Community-Engaged Teacher Preparation TAG Awards Conference Scholarship
The 13 people who attended the first gathering of the Community-Engaged Teacher Preparation Topical Action Group (TAG) at the 2019 AACTE Annual Meeting in Louisville deemed it a great success. TAG participants represented six national programs of teacher preparation who are all seeking to prepare socially just, equity-focused community teachers with the capacity to enact pedagogies that are culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining.
In discussing the goals and outcomes of the TAG, participants indicated a desire to curate and disseminate literature on community-engaged teacher preparation, to engage in joint research projects, and to work together to collectively articulate the benefits of community-engaged teacher preparation to a variety of audiences and constituencies.
Future plans of the TAG involve creating a Facebook page for the purposes of communication among members where they can share resources and engage in dialogue. Members will also be able to share opportunities for grants, awards, publication venues, and research tools. Finally, the members discussed ways the TAG could advocate to advance community-engaged teacher preparation as a justifiable and compelling direction for the field.
The meeting ended with excitement as a name was drawn from a hat for a conference scholarship. Imandeep Grewal, from Eastern Michigan University was awarded an all-expenses paid trip to the Summer Institute on Community-Engaged Teacher Preparation at Ball State University. On May 15-17, 2019, Grewal participated in the Summer Institute along with 61 other participants and their school and community partners from 16 institutions who also prepare teachers. The Alliance’s Summer Institute is a three-day professional development experience that provides an entrée into community-engaged teacher preparation. During this year’s Institute, participants learned the essential components of a community-engaged teacher preparation model, visited and dialogued with community partners and teacher candidates, and explored ways in which teacher preparation programs can more effectively and authentically prepare candidates for an increasingly diverse society.
Following the Institute, Grewal said, “I was very fortunate to receive the AACTE-funded registration and travel funds for the Summer Institute on Community-Engaged Teacher Preparation. The speakers, in particular the community mentors, as well as the participants, the conversations, the sharing of resources, and the visit to the Whitely neighborhood were informative and inspiring. Each of these plays a critical role in expanding my thinking around community-engaged programming for teacher preparation. I am very grateful for this opportunity. Thanks, AACTE!”
This blog was written by Eva Zygmunt, Helen Gant Elmore Distinguished Professor of Youth, Childhood, and Family Studies; Susan M. Tancock, professor of elementary education; and Kristin Cipollone, assistant professor of elementary education of Ball State University.
Tags: events, membership
