30 Apr2018
By Jerrica Thurman
UPDATE: Deadline to participate extended to May 25
AACTE is pleased to partner with Mediaplanet on an upcoming campaign to help celebrate and inspire those who teach. The campaign, aptly titled “Empowering Our Educators,” will take the form of a set of articles and resources to be published June 20 online and in print, with printed copies to be distributed at a variety of conferences and events (including AACTE’s Leadership Academy!). As part of our partnership, Mediaplanet is extending AACTE members a 20% discount on any ads they wish to place.
As the everyday demands of the teaching profession in our country are compounded by persistent staffing shortages, inadequate pay, and low public esteem, it’s no wonder that many teachers feel forced to leave the field, mobilize for walkouts, or discourage young students from pursuing teaching as a career. This campaign aims to serve as a guide to teachers who feel underappreciated or burned out by celebrating the importance of their work, highlighting opportunities for professional engagement and growth, and rekindling their passion for education with inspiring stories and fresh ideas. As the leading voice on educator preparation, AACTE has long advocated on behalf of teachers as well as the institutions that prepare them to enter the profession, and we’re proud to partner with other education organizations on this work.
09 Apr2018
By Christina Tschida, Ann Sebald and Kristen Cuthrell
The authors are leaders of the AACTE Coteaching in Clinical Practice Topical Action Group (TAG). For information about how to join or start a TAG, visit aacte.org.
On April 25, AACTE members are invited to join a virtual meeting of the Coteaching in Clinical Practice TAG, in which we plan to discuss collaborative grant-writing projects. This is a great opportunity to see what the TAG is all about and see if you’d like to join us!
The meeting will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, April 25, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EDT. You can enter the meeting any time after 10:45 a.m. EDT through the following channels:
23 Mar2018
By Zachary VanHouten
If you missed AACTE’s March Federal Update webinar, the recording is now available to AACTE members only in our Resource Library.
View the webinar recording and slides to learn about the latest developments in Washington, DC, relating to educator preparation, including the latest on Higher Education Act reauthorization, federal funding, net neutrality, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and more.
01 Mar2018
By Matthew Wales
Now through May 29, AACTE is accepting session proposals for the 71st Annual Meeting, to be held in Louisville, Kentucky, February 22-24, 2019. We also invite applications by May 22 for AACTE member faculty to review proposals.
The conference theme is “Sustaining and Advancing the Profession,” conceptualized as follows in the call for proposals:
28 Feb2018
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE has partnered with Education Talk Radio for more than a year to broadcast interviews about the success and innovation in educator preparation. Through monthly episodes, AACTE member institutions, partners, and staff have been featured on the online radio show, which reaches over 70,000 listeners each month, to highlight their work on a variety of topics, including combating teacher shortages, creating a diverse teaching workforce, and building strong university-school partnerships for clinical practice initiatives. (View the complete lineup of recordings of AACTE interviews on the radio show in recap blogs here.)
Larry Jacobs, president and show host of Education Talk Radio, is a graduate of an educator preparation program and a strong advocate for the profession. “I believe the work of teacher preparation is critical to producing high-quality teachers,” Jacob said. “With so many colleges of education facing a decline in enrollment, I would like to offer my show as a platform to promote the good work that happens at these institutions.”
28 Feb2018
By Gail Bozeman
Your association wants you! Are you ready to become a leader in the national educator preparation community, or do you know someone who is? Nominate yourself or a colleague by May 7 to serve in an AACTE governance role.
AACTE is currently seeking applications from volunteers to serve on the AACTE Board of Directors and the following standing committees:
12 Feb2018
By Kristin McCabe
The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) and AACTE are partnering in a new effort to better align their members around common work. In this pilot initiative, the organizations will explore and develop collaborative membership and governance structures, joint programming at the AACTE Annual Meeting, and other offerings.
Currently, 2-year colleges are eligible only for “affiliate” membership with AACTE, but a recent survey of AACTE members revealed an openness to incorporating community colleges more explicitly in the Association’s membership structure. About 800 community colleges nationwide offer some type of teacher preparation, including many programs that lead to bachelor’s degrees and licensure as well as others that prepare candidates to move on to 4-year institutions. Approximately 120 of these community colleges are members of NACCTEP.
30 Jan2018
By Lynn M. Gangone
AACTE is committed to high-quality educator preparation and works continually to assist member institutions in understanding what is necessary to engage in quality assurance processes. A recent decision by the AACTE Board of Directors, described in this blog by AACTE Board Chair Renée A. Middleton, reaffirms the importance of a unified national accreditation system that assures our nation’s teacher candidates are of the highest caliber, and clarifies AACTE’s role in the quality assurance environment. The Board and the AACTE national office team are dedicated to listening to and serving our members, and Dean Middleton’s blog reflects that commitment to member value.
One of the primary roles of educators is to prepare learners to become engaged citizens in a 21st-century democratic society. Today’s educators enter highly diverse schools that reflect the breadth of our nation, and AACTE members are committed to ensuring that their candidates are ready and able to be successful with all of their students. National accreditation requires educator preparation providers to address profession-wide standards of excellence and supplies metrics that support high quality by promoting programmatic reflection and continuous improvement. AACTE members embrace accountability measures that demonstrate their programs’ effectiveness and contribute to program improvement.
30 Jan2018
By Renée A. Middleton
As AACTE Board Chair, I am most appreciative of the diligent work the AACTE Board of Directors has conducted over the past few years to address the important issue of national accreditation for educator preparation. From the liaison work and member conversations led by the Board’s special subcommittee and AACTE leaders starting in 2015 to our most recent Board meeting on January 18, 2018, we have dedicated much attention to this important topic. AACTE published a statement today about this month’s Board vote reaffirming our support for national professional accreditation.
National accreditation assures the public of the highest quality preparation of educators who serve all levels of the PK-20 continuum. A unified national accreditation system brings together partners and stakeholders across the entire education profession to support profession-wide standards of excellence. I use the term “system” to convey an assemblage of related stakeholders forming an interconnecting network around a set of standards, principles, practices, and processes as a unitary whole. In our recent vote, the AACTE Board reaffirmed the importance of a unified national professional accreditation system that aligns with AACTE’s “Principles for National Accreditation in Educator Preparation,” which we approved in 2016, as critical to advancing our profession.
25 Jan2018
By Zachary VanHouten
Did you miss the January AACTE Federal Update webinar? The recording and slides are now available in AACTE’s Resource Library – a free, member-exclusive benefit! Catch up on all the latest developments in Washington, DC, as Congress works through a packed and polarizing agenda this month. Feel free to share these resources with colleagues at your institution who might also be interested in viewing.
Remember, there will be no February Federal Update webinar (we will resume again in March!), as you’ll have the opportunity to attend two Washington Update sessions in early March at AACTE’s 70th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. You’ll also want to attend Deborah Koolbeck’s “advocacy speed-dating” session March 2, where you can participate in your choice of five mini advocacy trainings:
19 Jan2018
By Zachary VanHouten
The clock is ticking on what appears to be an imminent federal government shutdown, unless a last-minute deal is struck on a short-term funding solution (continuing resolution) through either next week or February 16. Republicans and Democrats are facing off on numerous issues.
What’s causing this logjam? Challenges range from settling on a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program, increasing defense spending, deferring some healthcare tax provisions, extending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and raising spending caps (aka “a budget deal”). What’s also coming in February is the need to raise the debt ceiling. Looking forward, we could see more action on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act through the spring.
12 Jan2018
By Jerrica Thurman
Dean Pamela Carroll of the University of Central Florida (center) enjoys a presentation at the AACTE Annual Meeting with hundreds of colleagues from around the nation.
In a recent survey of AACTE members, the highest rated member benefits are the opportunity to stay current with news, information, and trends related to the profession; support the advocacy efforts conducted on behalf of the profession; and share knowledge and best practices. At the 2018 AACTE Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, you can enjoy these valued benefits through sessions such as these:
Deeper Dive Sessions
03 Jan2018
By Christina Tschida and Ann Sebald
The authors are cochairs of the AACTE Coteaching in Clinical Practice Topical Action Group. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Participants at the 2017 National Conference on Coteaching included Christina Tschida, East Carolina University (NC); Meghan Crosier and Shelli Pence, North Harrison School District (IN); Ann Sebald, Colorado State University; and Beverly Ochieng-Sande, Houston Baptist University (TX).
Members of AACTE’s Coteaching in Clinical Practice Topical Action Group (TAG), which we cochair, participated in the second annual National Conference on Coteaching, held in October 2017 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our TAG also cosponsored a social event at the conference, whose purpose was to support research and practice of coteaching at both preservice and in-service levels for all areas of education.
19 Dec2017
By Zachary VanHouten
Did you miss last week’s Federal Update webinar? AACTE members can log in now to view the recording here.
An overcrowded agenda is staring down members of Congress as they prepare to leave for the winter recess. Items such as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), tax reform, a budget deal, disaster relief, and CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program) are items requiring policy makers’ attention before they leave Washington. In the midst of this activity, Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce introduced the “Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act,” which is the House Republican bill that would reauthorize the Higher Education Act.
01 Dec2017
By Aaron Goldstein
Congratulations to the future members of AACTE’s Board of Directors! In a recent online election, AACTE members and state chapter leaders chose the following colleagues to serve on the Board beginning March 1, 2018:
Michael Maher, North Carolina State University
Advisory Council of State Representatives Chair-Elect
