23 Sep2021
By TAMIU Office of Public Relations
James O’Meara, dean, College of Education
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) has been selected as a lead institution representing Texas in the AACTE Consortium for Research-Based and Equitable Assessments (CREA), which will engage 14 states in a study of their state-level tests and qualifying scores for educator preparation program (EPP) entry.
The initiative is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and its goal is to examine the processes and considerations that states use to determine cut scores, and how they can be refined to attract, rather than exclude, potential teacher candidates.
22 Sep2021
By Michael Rose
One of the important coalitions AACTE is a member of is the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), which is the oldest and largest coalition of education associations and calls for an increase in federal funding for education. CEF’s current campaign is “5 Cents Makes Sense,” which calls for 5 cents of every federal dollar to be spent on education. The campaign’s official hashtag is #5Cents4EdFunding.
Each year, CEF publishes a Budget Book, which analyzes the President’s budget proposal and its impact on federal education programs. AACTE contributed two articles to the Book. One is on TEACH Grants, the federal program that supports the recruitment of high-quality teacher candidates for hard-to-staff fields and schools. The other article is on the Teacher Quality Partnership program, which is the only federal initiative designed to strengthen and reform educator preparation at institutions of higher education.
22 Sep2021
By Regina Grossman
The National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is calling on federal officials to provide support for school leaders being threatened and undermined by those who disagree with school guidelines on COVID-19 best practices.
While the pandemic has impacted every one—school leaders are bearing the brunt of conflicts over masks, quarantines, vaccines, and other highly charged issues. They have been faced with hostile community members, threats to their own safety or safety of the school, and with non-compliance with rules that are meant to keep us all safe.
Teresa M. Hill, Principal at Walden Grove High School in Arizona and NASSP member, tells of her experience with threats at her school: “One month ago, seven people refused to leave our campus demanding a quarantined student attend class. After a lockdown of the front office for three hours, we were forced to arrest three of them. This has resulted in multiple threatening and intimidating voice messages, emails, and social media comments directly targeting me. Calling me a Nazi, a fascist, using profanity, and being told to ‘eat the end of a shotgun’ is beyond disturbing. Two weeks later, three men threatened and intimidated an elementary principal in my area by demanding a citizen’s arrest while holding zip ties in their hands.”
22 Sep2021
By Shauna Torrington
This article is a personal reflection of the 2021Washington Week Holmes Policy Advanced Policy Course by attendee Shauna Torrington.
My takeaways from my participation in the Holmes Advanced Policy Course have been threefold. This course has impacted me as an international student, an advocate, and as a practitioner.
As an international student, I have a greater understanding about the terminology that is normally used in policy advocacy. This new knowledge has enabled me to follow along with a clearer understanding during discussions on policy. The words representative, senator, and congressperson also now have greater meanings for me. I am aware of the basics of the legislative process and can better follow the process of how a bill becomes a law. I now know what it means to introduce a bill or to sponsor a bill. Additionally, I know what a “markup” means and what is the process that comes after a markup. I know where to look to find information on my senators and my representatives. I know how to contact their offices or to see what issues they voted for or against.
22 Sep2021
By Weade James
The Consortium for Research-Based and Equitable Assessments (CREA) is seeking your help to recruit teacher candidates, teachers, and faculty for its upcoming focus groups. The Consortium, which is comprised of educator preparation programs (EPPs) and state and local education agency representatives across 14 states, is examining the processes and considerations that states use to determine cut scores for entrance (i.e., Praxis Core) and teacher licensure examinations.
Through data collection of key stakeholders, analysis of trends and policies, and shared learning, the Consortium will produce recommendations and guidelines to establish equitable criteria for setting qualifying scores and model state policies that promote equity and diversity in the profession.
21 Sep2021
By AACTE
AACTE begins its
virtual “Day on the Hill” today, September 21, through September 23, as part of
AACTE’s Washington Week activities. Themed “Your Voice Matters,” the virtual event enables AACTE members to make their collective voices heard with Members of Congress and their Staff. Prior to their virtual Hill visits, participants engage in orientation and advocacy training in preparation to call for education funding and policy changes focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion in education and teacher preparation programs. Throughout the sessions, attendees will learn what context to consider when meeting with their legislators and explore the latest developments in Washington.
“AACTE’s leadership as an advocate for higher and K-12 education throughout our nation is powerful,” said Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D., president and CEO, AACTE. “As our members come together as one voice during Washington Week, they remind our elected officials of the importance of education as the foundation of our democracy and ask our congresspeople to lend their unwavering support to our elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions, their educators, and their students.”
The Holmes Program Advanced Policy Short Course preceded Day on the Hill, including a ‘Capitol Hill Briefing’ with House Education and Labor Committee Staff and an interview with Congressman Mondaire Jones (NY-17). During the course, students learned strategies to elevate their research and amplify their voices to positively impact future policy for students of color and other marginalized groups.
Sessions at AACTE’s 2021 Day on the Hill include:
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
- Day on the Hill Opening Session
- The Big Picture: Current Policy & Political Landscape
- Legislative Priorities: Appropriations, the Higher Education Act, Reed/Adams Legislation, and Reconciliation
- What is Advocacy and Why is it Important?
- Using AACTE’s Legislative Priorities for an Effective Hill Meeting
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
- Capitol Hill Panel Discussion
- Education Deans Panel and Town Hall: Building Campus/Program Leadership for Advocacy
- Checking Your Own Politics at the Door: How to Talk with Policy Makers of Either Party and Effectively Tell Your Story
Thursday, September 23, 2021
- Day on the Hill – Virtual House and Senate Congressional Visits
AACTE’s Washington Week activities will conclude with the
State Leaders Institute held September 30 through October 1. For more information on AACTE Washington Week 2021, visit
aacte.org, and follow us on
Facebook and
Twitter using #AACTEWW21.
20 Sep2021
By Natalie Hewlett
This article originally appeared on UofLNews.com and is reprinted with permission.
Lorita Rowlett, like so many students, wears a variety of hats: mother, teacher and student, to name a few.
Rowlett is pursuing her doctoral degree in special education through the College of Education and Human Development and says it is the only path she could have imagined pursuing.
“After I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I went right into teaching and taught in a self-contained classroom for eight years,” Rowlett said. “I switched to special education because I have a son who was diagnosed with autism, so it became my life. I wanted to help other moms like me.”
Initially inspired to improve the curriculum and instruction for students in her own classroom, Rowlett returned to UofL to receive her master’s degree in special education with a focus in autism studies.
20 Sep2021
By Linda Minor
Plan to attend the third Leadership Academy Series session under the theme, Reimaging the Future: A New Vision for Academic Leaders, on January 25, 2022.
Are you registered to attend AACTE’s Leadership Academy? Availability is limited, but there is still time to register and enjoy access to all recorded sessions and continue conversations with attendees via the AACTE Connect360 online community. You won’t want to miss what is coming up.
20 Sep2021
By Jane E. West and Kaitlyn Brennan
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.
Members of Congress are in a Race Against the Clock with Critical Deadlines Looming this Fall
Members of Congress are in a race against the clock to get four major pieces of legislation passed and ultimately to keep the government running. The big four are the bi-partisan infrastructure bill, the reconciliation bill, a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown, and legislation to raise the debt ceiling to avoid the government from heading into default on its obligations.
The first bill, the bi-partisan infrastructure bill, passed the Senate before the August recess. It is now up to the House to act. However, the bill’s progress is tied to the fate of the second bill—reconciliation (which is a Democrat only initiative)—which is described further below. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) promised Democrats that she will hold a vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill by September 27. She also pledged to approve the partisan reconciliation bill—a $3.5 trillion plan for social programs (including education)—in conjunction with the bi-partisan infrastructure bill. By tying those two bills together she is hoping to keep her caucus on the same page, with both moderates and liberals supporting them both.
17 Sep2021
By Reginald H. Williams
As a former early childhood public school prekindergarten teacher in rural South Carolina, I have always engaged in advocacy for better educational policies. I have been engrossed in issues such as reduced recess, teacher professional development policies, parent access, and teacher training since I was in the classroom. I continue to serve as a point of inspiration as a 13-year veteran teacher educator at a historically black college and university (HBCU). Such personal connections and identified issues led me not only to serve on the AACTE Committee on Government Relations and Advocacy but also to engage in AACTE’s “Day on the Hill.”
AACTE’s Government Relations and Advocacy Committee is as way for me to provide support, experience, and advice in an area that I feel honored to have some expertise in—early childhood teacher education—to affect change at the highest level of the United States Government through the AACTE community. I have always said, “I trust my leaders, but they always need to have access to all of the information and the right information to make a comprehensively informed decision.” I lay that same claim to politicians and other policy makers and enforcers. This committee has given me much additional excitement because I not only see changes happening, but also, I believe that my small, humble contributions help make a difference.
17 Sep2021
By Kari Vogelgesang
This past summer, the Iowa Department of Education and the University of Iowa announced a new partnership aimed to expand mental health supports for students, teachers, and school administrators. The Iowa Department of Education designated $20 million in federal relief provided in the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund within the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRSSA) Act to help support the development of the Iowa Center for School Mental Health (ICSMH). This center is housed in the College of Education at the University of Iowa and will provide social-emotional-behavioral health (SEBH) focused training opportunities and resources for education professionals, pre-service teachers, school administrators, and conduct research on the effective delivery of these services.
In addition to the SEBH professional learning and trainings, the ICSMH is in the process of building a crisis response team, offering face-to-face and online crisis interventions, strategic planning support, needs assessment and SEBH program evaluation.
17 Sep2021
By Michael Rose
On September 9, the House Education and Labor Committee began work on its part of the reconciliation package that would make historic investments in American families, students, and the workforce. The legislation passed on a party line vote (28-22) and will be considered by the full House of Representatives in the coming weeks.
Among the new policies, the House Education and Labor committee calls for investing an additional
17 Sep2021
By Rangel Zarate
This article is a personal reflection of the 2021 Holmes Policy Institute by attendee Rangel Zarate.
This year’s AACTE Holmes Policy Institute was rich with memorable discussions about culturally-relevant care, digital technology in the classroom, and equity issues in schools.
The year 2021 has led to an unexpected metamorphosis in education and has forced many instructors and educational leaders to rethink the way they approach student learning and their own teaching practices. In our conference panel discussion, “Advancing Educational Equity Post-COVID” AACTE staffer and associate professors at Columbia University’s Teachers College Deltra Price-Dennis and Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz invited us to reflect on our own thoughts surrounding this new culture of change in educational institutions.
17 Sep2021
By Kamilah Bywaters
This article is a personal reflection of the 2021 Washington Week Holmes Policy Institute by attendee Kamilah Bywaters.
AACTE’s Holmes Policy Institute was literally “a breath of fresh air.” The gathering was a reminder of the extraordinary leaders within our nation who are dedicated and committed to forward thinking ideas that are good for all of humanity. I was more than thrilled to hear from Jessica Cardichon, assistant secretary in the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development with the U.S. Department of Education. Her specific role that day was to inform Holmes Scholars of the initiatives and goals of the Biden Administration. To top it off, Nick Lee, the deputy assistant secretary for higher education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development with the U.S. Department of Education, provided valuable information on one of the objectives to ensure that higher education is equity focused and affordable to underserved and underrepresented communities. I am filled with hope to know that many of our nation’s leaders listen to the communities they serve and strive to implement policy that provides access and does good in the world.
17 Sep2021
By Meghan Grenda
As a member of AACTE, you have access to exclusive, members-only discounts at Office Depot and OfficeMax. With your AACTE membership, you can save up to 75% off regular prices.
In addition to exclusive savings, members also have access to ($15, $25 and $50 off) coupons valid through October 4, 2021:
