27 Mar2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By AACTE
The following AACTE Statement was sent to the National Governors Association.
During the health emergency of COVID-19, AACTE is encouraging its members, as well as states and districts, to explore partnerships between district and educator preparation programs to address the increased workforce demands for special educators in our nation’s schools. In particular, we urge stakeholders to
Identify opportunities for special education teacher candidates to continue their contributions to educational opportunities for students with disabilities (e.g. clinical practice opportunities or paraprofessionals in temporary positions) for the duration of the impact of COVID-19 on our school system.
24 Mar2020
By Lynn M. Gangone
The AACTE national office team is thinking of everyone in our community during this uncertain time. While we also are experiencing the upheaval resulting from this pandemic, our primary goal is to continue to serve all of our members. To that end, AACTE is engaging in a number of efforts to support our members at this time.
To empower you to continue to access critical support and resources, AACTE is extending the membership renewal deadline to April 30, 2020. We want to ensure members remain informed as matters related to COVID-19 continue to develop.
09 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
William Earl Gardner, a former AACTE president and dean of the College of Education at the University of Minnesota, passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on February 16 in St. Paul, MN. During his AACTE tenure, he greatly influenced the international program efforts and reshaped the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), along with his colleague, the late Dale Scannell.
Dr. Gardner earned three degrees from the University of Minnesota: B.S. and M.A. degrees in education and social sciences and a Ph.D. in education and American history. After teaching junior and senior high school social studies, he joined the University of Minnesota’s College of Education faculty, serving as department chair and associate dean before being named dean of the College in 1977. In addition to his leadership role at AACTE, Dr. Gardner was a St. Louis Park School Board member and affiliated with numerous state, national, and international educational organizations. His many publications include scholarly articles, books, textbooks, and a social studies curriculum.
A celebration of life party for Dr. Gardner will be held June 6 at Bradshaw, 2800 Curve Crest Blvd., Stillwater, MN. Memorial contributions may be given to the William E. Gardner Scholarship Fund, University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development.
09 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
Former AACTE Board member Dale Paul Scannell died at the age of 90 on February 14 at Abington Hospital near his home in Flourtown, PA. Dr. Scannell made many contributions to the field of education preparation, including the development of the country‘s first integrated five-year program in education at the University of Kansas in 1981. He received the AACTE Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education in 1989.
Dr. Scannell earned his B.A., Masters and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Iowa. Rising quickly in the education field, he was appointed dean of Education at the University of Kansas in 1969 and continued in that role for 16 years. He then served for six years as dean of education at the University of Maryland in College Park, followed by posts at the University of South Carolina and at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). Throughout his tenure, he mentored many faculty, both men and women, and he created a special program at the University of Maryland to encourage women to enter administrative roles in the College of Education. He ended his professional career at age 70 after serving for 10 years as a consultant to the United Arab Emirates University, College of Education.
06 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
AACTE Board member Robert E. Floden is one of 12 prominent scholars selected as a 2020 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow. AERA Fellows are selected based on their notable and sustained research achievements. Floden, along with the other 2020 Fellows, will be inducted on April 18 during the 2020 AERA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.
Floden is dean of the College of Education at Michigan State University and a University Distinguished Professor of teacher education. He serves as co-editor of the Journal of Teacher Education, the official journal of AACTE. During its meeting last month, AACTE Board members elected Floden as the chair-elect and a member of the Executive Committee. He will begin his term as AACTE chair in 2021.
“We are delighted to honor these scholars for their contributions to education research and their dedication to the field,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “AERA Fellows exemplify the highest standards of excellence through accomplishment, professionalism, and commitment. We welcome the class of 2020 to these prestigious ranks.”
AERA is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. The 2020 Fellows were nominated by their peers, selected by the Fellows Committee, and approved by the AERA Council, the association’s elected governing body. They join 665 current AERA Fellows.
06 Mar2020
By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.
At its meeting prior to the 72nd Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA, the AACTE Board of Directors elected the following board members to leadership positions on the AACTE Executive Committee:
Chair-Elect
Robert Floden
Dean, College of Education and University Distinguished Professor
Michigan State University
Member-at-large
Patricia Alvarez-McHatton
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Student Success, and P-16 Integration
University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
02 Mar2020
By AACTE
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) announced today Ann Larson, Ph.D., of the University of Louisville (UofL) (KY) as the new chair of its Board of Directors. During her one-year term, Larson will support AACTE and its President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone in implementing the Association’s new strategic plan, addressing challenges of recruiting qualified teacher candidates representing underrepresented and diverse backgrounds into the teaching profession and growing the Association’s membership.
“AACTE is resolute to represent and increase its membership of postsecondary institutions with educator preparation programs, and is dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are profession-ready,” said Larson. “AACTE and its Board of Directors are committed to a set of shared beliefs, values, attitudes and professional behaviors that characterize revolutionizing education, including shaping education policy and practices that advance learning for all students.”
26 Feb2020
By Kimberly White Smith
The American education system was not created to support the liberation of the powerless. Instead, it was designed to instill skills, habits, beliefs, and discipline that would allow for better control of the masses. The colonizers who became the architects of this country built a system that perpetuates the status of white-skinned privilege and wealth, while leaving those in the lower and middle classes burdened with the laborious task of building and supporting our nation’s economy and infrastructure.
Throughout the history of the United States, minoritized racial groups and those who live in poverty have suffered disparities in education through laws and policies that prohibited them from socioeconomic advancement, physical safety, and basic civil rights. The anti-literacy laws enacted before, during, and after the Civil War are just one example of how white-skinned privilege and power was used to perpetuate the oppression of enslaved Blacks and concretize a system that generated more wealth for those in power.
Our current education system continues to enable inequity through policies and practices that claim to be fair, colorblind, and neutral, but tend to privilege a small, elite portion of the U.S. population. We can no longer live by the adage “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” when those who deserve a better education continue to be plagued by disparities. Addressing the persistent opportunity gap between our nation’s socioeconomic classes requires sustained engagement from leaders across every field of education.
06 Feb2020
By Amanda Morales
This year will mark the fourth year that ACCTE’s Diversified Teaching Workforce (DTW) Topical Action Group (TAG) will host a preconference Institute. This year’s Institute: Advancing Research and Policy in Praxis, will convene a group of national leaders from colleges and universities across the United States to spotlight and explore innovative efforts for addressing ethnoracial teacher diversity across the teacher development continuum. The preconference will take place February 27, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
31 Jan2020
By Lara Luetkehans
The AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology is charged with developing the Association’s classroom reform and technology agendas related to PK-12 and postsecondary education. This year the committee’s focus has been on promoting use and facilitating communication and interaction in learning and technology. To do so, committee members have been planning the third iteration of the Information and Technology Preconference Workshop to be offered at the Annual Meeting in Atlanta on Feb. 27.
The Preconference Workshop will highlight Exemplars and Partners in Integrating Technology in Teacher Preparation. This half-day session will provide attendees with an opportunity to engage with key stakeholders from universities and professional organizations who are committed to preparing future educators to effectively integrate technology for student learning. Panels and sessions on academic program and faculty development, partnerships, diversity, and social justice will showcase the work and outcomes of exemplary researchers, practitioners, and organization leaders. Participants will engage in thinking about how to build capacity at their own institutions. Please join us on February 27, 1:00-5:00 p.m. for a packed agenda. To learn more and register, visit aacte.org.
09 Jan2020
By Beth Kubitskey, Patricia Alvarez McHatton, Anne Tapp Jaksa and Kim Winter
The Women in Leadership Topical Action Group seeks to strengthen colleges of education through leadership development; advance a professional network among members interested in leadership; encourage diverse members to pursue leadership positions; support women considering career or advancement opportunities in leadership; initiate, encourage, and disseminate studies of women in leadership; and provide professional development and mentoring to members interested in enhancing professional and personal success in concert with their positions.
History: The Women in the Deanship began as a Special Study Group. In 2007, the group researched and published a collection of case studies in It’s All About People: Case Studies in Higher Education Leadership (Lovell, S., Damico, S. and Hopkins, D. (editors), 2007). In 2013, AACTE created The Women in the Deanship TAG was created. The group has a long history of supporting women leaders.
18 Dec2019
By Marvin Lynn
Freedom of speech is an ideal to which those who founded this country believed in. I recall President Barack Obama’s many talks about the “American Ideals” of freedom, justice, and liberty, which I believe, includes free speech. Inherent in President Obama’s message was the notion that these ideals were not fully realized by historically marginalized communities in the United States. The current climate of our society further challenges our ability to see “freedom of speech” as something that is unifying rather than polarizing. This has become an increasingly important topic in higher education. The Chronicle of Higher Education, for example, continuously highlights issues regarding the intersection of free speech and civil discourse that are impacting education in unprecedented ways.
16 Dec2019
By Jacqueline Rodriguez
AACTE President and CEO Lynn Gangone addressed more than 150 education stakeholders at the recent collaborative meeting of the Wallace Foundation’s University Principal Preparation Pipeline Initiative (UPPI). Gangone’s address, How teacher and leader preparation can work together to further principal pipelines, is available to view online for those who were unable to attend the convening.
The UPPI focus is on inclusive principal preparation, and builds on 15 years of Wallace-supported research and experience about what makes for effective principals and their “pre-service” training at colleges and universities. AACTE maintains a strong commitment to these initiatives including principal and leader preparation in inclusive and clinical placements.
Learn more about AACTE’s principal preparation initiatives, supported through its Wallace Foundation partnership.
10 Dec2019
By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.
Congratulations to the following individuals who will join the AACTE Board of Directors effective March 1, 2020:
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Carine Feyten, President, Texas Woman’s University
President/Provost Representative
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John Henning, Dean, School of Education, Monmouth University
At-large Representative
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Marvin Lynn, Dean and professor, College of Education, Portland State University
Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI) Representative
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Jesse Mendez, Dean and professor, College of Education, Texas Tech University
At-large Representative
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Kimberly White-Smith, Dean, LaFetra College of Education, University of La Verne
Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE) Representative
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06 Dec2019
By Deborah Koolbeck
As the year comes to a close, it is time for AACTE State Chapter presidents and ACSR Liaisons to cast their ballots in the 2019 election for the ACSR Executive Committee. As a reminder, the state chapters are divided into four regions: West, Midwest, South and Northeast. Annually, the ACSR voting members elect the ACSR Executive Committee Chair-Elect, and two regions elect their Region Representative to serve on the ACSR Executive Committee. This year the South and the Midwest regions are electing new Region Representatives.
