10 Jul2020
By Jacqueline King
The AACTE Board of Directors recently created two new advisory committees to promote diversity in the educator workforce and among future leaders and scholars in educator preparation. These committees will be an integral part of fulfilling the strategic priority of diversity, equity, and inclusion outlined in AACTE’s new strategic plan.
Nominations are open through August 7 for positions on the new Programmatic Advisory Committee on Educator Diversity and the Holmes Program Advisory Committee
10 Jul2020
By Kevin J. Graziano
Current and former members of the AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology (I&T) were recognized with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2020 Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education (JDLTE) Outstanding Research Paper Award for their case study research, “TPACK Leadership Diagnostic Tool: Adoption and Implementation by Teacher Education Leaders” (Clausen, Finsness, Borthwick, Graziano, Carpenter, & Herring, 2019). Recipients of the award include: Jon Clausen, Ball State University; Elizabeth Finsness, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Arlene Borthwick, National Louis University; Kevin Graziano, Nevada State College; Jeffrey Carpenter, Elon University; and Mary Herring, University of Northern Iowa. The research award affirms the long-term work and impact of the AACTE I&T Committee.
The case study examined how the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) leadership diagnostic tool was used by teacher education leaders who established and sustained organizational and learning environments for TPACK-based initiatives at three institutions. Participants indicated all components in the tool were relevant for planning and implementing their TPACK initiatives. Participants “used the diagnostic tool to engage with others about their initiatives, to consider how physical spaces and personnel could be repurposed in support of their initiatives, and to think critically about prioritizing competing political, financial, and contextual demands” (Clausen et al., 2019, p. 64).
10 Jul2020
By Alan H. Jones
At the start of June of this year, the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) released a “Statement on Anti-Black Racism” in which we committed to:
- Continuing to work on unlearning the impact of anti-Blackness and racism in our own lives and practices and holding one another accountable;
- Listening to and using what privilege we may have to advocate for and with our Black colleagues, Black students, and Black people in our lives;
- Supporting policies and actively working to diversify teaching and teacher education; and,
- Finding ways to respect, highlight, and learn from the work of Black students, educators, and teacher educators.
On July 15, from 1:00-2:30 p.m., we invite our teacher and teacher educator community to a webinar which will help us take action on these commitments by focusing on “Building a Pipeline for Black Male Teacher Success.” From K-12 through teacher education programs and into schools, we are losing too many Black male students and (potential) Black male educators who would be excellent teachers and role models for all students in California.
10 Jul2020
By Nicole Dunn
AACTE invites you to join us for the next session of The Wallace Foundation’s second University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPP) Learning Series. Teaming and engaging in meaningful and difficult conversations require teams to not only be open to learning together but also to develop their leadership abilities together. This session is designed to equip teams with tools to strengthen teamwork and engage in conversations that cultivate the leadership capacity of one another.
- Facilitator: Ellie Drago Serverson, professor of education leadership and adult learning and leadership, and director of the PhD Program in Education Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University
- Thursday, July 16, 2020
- Presentation: 1:00–1:45 p.m. EST
- UPPI member-only discussion: 1:45–2:30 p.m. EST (A separate email will be sent with registration link for this session to all UPPI member registrants.)
- Register for the presentation.
10 Jul2020
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE Board members John Henning and Mary Murray recently met with me to discuss why leadership and building partnerships matter during times of crises. In the videos, Henning and Murray shared the following:
“A key rule of a leader during difficult times is to unify people and bring them together around the problem. By helping them move forward, things can get done rapidly, which is important when change is occurring quickly. With rapid change, it’s also important for leaders to stay organized,” said John Henning, dean of the school of education at Monmouth University. Henning is an experienced educational practitioner, researcher, and leader. His primary research interests include practice-based teacher education, teacher development, instructional decision-making, and classroom discourse. He is also an active scholar and researcher, with more than 50 publications. His fourth book, titled Building Mentoring Capacity in Teacher Education: A Guide to Clinically-Based Teacher Education, was released in 2019 by Routledge. He served for more than 20 years as a high school teacher. Henning obtained an M.Ed. in vocational education and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Kent State University in Ohio. He received a B.S. in general agriculture from The Penn State University.
10 Jul2020
By Jerrica Thurman
Ed Prep Matters features the “Revolutionizing Education” column to spotlight the many ways AACTE, member institutions, and partners are pioneering leading-edge research, models, strategies and programs that focus on the three core values outlined in the current AACTE strategic plan: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Quality and Impact; and Inquiry and Innovation.
During this segment of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion video series, AACTE members who participated in a 5-year study discuss their findings on ways to increase representation of men of color into the teaching profession. In “A Focus on Recruiting and Retaining Black and Hispanic/Latino Male Teachers,” researchers share the collective approaches campus-wide and across generations and disciplines required to effectively diversify the teacher pipeline.
02 Jul2020
By Beth Kubitskey and Anne Tapp
Organized collective voices can make a difference. Over the past four years, the Michigan Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE) and other stakeholders have worked closely with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) in the development and implementation of dramatic changes to the licensure guidelines and standards for PK-12 teachers. The Michigan Department of Education has moved to narrow certification bands to a model more inclusive of students’ needs. This “students first” teacher certification system focuses on the whole child and moving our state forward to becoming a top 10 education state in the next 10 years. It was created with input from educators, schools, educator preparation programs, and parents.
The EPP applications for the new elementary programs were to be submitted in November 2020 or April 2021. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions were finding it hard to meet these deadlines with the limited resources and reached out to MACTE for help. Through the process of leading collaboration with other organizations, dialog with state partners, and creating cohesive arguments with a specific request, MACTE was able to not only advocate for its EPP members, but for the candidates completing their programs.
MACTE responded by composing a letter to the director of the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Educator Excellenc, requesting an extension of the application deadline to the next academic year as well as an extension of the sunset deadline for the elementary tests of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification for the program that is being replaced. The Michigan Independent Educator Preparation Institution (MEIPI) and Michigan Public Education Deans (MPED) groups were also concerned with the impending timeline. MEIPI and MPED supported the MACTE’s proposal and joined us in signing this letter in support of this effort. As a collective we made the request to the Michigan Department of Education. The letter stressed the following.
02 Jul2020
By Ward Cummings
AACTE is excited to introduce its short tutorial video on how to navigate the new State Policy Tracking Map recently added to the AACTE COVID-19 Resource Hub. The easy to use map provides an analysis of state-issued guidance impacting standards and practice, new teacher induction, clinical practice and licensure. The tutorial offers a walkthrough of how to access and use the information provided in three formats: short bullet points, short-form distillations, and links to the original source material.
AACTE is among the first education associations to track and publish this information, which was collected from multiple sources: news reports, state press releases, executive orders issued by state governors and statements issued by state departments of education. AACTE also included information from state chapter leaders who participated in the shaping of EPP guidance in their state. As state legislatures begin to convene and engage on this issue, we will update the map to reflect their work.
The AACTE National Office has begun to analyze the information collected for the map and is compiling its findings in a soon-to-be released report. Teaching in the Time of COVID: State Recommendations for Preparation and New Teachers will summarize changes by EPPs in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, seek opportunities for improvement, and propose recommendations to manage the pandemic successfully.
In the meantime, AACTE encourages you to visit the State Policy Tracking Map and invites you to share any questions, concerns, or updates you may have regarding the information presented on the map.
02 Jul2020
By Linda Minor
After careful consideration, AACTE has decided to transform the 2020 Washington Week conference into its inaugural virtual event. The in-person meeting has been canceled due to our concern about the health, well-being, and safety of our attendees and the coronavirus-related meeting and travel restrictions. We are excited to bring a virtual conference that will center on the same education and connections attendees experience at AACTE face-to-face meetings—from the comfort of your home. Take a moment to review the questions and answers we’ve prepared to acquaint you with this year’s Washington Week conference.
02 Jul2020
By Meghan Grenda
To ensure you have continual access to the many resources available to members, AACTE encourages you to renew your AACTE membership for 2021 today. Members who submit 50% of their dues by August 31, 2020 are eligible for a complimentary second registration to the 2020 Washington Week and 2020 Leadership Academy events. This means if you and a colleague are planning to attend one of these meetings, the second registration for the same event is free.
