08 Mar2019
By Tracy Spesia
AACTE is pleased to share excerpts from a testimonial by one of the 2019 Annual Meeting attendees, Tracy Spesia of the University of Saint Francis in Joliet, IL. In a letter to AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, Spesia shared how the AACTE Annual Meeting has consistently influenced and brought value to her work as the edTPA coordinator at her institution:
“It was a professional and personal pleasure to attend the 71st AACTE Annual Meeting in Louisville. This annual conference’s tremendous impact on me, and the ripple impact it has had on my college and community, is clear. I actually have the documentation to prove it!
In 2010, I accepted the full-time position of Field Experience Coordinator (and Partnership Liaison) at the University of St. Francis. In 2012, my dean asked me to assume the edTPA coordinator position. The toolbox needed some new tools. By a stroke of luck, the AACTE annual conference was in nearby Chicago in spring 2013, and the dean suggested I attend to learn more about edTPA. I had never heard of AACTE. I had no idea what edTPA was about. I had never really attended a professional conference. This opportunity marks such a turning point in my career.
08 Mar2019
By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.
At its meeting prior to the 71st Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY, the AACTE Board of Directors elected the following board members to leadership positions on the AACTE Executive Committee:
Chair-Elect
Ann Larson
Dean and Professor, College of Education and Human Development
University of Louisville
07 Mar2019
By Barbara Baals
This article on AACTE Board of Director Monika Williams Shealey and accompanying photo originally appeared in Rowan Today and are reprinted with permission.
Monika Williams Shealey has been named senior vice president of the newly created Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Rowan University.
Shealey, who joined Rowan as dean of the College of Education in 2013, will oversee a division that brings together departments and programs to develop initiatives designed to address issues of access, equity and inclusion across all of the University’s campuses.
“Under Dr. Shealey, the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be tasked with making Rowan a model institution—a University where diversity is valued and equity and inclusion are routine,” Rowan President Ali A. Houshmand said in announcing Shealey’s appointment.
07 Mar2019
By Linda Minor
Are you a new dean or department chair – or are you simply looking to advance your career as an academic administrator? The AACTE Leadership Academy covers essential topics, from managing finite resources to creating effective development and public relations programs, while helping to cultivate a supportive network of peers.
Register now for AACTE’s Leadership Academy, June 23 – 27 in Pittsburgh, PA at the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel.
At AACTE’s Leadership Academy, you will
- Learn to articulate critical components of leadership, including styles, motivations, and a commitment to diversity and inclusivity, as they pertain to your own practice as a leader.
- Build a comprehensive understanding of the multiple roles and functions of your appointed position, particularly in an individual institutional context.
- Strengthen key leadership skills, enabling you to more effectively serve as both a team leader and member, manage time, develop inclusive environments, foster and promote diversity, resolve conflicts, and facilitate change.
- Engage in discussions, via small-group settings and collective sessions, to forge networks with other professionals in similar leadership positions.
04 Mar2019
By Brandon R.T. Frost
AACTE is now accepting applications from member institutions to join a new networked improvement community (NIC) focused on special education teacher recruitment and retention.
The shortage of special education teachers and the lack of diversity among all teachers have been well documented. Half of all schools and 90% of high-poverty schools struggle to find qualified special education teachers.
The aim of this NIC is to positively impact the special education teacher shortage and the lack of diversity in the special education teacher workforce in public schools. Participating institutions will identify a range of best practices related to increasing enrollment, strengthening partnerships with P-12 schools, and retaining special education teachers.
Read more about this new initiative on our website and in the Reducing the Shortage of Special Education Teachers NIC Charter.
Applications are due on April 1, 2019. Member institutions will be selected through a structured review process and notified in late April of 2019. An introductory virtual meeting will be held in May of 2019, and the first in-person convening will be held in the fall of 2019.
01 Mar2019
By Meghan Grenda
Kathryn Hildebrand, AACTE member and dean of Idaho State University (ISU) College of Education, passed away on Monday, February 25 after a battle with cancer.
As a vital advocate for the educator preparation community, Kathy targeted her efforts toward creating strong partnerships with school districts in the region, which included promoting dual enrollment courses high school students could take to earn credits at the College of Education. Kathy pushed the agenda within the education community, with a focus on priorities that included course offerings through innovative technology, distance learning, and online models.
Kathy earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education from Stanford University where she was a track athlete. She holds a doctorate in physical education and curriculum and instruction from Florida State University. She served as dean of the College of Education at ISU since March 2018, having previously served in the same capacity at Troy University. She also served as the AACTE chief representative for the ISU College of Education.
