Mary E. Dilworth to Win AACTE Award for Book on Millennial Teachers of Color
AACTE is delighted to announce the selection of Millennial Teachers of Color, by Mary E. Dilworth to receive the 2019 AACTE Outstanding Book Award. The award will be presented at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting Closing Session, February 24, in Louisville, KY.
The volume, published in 2018 by Harvard Education Press, explores the opportunities and challenges for creating and sustaining a healthy teaching force in the United States. Millennials are the largest generational cohort in American history, with approximately 90 million members and, of these, roughly 43 percent are people of color. This publication offers a fresh look at these millennials and explores their views of the teaching profession, focuses attention on their relation to schools and teaching and considers how these young teachers feel about teaching for social justice.
Reviewers praised this book for its practical guidance and guidelines to address attracting, developing and retaining top talented teachers of color. Joshua Starr, chief executive officer of PDK International, presented detailed evidence of the volume’s special qualities, particularly the thought-provoking questions it raises and the solutions it offers: “Millennial Teachers of Color in a clear and pragmatic manner provides a useful road map to support several critical stakeholder groups, yes, of course, teachers, but also administrators, school boards and a broader community to address one of the most critical issues in our critical topic of American education: attracting, developing and retaining, top talented teachers of color,” said Starr. “As we attempt to transform our public schools to prepare each and every child to navigate an increasingly complex world on their own terms, we must know the perspectives, concerns, and dreams of the newest generation of teachers. Dr. Dilworth has given voice to young teachers who are actually doing the work in our schools today and delineated the multitude of factors that need to be considered in order to create a pipeline of well-qualified and passionate teachers who look like our kids. By doing so, she’s made a clarion call to system leaders and policy makers that we would do well to heed.”
Dilworth has centered her career on teacher quality and preparation, with a keen focus on racial/ethnic and linguistic diversity and equity issues. She led a host of education research, policy, and program initiatives as vice-president of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and senior vice-president of AACTE. Dilworth currently serves as an advisor to a range of nonprofit education organizations and institutions. Recently, Dilworth was a co-principal investigator for the National Science Foundation (NSF-DR12) project designed to recruit, prepare, license, and employ middle and high school science teachers from underrepresented groups. In addition, she served as a visiting professor and director of the Center for Urban Education at the University of the District of Columbia. Earlier in her career, she was a research fellow with Howard University’s Institute for the Study of Educational Policy (ISEP) and wrote the book, Teachers’ Totter: a Report on Teacher Certification Issues, widely recognized as heightening the national discourse on the disparate impact of licensing tests on underrepresented groups.
The AACTE Outstanding Book Award is given annually to recognize a book that makes a significant contribution to the knowledge base of educator preparation. Overseen by the AACTE Committee on Research and Dissemination, this award also seeks to honor publications that not only are well-written but offer a fresh lens on current assumptions or practices, reorient thinking in the field, and show potential for significant impact on policy or practice in educator preparation.
“As the leading voice in educator preparation, AACTE represents teacher educators who sustain and advance our profession through innovation, high standards, and leadership. For 23 years, AACTE has honored the exceptional contributions of member institutions and individuals to our field,” said Lynn M. Gangone, AACTE president and CEO. “The 2019 AACTE Awards recipients exemplify excellence in educator preparation, and I look forward to honoring Dr. Dilworth at the 71st Annual Meeting later this month. honoring this member institution at the 71st Annual Meeting later this month.”
AACTE issued a press release today announcing all of its 2019 award winners. For more information on AACTE’s awards program, visit http://aacte.org/professional-development-and-events/awards. Nominations for the 2020 Outstanding Book Award will open in April.
Tags: Annual Meeting, diversity, equity, workforce development
