06 Jun2017
By Bryan L. Duke
It may not be often that a state chapter of AACTE seeks to create new legislation outlining expectations for teacher preparation, but that was the case for the Oklahoma Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (OACTE) during the past academic year.
For several years, state legislators had been proposing new dyslexia training requirements for all early childhood, elementary, and special education candidates. However, concerns and tensions escalated between educator preparation providers (EPPs) and interest groups who disagreed on the definition of the problem, the depth of training that would be appropriate, and language that might mandate particular programs and materials. Consequently, discussions and the relationship between groups deteriorated and were unproductive.
05 Jun2017
By AACTE
AACTE issued the following press release today to mark the opening of the 2017 AACTE Washington Week:
(June 5, 2017, Washington, D.C.) – The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) is hosting its 2017 Washington Week through Wednesday, bringing teacher educators from across the nation to Capitol Hill and to the Renaissance Arlington Capital View hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The conference, themed “Diverse Perspectives, Deep Partnerships, One Profession,” offers attendees opportunities to showcase their programs, discuss important education policies and advocate for educator preparation in meetings with members of Congress.
05 Jun2017
By Aaron Goldstein
Ed Prep Matters is pleased to bring you this special feature on state policy and AACTE state chapter activity. For the recap from April 2017, see this blog.
As the calendar shifts to summer, many states have ended their legislative sessions, while about a dozen legislatures remained active in May.
30 May2017
By Beth Kania-Gosche and Daryl Fridley
The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Educator preparation providers (EPPs) in many states find themselves under increased pressure to demonstrate accountability, but they often feel powerless to play a role in the development of accountability measures. Accountability often seems to be something that is done to them rather than with them. In Missouri, however, EPPs have played an integral role in the creation of the state’s new report card.
It wasn’t always this way, and the manner in which EPPs came to be involved may be instructive to those working in other states. When the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education first presented a plan for its Annual Program Reports for Education Preparation Programs (APR-EPP), EPPs were also dealing upheaval in other areas too – from changes to certification rules to new expectations for field experiences. The APR-EPP was met with significant resistance in the Show-Me State for many reasons, including the fact that it included a battery of new assessments and a simple Met/Not Met designation.
19 May2017
By Anna E. McEwan
Members of the Alabama Association of Colleges for Teacher Education meet with officials from the state department of education and Alabama’s representatives to the Southern Regional Education Board’s Teacher Preparation Commission.
One of the benefits of state chapter affiliation with AACTE is the opportunity it provides, through the Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR), to network with those from other states who share the work of preparing educators. Our collaboration is facilitated through participation in regional conference calls, AACTE Annual Meetings, and the State Leaders Institute as well as communications like the monthly State Directions e-newsletter. As we learn how others are responding to federal, state, and local education initiatives, we find opportunities for mutual support and ways to present a united voice.
04 May2017
By Aaron Goldstein
As part of next month’s Washington Week, themed “Diverse Perspectives, Deep Partnerships, One Profession,” AACTE state chapter leaders will hear from several policy leaders in this year’s State Leaders Institute (SLI).
Held June 4-5 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, this event fosters dialogue pertaining to education policies in each state and develops capacity for state chapters of both AACTE and the Association of Teacher Educators to address major policy and advocacy themes facing educator preparation.
01 May2017
By Aaron Goldstein
Ed Prep Matters is pleased to bring you this special feature on state policy and AACTE state chapter activity. For a recap of state policy and state chapter activity in March 2017, see this blog.
Already this year, a significant number of state legislatures have adjourned for the year. In fact, 14 state legislatures have concluded their official business for 2017. An additional 14 state legislatures will adjourn for the year by the end of May.
01 May2017
By Sharon Brennan
The author and her collaborators presented a free AACTE webinar last month, “Building Teachers’ Cultural and Global Awareness to ‘Reach and Teach’ All Students”; the webinar recording and slides are available here. See also her earlier blogs on this topic, “Preparing Teachers to ‘Reach and Teach’ All Students” and “The Nature of Cultural and Global Learning: Key Concepts for Teacher Preparation.” The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
The University of Kentucky has been working to transform education programs to better prepare teachers for the diversity of their future classrooms. But we are hardly alone – educator preparation programs, state agencies, accrediting bodies, and others are all directing energy and support toward ensuring the education workforce is prepared to reach and teach all students.
27 Apr2017
By Judy Beck
D.C. is the place to be this June for the AACTE State Leaders Institute! If you are involved in leading a state chapter, I hope you will join me June 4-5 for this great advocacy event as part of the AACTE Washington Week.
Let me begin by saying this: Way to go, teacher education colleagues! Speaking and acting as one, we were able to advocate recently for the repeal of the federal regulations for teacher preparation programs. We need to continue the forward momentum. Our work is not done. It has never been more imperative to bring a strong unified voice to both the national and state discussion. That is why I encourage you to participate in the State Leaders Institute (SLI) during AACTE’s Washington Week.
18 Apr2017
By Sungti Hsu
AACTE and Westat are partnering with state chapters and education agencies this spring to pilot new surveys of beginning teachers and their supervisors. By developing common instruments to be used across states that can also be customized with state-specific questions, the partners aim to fill the need for both national benchmarks for preparation programs (as called for in accreditation standards) and state-determined priorities.
AACTE staff conducted exploratory work last year, collecting and studying state-level instruments currently used for surveying program completers in 13 states that were willing to share both their instruments and their most recent survey results. We found that all of the instruments align with the InTASC model standards for beginning teachers, although their length and emphasis areas vary. Meanwhile, we began talking with state education agencies (SEAs) and AACTE state chapters and member institutions to gauge their interest in consolidating these state and institution data collection efforts in a national-level instrument.
04 Apr2017
By Michelle Kotek
How can state policy makers, education agencies, and school officials work together more cohesively to address critical teacher pipeline issues? Leaders from three states discussed strategies and obstacles to this shared goal during a major forum, “Acting as Systems: A Pipeline Approach to Educator Preparation Policy,” held March 2 at AACTE’s 69th Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida.
The forum, moderated by AACTE Senior Vice President Mark LaCelle-Peterson, featured discussions among the following policy leaders:
03 Apr2017
By Aaron Goldstein
Ed Prep Matters is pleased to bring you this special feature on state policy and AACTE state chapter activity. For a recap of state policy and state chapter activity in February 2017, see this blog.
In March, state policy action began to slow down, as several legislatures passed their deadline for introduction or “crossover,” the last day for a bill to pass out of the chamber in which it was introduced. Check out this chart to see important dates for your state legislature.
28 Mar2017
By Christine Tambini
Registration is now open for AACTE’s Washington Week, a set of advocacy-focused events held annually in the nation’s capital. This year’s Washington Week will be held June 4-7 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View in Arlington, Virginia, and on Capitol Hill. The week includes the following signature events:
10 Mar2017
By Aaron Goldstein and Clarissa Garcia
The 41 State of the State Addresses made so far in 2017 show a continued focus by governors on education issues. Education Commission of the States (ECS) has recently updated its searchable database of trends in these speeches and issued a report summarizing the top issues spotlighted in governors’ addresses this year.
According to the report, this year’s top education mentions have included the following:
06 Mar2017
By Aaron Goldstein
Ed Prep Matters is pleased to bring you this special feature on state policy and AACTE state chapter activity. For a recap of state policy and state chapter activity in January 2017, see this blog.
