AACTE Receives NSF Grant for International STEM Conference

By Gail Bozeman

The National Science Foundation has awarded AACTE $72,820 to support a conference in 2015 on closing the student achievement gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The event will help participants address the following objectives:

• To review current research on the achievement gap in mathematics and science with a focus on school-related variables that adversely affect outcomes from low-income and minority students
• To discuss teacher quality and effective teaching in STEM
• To identify effective strategies and models that promote equity in education and that close the STEM achievement gap
• To build collaborative, interdisciplinary partnerships for addressing the U.S. achievement gap in STEM subjects

Five More States to Receive Technical Assistance From CEEDAR Center

By Kristin McCabe

Georgia, Ohio, Montana, New Hampshire, and Utah have been selected to receive technical assistance from the University of Florida College of Education’s Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center. The center supports states in developing educators to prepare students with disabilities for colleges and careers.

Evaluation: Residency Program Seeing Success in Boston

By Tim Finklea and Kristin McCabe

A recent evaluation of the Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) found that program graduates are making a significant impact in Boston Public Schools, providing more racially/ethnically diverse teachers and staying in the classroom at higher rates. A webinar hosted by REL Central earlier this month highlighted the findings and challenges of the evaluation, which was conducted by John Papay and colleagues at Brown University (RI).

The study compared BTR graduates to other novice teachers in the urban school system, asking the following questions:

1. Does the BTR program prepare more teachers than other pathways in hard-to-staff subjects such as math and science?
2. Are BTR recruits more racially and ethnically diverse than teachers from other pathways?
3. Do BTR recruits remain in the district longer than other new hires?
4. Are BTR teachers more effective in raising student test scores in math and English language arts than teachers with the same level of experience from other pathways?

Get Inspired at AACTE’s 67th Annual Meeting

By Jerrica Thurman

Get inspired at the AACTE 67th Annual Meeting’s Speaker Spotlight Session featuring Etta Hollins. Hollins’ passion for transforming teacher practices and the culture of schools will spur your own action as a dynamic change agent.

Author of Learning to Teach in Urban Schools, published in 2012, and editor of Rethinking Field Experiences in Preservice Teacher Preparation, to be released next spring, Hollins champions the preparation of teachers for diverse and underserved students by higher education, state departments, and school districts.

Preview of Competitive State Elections

By Aaron Goldstein

With Election Day just around the corner, below are some gubernatorial races, state education chief contests, and education ballot initiatives to watch. Remember, like politics, education is local. Check out the tables below to see what’s at play in your state.

Be sure to vote November 4!

Gubernatorial Races to Watch

* Rating according to Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

AACTE’s Diverse Membership

By Julie Underwood

As a board member and officer of AACTE, I have grown to appreciate the complexity of the organization. A remarkable variety of institutions opt to unite around common interests under this “big tent” association.

Of course, you may think about AACTE membership from your own institutional perspective. Members of the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE) may view AACTE as their organization, just as members of the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI) may view us from their perspective. Certainly, members of the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), where the largest number of new educators are taught, think of AACTE from their perspective. In fact, the Board of Directors is designed to reflect the various institutional types within AACTE, with designated seats for AILACTE, CADREI, and TECSCU representatives as well as for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and historically Black institutions. In reality, AACTE represents the entire array of U.S. teacher preparation institutions.

Highlights From Educational Horizons

By Gloriatine Jones

The October/November 2014 issue of Educational Horizons is out!

Thanks to a partnership with Phi Delta Kappa and Pi Lambda Theta, all AACTE members receive free online access to this magazine for future teachers as a benefit of their AACTE membership. Chief Representatives also receive each issue by mail.

Here are some highlights from the current issue to share with your students:

Deadline for 2015 Awards Extended to Friday, October 24

By Lucy Berrier

Did you need extra time to submit your 2015 AACTE award application? You’re in luck!

The submission deadline for the 2015 Best Practice and Professional Achievement Awards has been extended until Friday, October 24.

Act now and nominate the innovative and exemplary program at your institution for a Best Practice Award! These awards highlight the work members are doing each day to improve the field of educator preparation:

• Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology
• Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Teacher Education
• Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity

NJACTE, Partners Lead Charge to ‘Take Back the Profession’

By Kristin McCabe

Joelle Tutela, President, NJACTE

Teacher quality and professional practice in New Jersey just got an enthusiastic shot in the arm, thanks to a new coalition of the state’s teacher educators, teachers’ unions, and other education groups.

Leaders of this coalition, the Garden State Alliance for Strengthening Education, held a high-profile symposium “Taking Back the Profession” September 27 to release a report chock-full of ideas to improve the continuum of teacher development in the state. The event was attended by several key state education officials and featured nationally known speakers including Stephanie Hirsch of Learning Forward, Marilyn Cochran-Smith of Boston College (MA), and Susan Headden of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In addition, the report was featured at a press conference October 2 and will be the subject of a state hearing later this month.

Update Your AACTE Profile

By Kim Murray

Want to stay current with your TAG? Looking for the latest edTPA information? Want to know about new programs that match your interests? Be sure to keep your personal AACTE profile current to reflect your areas of interest and up-to-date contact information.

Why not update your profile now? Just log in to our online Profile Manager – it’s easy and fast.

Questions? Contact the AACTE membership department at membership@aacte.org.

Teacher-Quality Coalition Issues Policy Roadmap for Teacher, Principal Development

By Kristin McCabe

Recognizing the fact that students in many high-need schools continue to have disproportionately low access to great educators, on Tuesday the Coalition for Teaching Quality (CTQ) released Excellent Educators for Each and Every Child: A Policy Roadmap for Transforming the Teaching and Principal Professions. The Coalition also held House and Senate briefings on Capitol Hill with practitioners to help explain the importance of these strategies to address the inequity of opportunity.

In the policy roadmap, CTQ—which comprises more than 100 civil rights, disability, rural, youth, higher education, principal, and education advocacy organizations, including AACTE, dedicated to ensuring that every child has fully prepared and effective educators—presents a vision for a continuum of the teaching and principal professions to ensure every child has well-prepared and effective educators.

Relish Atlanta’s Downtown Flair at AACTE’s 2015 Annual Meeting

By Jerrica Thurman

AACTE’s 67th Annual Meeting will take up residence in the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, conveniently located downtown in Peachtree Center, with indoor MARTA access to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport just 15 miles away. The hotel boasts a breathtaking atrium marked by the 50-foot, color-changing sail of Pulse – a classically cool cocktail lounge and iconic symbol in the city. Hotel amenities include a spa, fitness center, unique dining options, and stunning guestrooms and suites offering floor-to-ceiling windows with amazing skyline views – all for just $189/night.

While based at the heart of the ninth-largest U.S. population metropolis, you will be just steps away from the city’s attractions, historic landmarks, shopping, sporting event centers, and trendiest bars, restaurants, and nightlife. Nearby tourist sites abound:

50% Off 2014 Membership Offer Extended

By Gloriatine Jones

The 50% off 2014 AACTE membership offer for new and reinstating members has been extended to the end of the year. Institutions that join AACTE can enroll several faculty and staff to experience all of AACTE’s many benefits and services at a significantly reduced cost.

AACTE’s 2015 Annual Meeting Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck

By Jerrica Thurman

AACTE’s 67th Annual Meeting offers you high value for your registration dollar. Hundreds of enriching sessions, networking opportunities, meal functions, and access to the latest research and best practices are all included—giving you a great bang for your buck!

What’s more, the registration fees for AACTE’s Annual Meeting have stayed the same for several years, even with enriched offerings. Here are some of the extras you’ll get at our Atlanta conference:

‘Building Better Teachers’: Advances in Teacher Preparation

By Sharon Robinson

What will it take to build a better teacher? That’s the question that was recently discussed in a PBS NewsHour report featuring Elizabeth Green, cofounder and CEO of Chalkbeat and author of the new book Building a Better Teacher: How Teaching Works (And How to Teach It to Everyone).

In her book, Green explores the qualities and experiences that impact a teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom, underscoring one of the most important factors in performance: their preparation. She emphasizes that effective teaching requires not only intellect, but also a strong set of skills developed through rigorous instruction and clinical experience. Green’s book pierces through the complexities surrounding program quality to ask fundamental questions about how teachers become great and how schools of education can best support that process.