Announcing ACSR Virtual Business Meeting

By Ward Cummings

In keeping with the 2021 Annual Meeting theme of Resisting Hate, Restoring Hope: Engaging in Courageous Action, this year’s ACSR Business meeting will focus on the subject of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the teaching profession.  The meeting will take place on March 19, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. ET.

During last year’s State Leadership Institute (SLI), Michael Dantley, AACTE board member and former dean of the College of Education at Miami University, led a spirited discussion and workshop based on the anti-racism work of Robin DiAngelo, 2020 AACTE Conference keynote speaker. Her book, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism has played a prominent role in the national conversation regarding the history and influence of race and racism in America since its publication in 2018. Dantley’s SLI session entitled, “White Fragility” Combating Racism Together,” was an energetic and engaging exploration of the concepts in the book, from the perspective of educators. The session was followed by a panel led by Penny McPherson-Myers of Rowan University, entitled “Structures and Strategies for Addressing Racial Matters on College Campuses.” This year’s ACSR Business Meeting will continue this important discussion with a focus on the DEI work of our members.

New Volunteer Leaders Take the Helm of AACTE

By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.

At the conclusion of the 2021 Annual Meeting, AACTE Board of Directors Chair Ann E. Larson (University of Louisville) passed a “virtual gavel” to incoming Chair Robert E. Floden (Michigan State University) and became the Immediate past chair of the Association. Larson and Floden will be joined on the AACTE Executive Committee by the following:

• Chair-elect Michael Dantley
  (Miami University of Ohio)
• Secretary Monika Williams-Shealey
  (Rowan University)
• At-large Member Patricia Alvarez-McHatton (Arizona State University)
• At-Large Member Kimberly White-Smith (University of La Verne)

AACTE Welcomes New Board Chair Robert E. Floden

By Jerrica Thurman

AACTE announced today Robert E. Floden, Ph.D. of Michigan State University as the new chair of its Board of Directors. In a short interview with AACTE, Floden shared his vision for the Association during his one-year term. Here’s what he had to say:

What do you look forward to achieving during your time as AACTE Board Chair?

“I look forward to completing the AACTE strategic planning process we have been working on during the last many months. We have made a lot of progress on our general goals. I think the next step that we can complete during my time as the board chair is to move forward on deciding the strategies by which we are going to achieve the goals for the organization.”

What do you think are the key priorities for the AACTE community?

“One of our key priorities now is clearly recovering from the pandemic. Face-to-face instruction is an important part of education. We can draw upon what we have learned about the ways in which we make good use of remote instruction and other important lessons. I think teacher education programs in general made the pivot well, although it was challenging in the first months. But we learned how to continue to provide solid preparation for educators, and I think we can harvest what we have learned and use that as we move forward in the fall of 2021.”

In what ways do you think AACTE is poised to lead the educator preparation profession forward during these challenging times?

AACTE is the national organization of education institutions that prepare future educators, teachers, education leaders, administrators, and more. The people who work in our member institutions have tremendous capacity for advancing educator preparation policy, practice, and research that helps us both learn how to do things better and to document the effects of the things that we are doing. The capacity of our members, those involved with AACTE programs, is an important way in which we are poised to lead.

Watch the full interview with AACTE Board Chair Robert Floden in this video

Robert Floden at Michigan State University Becomes AACTE Board Chair

By Jerrica Thurman

AACTE announced today Robert E. Floden, Ph.D., of Michigan State University (MI) as the new chair of its Board of Directors. During his one-year term, Floden will support AACTE and its President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone in implementing the Association’s strategic goals, incorporating lessons learned from the pandemic to advance educator preparation and policies, and growing AACTE’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

“Our key priority now is clearly recovering from the pandemic. Face-to-face instruction is an important part of education. We can draw upon what we have learned about the ways in which we make good use of remote instruction and other important lessons,” said Floden. “I think teacher education programs in general made the pivot well, although it was challenging in the first months. But we learned how to continue to provide solid preparation for educators, and I think we can harvest what we have learned and use that as we move forward in the fall of 2021.”

2020 ACSR Election Results Are In

By Ward Cummings

Congratulations to the newly elected ACSR officers Anne Tapp of Michigan, Christine Gorowara of Delaware, and Keith Lambert of Washington. 

Anne Tapp, ACSR chair-elect, is a professor and program director at Saginaw Valley State University.  She is a former president of Michigan state chapter of AACTE and currently serves as ACSR Midwest Region representative. Christine Gorowara, ACSR Northeast Region representative, is the senior associate director of the Delaware Center for Teacher Education at the University of Delaware and currently serves as president of the Delaware state chapter of AACTE. Keith Lambert, ACSR West Region representative is an associate professor at Whitworth University and the current president of the Washington state chapter of AACTE. Each new office holder will begin serving their term in February, at the close of the AACTE 2021 Annual Meeting.

AACTE Advocates for Educator Preparation with Biden Administration

By Lynn M. Gangone

This past week, AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone sent a congratulatory letter to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris on behalf of AACTE members, congratulating the 46^th presidential administration and encouraging collaboration between the Association and our elected leaders. Gangone states, “AACTE supports your education priorities, which will ensure that no child’s future is determined by their zip code, parents’ income, race, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity, or immigration status.” The letter further describes AACTE’s interest in the selection of a Secretary of Education who has a proven track record in promoting social justice. “Choosing a leader who is deeply committed to advancing our nation’s public schools and our institutions of higher education, as well as investing in the teaching profession so that every student has a fully prepared teacher, is essential.” 

AACTE will be providing the Biden-Harris Education Transition Team with our legislative and policy priorities in the coming weeks. As we move toward 2021, these priorities will be shared with our elected leader in Congress and policymakers across the nation within each state.

Dear President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris:

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) congratulates you on your election and looks forward to working with you and your administration as you lead our nation to “build back better.” AACTE members are schools and colleges of education that prepare the education workforce of the future. Members are in every state in the nation and include public and private colleges and universities, HBCUs and Hispanic-serving institutions, as well as community colleges. AACTE members ensure that all PK-12 students receive high quality instruction, especially critical during the current pandemic. Our educator candidates are salient assets to public schools with long-standing partnerships between our members and their local school districts.

Educator preparation sits at a crossroad of crises generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the public education workforce has already lost more than 600,000 jobs, university-based educator preparation programs are also experiencing significant reductions in enrollment and program closures. Rising demand for new teachers and shrinking production capacity in colleges and universities threatens the high-quality education our populace needs for a rich quality of life and to ensure our global competitiveness for generations. We look forward to working with you to address this national challenge and support the institutions preparing our educator workforce.

Board of Directors Approves New Committee Appointments

By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.

At its September meeting, the AACTE Board of Directors appointed new members to the programmatic advisory committees, including two new committees on Educator Diversity and the Holmes Program. Congratulations to these AACTE members, who will assume these positions on March 1, 2021, and a special thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination for these important volunteer leadership roles.

Did you vote? AACTE Board of Directors Election

By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.

Does it seem like elections never end these days?  Well, at AACTE democracy is working. AACTE has a convenient online voting system, and it will only take a moment to cast your vote for new leaders of your Association.

The 2020 election for the AACTE Board of Directors is underway through Friday, December 4. Two seats will be decided via online voting:

• One seat represents the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI)
• One seat represents the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU)

All AACTE All AACTE Institutional and Chief Representatives are eligible to vote for both positions, regardless of whether you work at a CADREI, TECSU, or other type of institution.  The slate is as follows:

AACTE Board of Directors Election Underway Through December 4

By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.

You may have thought that you were done voting for 2020, but there is one more important election this year. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about in-person or mail-in ballots. AACTE has a convenient online voting system, and it will only take a moment to cast your vote for new leaders of your Association.

The 2020 election for the AACTE Board of Directors is underway through Friday, December 4. Two seats will be decided via online voting:

• One seat representing the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI)
• One seat representing the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU)

All AACTE Institutional and Chief Representatives are eligible to vote for both positions, regardless of whether you work at a CADREI, TECSU, or other type of institution. The slate is as follows:

SLI Attendees Provide Input into New State Chapters Taskforce

By Mary Murray

Last month, during the AACTE State Leadership Institute (SLI), I attended the session on the newly formed State Chapter Taskforce, which  was moderated by AACTE President and CEO Lynn Gangone, AACTE president and CEO; Ann Larson, chair, AACTE Board of Directors; and Kate LaBoll-Lavoie, chair, Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) and AACTE Board member. State Chapters, a network of AACTE member institutions that are organized collectively to advocate for and to address educator preparation issues in their state, helps provide direction to AACTE. This very important taskforce was formed to:

• Review the existing policy on the relationship between AACTE and the state chapters, the practices and experience of peer associations, and advice of legal counsel
• Consider the desired relationship between AACTE and state chapters. How do AACTE and the state chapters want to see the relationship evolve?
• Recommend revisions to state chapter policy to the AACTE Board of Directors
• Provide recommendations to the Board and National Office staff on how AACTE could best collaborate with the chapters, particularly with regard to state policy advocacy

Build on Campus Connections and Engage New Members with AACTE

By Teresa Clark

I have learned firsthand that AACTE is passionately committed to the professional development of its members. From 2017 to 2020, I served on the AACTE Committee on Membership and Capacity Building and had the wonderful opportunity to meet and network with esteemed colleagues from around the country, as well as several fabulous AACTE staff. During my time on the committee, we delved into many thoughtful discussions about how to improve our engagement with our members and bolster their participation with the organization.

In addition to participating on the Membership Committee, I serve as an associate professor in the Doctor of Education in P-20 and Community Leadership at Murray State University (Murray, KY). Our College of Education and Human Services has a long, proud tradition of providing to faculty the opportunity to attend the AACTE Annual Meeting, and many of our faculty have served in leadership positions or  presented at the conference. Over the last several years, my program director and I have sought those opportunities for our Ed.D. students as well—to attend, engage, and network at the AACTE Annual Meeting. More recently, our program has also been an exhibitor at the annual conference, sharing information with graduate student and new faculty attendees interested in pursuing their doctoral degrees, as well as providing materials for the many experienced members to take back to their campuses to share.

AACTE Statement on ICE Guidance for International Students at U.S. Colleges and Universities

By AACTE

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone issued the following statement today regarding the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s guidance that forces colleges and universities to reopen with in-person classes:

“AACTE is appalled by efforts to deny international students from attending U.S. colleges and universities on the basis of enrollment in online versus in-person classes. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s position prohibits new or initial students on foreign visas after March 9 from entering the country and enrolling in fully online courses, thus forcing them to take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction this fall. This policy is both harmful to the health, safety, and overall well-being of the students and detrimental to their educational trajectories. Additionally, this action exacerbates the complex challenges institutions of higher education already face during this unprecedented time.

Act Now to Help AACTE Disrupt Inequity and Advance Racial Justice

By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.

More than ever, AACTE members are focused on disrupting inequities and advancing racial justice.  AACTE is offering two great new opportunities for members to engage in this work with colleagues from across the country. The AACTE Board of Directors recently created two new committee:

• Advisory Committee on Educator Diversity
• Holmes Program Advisory Committee

These committees will advise AACTE on how it can best help members attract and retain diverse future teachers and other educators and on AACTE’s signature program for future scholars and leaders of color, the Holmes Program.

If you are interested in serving on one of these important new committee—or if you would like to nominate a colleague—please act now!  Nominations close on August 7.  Learn more and submit your nomination.

AACTE Highlights New Programmatic Advisory Committees

By Jacqueline Rodriguez

As a nation, we are facing racially and ethnically grounded injustices, which disproportionately impact our BIPOC students and educators. In a recent letter to Holmes students, AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone noted “that generations of citizens are molded by their educators, and so the work of fighting for racial equity begins in our member institutions—on your campuses.”

Sadly, the nation’s P-20 educators have never reflected the rich diversity of the students they serve. Gangone notes that while “the work that needs to be done to sow seeds of racial justice in our curriculum and in our teaching practices should not and cannot be solely completed by our students and faculty of color, the invaluable teaching and scholarship contributions of our diverse educators and candidates are the underpinning for system of education each student in our country deserves.

AACTE Statement on Federal Government Push to Reopen Schools Prematurely

By AACTE

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone issued the following statement today regarding the Trump administration’s intent to withhold federal funds to force schools and universities to reopen with in-person education this fall:

“AACTE strongly opposes President Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s efforts to force schools and universities to reopen prematurely. Preserving the health and safety of students and educators during COVID-19 is essential to effective teaching and learning. The Trump administration has directed state and local governments to bear the responsibility for developing and implementing policies and practices to protect their citizens during the pandemic. As such, institutions must be allowed to implement feasible and practical measures for reopening tailored to the needs of their local communities.

Federal funds should not be used as leverage to force schools and universities to provide in-person classes amidst the current surge of the coronavirus. Instead, federal funds must be allocated to aid colleges and universities in their recovery from the significant, financial challenges caused by the pandemic, to equip institutions with the proper tools to reduce the spread of coronavirus on their campuses, and to provide liability protection.

AACTE calls upon our nation to protect the health and well-being of those most vulnerable in our education communities and to implement bipartisan efforts that will strengthen school safety plans.”