AACTE Provides Innovative Solutions to Revolutionize Ed Prep

By Lynn M. Gangone

AACTE provides interactive tools and innovative solutions to advance educator preparation. Our new initiatives in 2021 support our vision to revolutionize education for all learners. To learn about our newest offerings, please take a few minutes to watch this video.

In just a few weeks, AACTE will kick off its 2021 Leadership Academy Series on August 11, as well as its 2021 Washington Week in September. Registration is open for these events, as well as the 2022 AACTE Annual Meeting, so secure your spot today. I hope to see you there!

AACTE Amplifies Your Voice in Policy Matters

By Lynn M. Gangone

AACTE Urges Members to Advocate for Recovery Aid

By Lynn M. Gangone

Join AACTE in Revolutionizing Education for All Learners

By Lynn M. Gangone

 

Happy spring! As PK-12 and higher education institutions proceed with reopening post-pandemic, AACTE continues its work to build education back better. We recently published new research on both AACTE’s vision to “revolutionize education for all learners” and promising solutions to recruiting and retaining male teachers of color. Please take a few minutes to watch the video and learn more about these and other initiatives.
 
Stay connected with AACTE for the latest resources, tools, and information to address the issues facing our profession today. Visit aacte.org to access these benefits and renew your AACTE membership by the extended deadline. 

 

Cheers to doing what matters,
 

AACTE Statement on Racist Attacks Against Asian Americans

By Lynn M. Gangone

On behalf of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone issued the following statement today responding to recent hate crimes toward the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community:

“AACTE believes that to educate is to enlighten. As such, our Association remains committed to educating all learners in PK-12 and higher education institutions to enlighten and empower the next generation of citizens. As an educational association of colleges and universities that values the diversity of students, their families, and educators, AACTE condemns the escalation of violence and harassment toward our AAPI colleagues, students, and friends.

Join AACTE in Building Education Back Better

By Lynn M. Gangone

Greetings! AACTE has outlined clear, legislative and research priorities in this new year. We have also launched a new Consortium for Research-Based and Equitable Assessments (CREA). Please take a few minutes to watch the video and learn more about these initiatives and how you can support AACTE’s efforts for building education back better.

 

In just two weeks, AACTE will kick off its 2021 Annual Meeting, February 24-26. I can’t wait to welcome you to the premier national conference for educator preparation. There’s still time to register so secure your spot today. I hope to see you there!
  
Warm Regards,

Teachers Speak, Is Anyone Listening? An EdUp Experience Podcast Interview with Lynn M. Gangone

By Elvin Freytes

AACTE President and CEO, Lynn M. Gangone is the latest guest on The EdUp Experience podcast with Elizabeth Leiba and Joe Sallustio, EdD. In this episode, Gangone covers the timely topic of the important role teachers play in our society, especially now more than ever.  

The AACTE National Office Has Moved!

By Lynn M. Gangone

New Year, Renewed Hope

By Lynn M. Gangone

“Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.”

 – G.K. Chesterton

Happy New Year!

The year 2020 was a tumultuous one for educators. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought educator preparation to a dangerous crossroad, with teachers, principals, school counselors, and other essential education professionals experiencing a debilitating spate of closures and faculty layoffs. The public education workforce lost more than 600,000 jobs last year, with university-based educator preparation programs also encountering reduced enrollment and program closures. Our members have experienced declines in undergraduate enrollment, budget cuts, and reduced staffing. Rising demand for new teachers and shrinking capacity in colleges and universities threatens the high-quality education our populace needs to ensure a rich quality of life and global competitiveness for generations. But as we begin the new year, we look toward 2021 with a renewed sense of hope and optimism for the future.

Happy Holidays from AACTE

By Lynn M. Gangone

Warm Regards,

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D.
President and CEO
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

AACTE’s President/CEO Reflects on Using Virtual Simulation in Teacher Prep During Fireside Chat

By Caitlin Wilson

Mursion CEO Mark Atkinson hosted AACTE’s President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone for a virtual fireside chat in culmination of a multi-part series highlighting how Mursion’s virtual simulation classroom is being used in educator preparation programs. To start the conversation, Gangone reflected on how the pandemic has shaped the need to collaborate and to think differently on the delivery of instruction in the P-20 setting. She noted, “In our strategic planning process we created a vision to revolutionize education for all learners. We had no idea how prescient that was because of the pandemic.”

Rethinking clinical practice with the use of simulation is just one way in which innovation has supported the delivery of high-quality preparation without having to be on-the-ground. This helped accelerate AACTE’s collaboration with Mursion.

In addition to addressing the challenges and innovations brought on by the shift to virtual learning, Gangone and Atkinson also discussed efforts nationally to promote an antiracist agenda in schools to ensure the fair and equitable treatment of students. Gangone mentioned the importance of AACTE’s work in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion. “We know that we all have implicit bias and that systemic racism exists,” she said. “So AACTE has been doing a lot of work in this area, from entrance exams into programs to other barriers to enter the profession.”

The discussion also focused on how simulation can support both teacher candidates and teacher preparation faculty in addressing their own inherent or implicit biases, which often carry into the classroom. “Simulation gives us an opportunity to deal with our own biases in ways that are really powerful and not bring harm,” commented Gangone. Engaging teacher education faculty in the simulation space could not only help to address biases and equity, but to better understand social and emotional learning, and effective pedagogy. There are a great number of possibilities when thinking through combining scholarship with simulation to move the field of education forward. Atkinson noted, “There is so much that we can bring to the floor, for teachers and leaders together, to really improve the way children experience school once they can get back into them again.”

Listen to the full recording of this conversation.

AACTE and Mursion are collaborating to support teacher preparation through the pandemic and beyond. Learn more details about this collaboration.

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.

Mursion CEO Mark Atkinson to Host Lynn M. Gangone for a Fireside Chat on the Future of Education

By Monika Jo

Please join us Tuesday, November 17, 1:00 p.m. ET for a joint reflection on 2020 and a look forward to the coming year. Mursion Co-founder and CEO, Mark Atkinson will host a fireside chat with AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone. Join the conversation as they share their perspectives on

• The current state of teacher prep programs
• What will go back to “normal” vs. what innovations for coping with the pandemic will stay
• Models and systems are on the table for reinvention, writ large, what does this mean for higher education?

Register now for the free event.

The recorded session will be available for viewing.

Educators, the First Responders for Democracy

By Lynn M. Gangone

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

As educators, we have confronted monumental challenges this year, and yet, have managed to still make great strides. In mid-March, while closing our classrooms due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we found ways to educate our students virtually. Amidst mounting challenges, educators united to ensure that our nation’s children were able to continue learning.

Then, just as we were discovering coping mechanisms to live amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we bore witness to incredible injustice and racial bias with the unjust deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others. Educators heeded the call for justice, uniting with the community at large, to show that racism will not be tolerated. But despite having met these challenges head on, we cannot rest upon our laurels. The battles that lie ahead are too important and necessary to protect the core of our democracy.

AACTE Member Update: Leading During Difficult Times

By Lynn M. Gangone

AACTE kicks off our inaugural, virtual Leadership Academy Series today, where participants will learn best practices for “Leading During Difficult Times.” Providing you timely and relevant professional development opportunities and resources to advance your institution, your programs, and your career is central to our mission at AACTE. Please take a few minutes to watch the video above and learn more about opportunities to engage with your Association.

AACTE released yesterday its latest issue brief on financial challenges facing future teachers. You may access the member-only resource at aacte.org. Your feedback on how AACTE can continue to support your work is valuable so be sure to complete the Fall Member Survey by November 6. And remember your voice truly matters; make your voice heard in the upcoming presidential election. Your voice, your vote!