02 Aug2016
By Nadene Davidson
The Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) is pleased to announce a new consensus document, the State Policy Statements to Enhance Educator Preparation, developed by AACTE state chapter leaders and members to support the advocacy work of educator preparation providers (EPPs).
ACSR leaders representing more than 1,100 EPPs participated in a collaborative process to develop the document, agreeing on key statements under the following three priority areas:
02 Aug2016
By Sungti Hsu
Sharon Robinson addresses the China Teacher Leaders Forum. Photo courtesy of East China Normal University
Thank you for responding to AACTE’s survey earlier this year about members’ international activities. We were excited to hear from 142 of you about your established partnerships, new ventures, and suggestions for AACTE to take up the global agenda.
The survey results seem to reflect the growing emphasis, at least among the subset of educator preparation providers (EPPs) that responded, on international exchange and competitiveness as educators in our global society seek to learn from and share with colleagues around the world.
02 Aug2016
By Sharon Robinson
As this year’s presidential election promises a tumultuous campaign season, the work of policy development goes on. So while the conventions and tweets capture our attention, the U.S. Department of Education is keeping to its tight timeline for the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), including releasing proposed regulations for public comment (see this recent blog for the latest opportunities).
01 Aug2016
By Kathryn Opatick
Are you looking to expand your understanding of quality assurance processes? Give your practice a boost with an affordable and convenient Online Professional Seminar (OPS), offered through AACTE’s Quality Support Center.
Joseph Lubig, an associate dean at Northern Michigan University, has completed five of the six seminars on assessment and accreditation. He says he especially enjoyed OPS #5: Preparing for Accreditation and its practical assistance for meeting the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards, including legacy standards of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).
01 Aug2016
By Tim Finklea
Please join the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in partnership with AACTE for this fall’s CAEP Conference, September 29–October 1 in Washington, DC. Online registration is open now through September 9.
The CAEP Conference, known as “CAEPCon,” is an opportunity to share evidence of innovations, continuous improvement, and transformational practice as well as to be informed on the CAEP accreditation process. Held twice a year, the event convenes educator preparation providers, state and local education agencies, and various education organizations and associations to share strategies and best practices along with innovative ideas about accreditation’s role in ensuring candidate readiness.
29 Jul2016
By Aaron Goldstein
Ed Prep Matters is pleased to bring you this special feature on state policy and AACTE state chapter activity. For a summary of the year prior to the summer, see this article.
Overview of State Policy Activity
Only a handful of state legislatures actively met in July, as over 40 state legislative sessions had adjourned for the year. No educator preparation-related bills were introduced, although Illinois enacted two bills into law. One of them modifies the professional development requirements for educator license renewal. The other law allows a principal endorsement to be added to an existing professional educator license if the individual meets certain requirements, such as having taught for at least 4 years.
26 Jul2016
By Deborah Koolbeck
Wondering where to go for the latest information on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)? Here are some key resources and opportunities from the U.S. Department of Education:
Comment on Proposed Regulations
Make your voice heard in the three separate proposed regulations currently open for comment:
26 Jul2016
By Yupin Bae and Michelle Kotek
Editor’s note: This is the last blog in our series exploring data on program entry and exit requirements from the 2014 federal collection mandated by Title II of the Higher Education Act. The data include 1,497 providers of “traditional” programs based in institutions of higher education (IHEs), 472 providers of IHE-based alternative programs, and 201 providers of non-IHE-based alternative programs.
Despite the questionable validity of using students’ grade-point averages (GPAs) to predict their future success on the job as classroom teachers, GPA is one of the most common requirements for admission to and graduation from many colleges and professional schools.
26 Jul2016
By Abigail Mercadante
Ed Prep Matters is featuring “Stories of Impact” to showcase AACTE member institutions with educator preparation programs that are making a positive impact in their communities and beyond through innovative practices. We are committed to sharing members’ success stories and encourage you to do the same.
At Ohio’s Miami University, a partnership program is providing clinical experiences to teacher candidates while supporting at-risk secondary students through highly individualized instruction and mentoring. With a successful track record that mutually benefits all participants, the program’s low price tag and high regard in the community are like icing on the cake.
26 Jul2016
By Abigail Mercadante and Kristin McCabe
The latest report from the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) Center for International Education Benchmarking analyzes how four high-performing systems around the world develop elementary teachers with deep content and pedagogical understanding. An accompanying policy brief makes a case for employing these practices in order to strengthen primary education, setting students up for success in high school and beyond.
25 Jul2016
By Mia Hines, Dominique Battle-Lawson, Ann Traynor, Mark Kohan, Rene Roselle and Dorothea Anagnostopoulos
The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Like other programs, our teacher preparation program at the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education has long struggled to recruit as many students of color as we’d like. That’s why we joined AACTE’s networked improvement community (NIC) in 2014 to collaborate with other institutions on strategies to bring more Black and Latino men into our programs. Already, we have nearly doubled the percentage of students of color in our program, going from roughly 12% of students to 20% of our entering cohort this fall.
22 Jul2016
By Rodrick Lucero
We are excited to announce the second webinar in the AACTE clinical practice series: “Advancing Educator Preparation Through Clinical Practice: The Dean’s Perspective,” to be held August 19, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT.
Please join AACTE moderators Tim Finklea and Amanda Lester for a conversation with deans and directors representing five diverse universities as they explore the role clinical practice has played at their institutions through the lens of leadership. The panelists:
19 Jul2016
By Mark LaCelle-Peterson
Assessment matters for teachers. Teachers target and differentiate instruction based on evidence gathered in classroom assessments. Teams of teachers in schools review assessment evidence to understand student needs and to guide curriculum development. Parents, teachers, and students themselves make use of assessment results to make the most of learning opportunities. Assessment and interpretation of assessment results is also sometimes a particular challenge for novice teachers, and it is often the subject of school and district professional development efforts. With so many tests, so many strategies, and so much evidence, assessment is a wide and sometimes confusing topic.
19 Jul2016
By Omar Davis
Do you know any Holmes Scholar alumni? Or perhaps you were once a Holmes Scholar yourself? Then we want to hear from you!
In an effort to better connect with Holmes Program alumni positioned across the nation and the world, AACTE and the National Association of Holmes Scholars Alumni (NAHSA) have developed a brief survey to update our existing records. The organizations also hope to learn more about the program’s impact to inform improvements going forward.
18 Jul2016
By Jennifer Roth, John Henning and Patricia Alvarez McHatton
A dynamic group of 80 leaders from educator preparation programs nationwide gathered in Portland, Oregon, for AACTE’s annual Leadership Academy June 26-30. This year’s participants came from all types of institutions, some on their own and others in pairs or teams. Many had just accepted a new role as a chair or dean, others were experienced in their positions, and some were enhancing their skills in preparation for future career opportunities.
The 5-day event featured several general sessions addressing such topics as establishing authority, building consensus, assembling a team, and managing change. Two guest sessions on inclusive education were added this year, one presented by the Ohio Deans Compact on Exceptional Children and the other by the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center. Based on the positive response to these offerings, AACTE plans to continue including special topics at future Leadership Academies.