30 Apr2015
By Matthew Wales
Are you a new dean or department chair—or simply looking to advance your career as an academic administrator? Get ahead at AACTE’s Leadership Academy June 28–July 2, where you’ll learn the latest in leadership development.
Gain insights on how to effectively manage resources and programs, engage in dynamic discussions, and learn from top leaders in the field, while forging a supportive network of peers and mentors in an intimate setting at the Hilton Cincinnati.
30 Apr2015
By Linda McKee
What a difference a year makes.
Last spring, Phil Munkvold was in his final months of college at Minnesota State University (MSU) Mankato, finishing his clinical experience and preparing his edTPA portfolio.
Thanks to a strong partnership between the MSU Mankato program and the school where Munkvold student taught, he was exposed to the edTPA process as well as the school’s staff and its students shortly after he moved to Minnesota from another state to continue his teacher preparation.
28 Apr2015
By Lucy Berrier
2015 National Teacher of the Year Shanna Peeples
It was my distinct honor and privilege to serve as AACTE’s representative on the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Teacher of the Year Selection Committee this year.
Reading through the 56 applications from every U.S. state and territory was such a joy, as every single candidate is truly using amazing talents and hard work to educate students. Programs such as CCSSO’s National Teacher of the Year program are an important reminder that in the midst of policy debates, budget cuts, and constantly increasing scrutiny, teachers are going to work every day and touching the lives of their students in unimaginable ways.
28 Apr2015
By Jerrica Thurman
Participants in Day on the Hill join Sharon Robinson during Washington Week
Every year, AACTE’s Washington Week attracts hundreds from around the nation. Read these testimonials from recent participants about the value of attending:
28 Apr2015
By Yupin Bae
AACTE’s 2015 Professional Education Data System (PEDS) survey is now accessible online. If you have not already done so, please complete the survey by Friday, May 15.
As you know, AACTE members annually access this system to report their program/school data and submit Parts A and B of the PEDS survey for summary tabulations. Because these data are used by many education constituents in a variety of ways, AACTE invites all other educator preparation providers to join in the effort and do the same in order to paint a more complete picture of the field of teacher preparation.
28 Apr2015
By Deborah Koolbeck
AACTE is grateful for your energy and efforts on submitting comments to the Federal Register about the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed federal regulations on teacher preparation programs. Now, it is time again to make your voice heard.
Congress is hard at work on reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and next up will be the Higher Education Act (HEA). Part of the HEA reauthorization conversations will be around the increasing amount of regulation on institutions of higher education, including the proposed regulations on teacher preparation programs. I urge you to ensure that your representative and your senators know where you stand on these proposed regulations. Adding your voice to this conversation will increase the likelihood that the decisions made by your representative and senators will support teacher preparation across the nation.
27 Apr2015
By Mark Ginsberg
Renée Middleton and I recently (April 14) wrote a blog post updating readers on AACTE’s work related to a resolution passed in February by the AACTE Board of Directors in regard to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This resolution reaffirmed our association’s commitment to CAEP and also cited concerns that have been raised by many AACTE members. Our blog provided a context for the work that AACTE seeks to undertake in collaboration with the leadership of CAEP, which AACTE supports as a single unified accrediting system for our field.
20 Apr2015
By AACTE
AACTE applauds the leadership of U.S. Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) on the unanimous, bipartisan passage of the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 (ECA). AACTE is pleased with the committee’s progress on the long overdue reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
The bill moves away from the "test and punish" strategy that evolved from the implementation of the current version of ESEA, known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. While the bill retains the requirement for annual assessments disaggregated by subgroups, it leaves states, schools, teachers, and parents to determine what to do about the results of those assessments. AACTE believes students would benefit from stronger accountability for subgroup results, but overall, the bill makes important bipartisan progress toward fixing a broken law.
20 Apr2015
By Jerrica Thurman
Do you think educator preparation programs are out of touch with today’s PK-12 schools? See what Ohio’s teacher educators are doing to engage with their partners in this video for AACTE’s Debunking Myths campaign. See how you can participate in the campaign here.
In early March, 60 representatives from Ohio public and private higher education institutions converged for Day on the Square to meet with state legislators, including Senate Education Committee Chair Peggy Lehner and House Education Committee Chair Bill Hayes. Conversations centered on current policies, legislation, and the direction of teacher education in Ohio, focused specifically on the theme “Merging Voice and Vision Through P-16 Partnerships.”
20 Apr2015
By Matthew Wales
Last year, AACTE received 560 session proposals for its Annual Meeting in Atlanta. Given the limited number of spaces available for presentations, only 50% of proposals were accepted.
Looking to present at AACTE’s 2016 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas? Want to make your proposal stand out from other proposals received? Here are five tips to help your proposal rise to the top.
17 Apr2015
By Gloriatine Jones
Have you seen the April/May 2015 issue of Educational Horizons from Pi Lambda Theta? It’s a humorous one that makes light of some imagined—and real—classroom challenges.
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.
16 Apr2015
By Nancy Zimpher
Editor’s Note: Former AACTE Board member and education dean Nancy Zimpher reminds readers of the important purpose of standardized testing, which has been overshadowed by recent political battles and opt-out campaigns. This essay originally appeared on the State University of New York’s Big Ideas blog and is reposted with permission. The opinions expressed in this essay do not necessarily reflect the position of AACTE.
When it comes to whether students should opt out of standardized testing, no one is actually talking about what’s best for our kids. Standardized tests have become a pawn in political debates about teacher evaluations and we have lost sight of what they are: a way to measure what students know so we can help them improve.
15 Apr2015
By Etta R. Hollins and Rodrick Lucero
The following letter to the editor was published today in Education Week.
There are kids entering urban classrooms every day hungry, sad, tired, and angry. Name an obstacle to learning, and most urban teachers have seen it play out firsthand among their students.
In January, the Horace Mann League of the United States released School Performance in Context: The Iceberg Effect, a report on the “unparalleled levels” of poverty, inequity, and violence faced by U.S. students. Though outside factors such as these are not the reason for increasing gaps in achievement, they’re barriers teachers must understand and address to have an impact on student learning.
14 Apr2015
By Rodrick Lucero
Join your voice with those of other educator preparation providers at AACTE’s annual Washington Week, to be held in the nation’s capital June 9-11. Under the unifying theme “Diverse Perspectives, Deep Partnerships, One Profession,” this year’s Washington Week will be held at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. This is your chance to deliberate with colleagues on provocative issues in the profession, experience interactive sessions with national leaders, and convene with policy officials.
14 Apr2015
By Mark Ginsberg and Renée A. Middleton
AACTE has long supported the role of accreditation in the field and continues to uphold the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) as the profession’s single accreditor. This commitment was reaffirmed by the AACTE Board of Directors at its meeting February 26, 2015. Along with offering this affirmation of support, the resolution passed by the Board also sought to open a conversation with CAEP around persistent concerns raised by the field with respect to CAEP’s standards, process, capacity, and representativeness in its governance structure.
