Archive for November, 2018

Kayla Elliott is Holmes Scholar of the Month

Congratulations to Kayla C. Elliott, Holmes Scholar of the Month for November 2018!

Elliott attends Florida Atlantic University (FAU) College of Education where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in higher education leadership. Elliott’s dissertation topic is The Influence of performance based funding on power and relationships at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Her research interests include higher education equity, higher education leadership, higher education policy, historically black colleges and universities, minority serving institutions, and more.

Join a National Conversation on University Principal Preparation Redesign

AACTE invites you to view a livestreamed panel discussion on preliminary findings from The Wallace Foundation’s University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI) at 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2018. Register here.

Many district and university leaders agree that most university-based programs do not prepare principals to reflect the real-world demands of the job according to a 2016 survey. Consequently, seven universities participating in the Wallace initiative set out to redesign their programs to be more effective. A 2018 independent study by the RAND Corporation, Launching a Redesign of University Principal Preparation Programs, now suggests that the universities’ complex redesign efforts are beginning to pay off—through comprehensive, interdependent partnerships with local districts and the state.

Lynn M. Gangone and Renee A. Middleton advocate for education preparation in recent Ed Week articles

These letters to the editor, Don’t Blame Admissions Standards and Ed. Colleges Provide Value first appeared in Education Week on November 13, 2018. Reprinted with permission from the authors.

Don’t Blame Admissions Standards

To the Editor:

Marc Tucker has helped us better understand education systems around the world. Unfortunately, in his recent opinion blog post (“Teachers Colleges: The Weakest Link,” November 1, 2018), he demonstrates less understanding of America’s teacher-preparation programs than he has about programs abroad.

Register for November 2018 Federal Update Webinar

With the election over, Congress returns to Washington, D.C. to wrap up the year—and for some members, their time in Washington. As the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate start the lame-duck session, some attention is turning to the 116th Congress that begins in January.

With Congress finishing the Labor, Health & Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill on time (September 30), it is important to remember that a large portion of the federal government is operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR). With a deadline of December 7, the CR brings with it contention and the potential for a government shutdown. It is also unclear what else the Republican majority will want to do in the last weeks of its leadership in the House and what the Senate can get done as well.

How to Enjoy the Conference in Louisville

The 2019 AACTE Annual Meeting is just 12 weeks away! As you prepare for your stay in Louisville, Matt Wales, AACTE vice president, membership, events and special projects, offers some helpful tips to help you make the most of your time at the conference and in the host city:

What features of the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) make it a great host location for the AACTE Annual Meeting?

The KICC is truly a state-of-the-art facility. The KICC was closed in 2016, to undergo two years of construction enhancement and renovation. Having just reopened in August 2018, AACTE attendees will experience our General Sessions and Deeper Dives in a brand new, 40,000-square-foot ballroom that allows us to accommodate more seating, more space for networking, and additional, technological capacity for increased interactivity during these AACTE sessions.

Lynn Gangone Presents National Data to Indiana State Chapter, Visits Schools and Foundations

AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone recently traveled to Indiana where she met with deans of colleges and schools of education throughout the state, and representatives from the State Department of Education and national foundations to discuss educator preparation from a national perspective. Gangone also was invited to be the lead speaker at the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s (INACTE’s) first statewide summit, and presented data from the Colleges of Education: A National Portrait report.

Ena Shelley, an AACTE board member and INACTE member, shared how important it was to hear the trend data. “When you are working within state borders, you think it is just your state, but when you see the trend data—how long teachers are staying or not staying, the demographics—it makes it real,” Shelley said. “I think the report was so important because we really haven’t had a succinct, cohesive report like the National Portrait, which gives us real data to look at … [and ask ourselves] now what can  we do about it?”

Ohio Partnership Sways Teacher Licensure Legislation

Ohio recently proved that collaboration across education stakeholders can increase communication and partnerships, as well as shape state legislation.

In fall 2017, a superintendent group representing the Western Ohio Advocacy Network (WOAN) worked with Ohio Senator Matthew Huffman to craft the Ohio School Deregulation Act (SB216), intended to increase local control of education. The initial bill proposed reverting back to having only two general education licensure bands: Grades 1-8 and 7-12, a radical departure from Ohio’s existing licensure bands: PK- 3, 4-9, and 7-12. SB 216 also proposed moving teacher licensure bands from Ohio’s Administrative Code (controlled by the Ohio Department of Education) to Ohio’s Revised Code (with legislative oversight), which meant that any future changes would require legislative action.

AACTE Initiatives in Special Education Preparation Take Flight

AACTE is a national partner for the University of Florida’s Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center, which helps states and institutions of higher education to develop the ability of every teacher to prepare students with disabilities for college and careers. As a federally funded multi-million dollar project, CEEDAR works with AACTE and others to promote the preparation of all educators to have the mindset and skillset for effectively instructing students with disabilities along with all other students in the mainstream classroom.

“This initiative is about ensuring that all educators have the skills to work effectively with students with disabilities,” said AACTE Consultant Jane West, who leads the Association’s work with CEEDAR. “Special education has too often been considered a place and not a service. We are highlighting and promoting preparation for both general and special educators so they can provide effective instruction to students with disabilities in inclusive ways with an eye toward raising expectations and undermining the stigmatizing of students with disabilities.”

AACTE Board Election Underway Through Nov. 30

The election for the 2018 AACTE Board of Directors is now under way through November 30. Seven seats will be decided via online voting: one representing the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE), one representing the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities, one representing the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and one representing the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), and three at-large seats.

The slate is as follows:


New Webinar Focuses on Mentoring Novice Principals in Difficult Situations

AACTE will host a free webinar on principal leadership on Wednesday, November 28, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. EST. Please tune in to attend the Supporting Novice Principals on the Job: Mentoring Support in Difficult Situations webinar, part of a series on principal leadership sponsored by The Wallace Foundation.

Topics will include

  • When to seek outside support
  • Trust building in the mentoring role
  • Questioning strategies for mentors and mentees
  • Structures for principal mentorship

JTE Author Insights: Review of Culturally Responsive Intervention Practices

Check out the latest the JTE Insider post featuring insights from the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) article “Promoting Educators’ Use of Culturally Responsive Practices: A Systematic Review of Inservice Interventions” by Jessika H. Bottiani, Kristine E. Larson, Katrina J. Debnam, Christina M. Bischoff, and Catherine P. Bradshaw. The article appears in the Sept/Oct 2018 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education.

Northwest Missouri State University Receives National Award for Excellence and Innovation

Photo courtesy of AASCU

Northwest Missouri State University was presented with the Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) at the opening session of its Annual Meeting last month in Washington, D.C. The award is named in honor of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who was killed in the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster, and honors institutions for excellence and innovation.

Recipients of the award have shown evidence of top-level administrative support, alignment with its institutional mission and strategic agenda, contributions to significant institutional improvements or programming, research, and incorporated best practices.

Marvin Lynn Joins #AACTE19 Opening Keynote

AACTE is pleased to announce a second participant in the 71st Annual Meeting Opening Keynote. Marvin Lynn of the Graduate School of Education at Portland State University (PSU) will join Marilyn Cochran-Smith of the Lynch School of Education at Boston College for the general session, Friday, February 22, 2019. Lynn brings his extensive experience in teacher education to this thought-provoking discussion on accreditation, assessment, and other facets of teacher education accountability.

Lynn is the dean of the Graduate School of Education at PSU. He is an internationally recognized expert on race and education and the lead editor of the Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education. He serves as an editorial board member of several journals, and has published more than two dozen research articles and book chapters. At PSU, Lynn works closely with an outstanding and diverse faculty and staff to advance the national profile of high quality academic programs while further building and strengthening relationships with local schools.