Louisville is the hometown of boxing champion Muhammad Ali, and they will change the name of the airport to cement that fact. Visit the Muhammad Ali Center while in town.
- Louisville is also the hometown of Diane Sawyer, Jennifer Lawrence and Hunter S. Thompson. It’s also where a young Tom Cruise landed his first gig—as a newspaper delivery boy.
- The cheeseburger and high five really were invented in Louisville
As you plan for your stay in Louisville next month, I hope you will consider dining on a Hot Brown, visiting the Muhammad Ali Center, cruising aboard the Belle, and enjoying all that Louisville has to offer. Make sure to register by January 28, before the rates increase.
