New AACTE’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Video Series is Now Available
AACTE is excited to announce the release of its new video series on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in educator preparation. The videos address a wide variety of topics ranging from promising practices for recruiting and retaining teachers of color, to the importance of culturally relevant teaching for growing the special education teacher pipeline, and also promoting equal access to quality teachers, just to name a few.
The video series exemplifies the Association’s new strategic priority to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. AACTE and its members value the diversity of students, their families, and educators; equity in access to high quality instructional environments; and the inclusion of all students, defined as access and opportunity in PK-20 classrooms.
“AACTE believes that, in educator preparation, diversity involves having understanding, awareness, acceptance, acknowledgement, and representation of differences. Equity includes meeting learner needs by delivering social justice, differentiating instruction, and providing equal access. Inclusion entails celebrating differences, understanding everybody has something to contribute, and providing opportunity for all to be at the table,” said Lynn M. Gangone, AACTE President and CEO. “In education today, we must address the persistent problems of the inequities of access, discrimination and bias, as well as the underrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse populations among educators.”
In the first video segment, “Identifying Barriers to Workforce Diversity in Education,” featured AACTE members and leaders discuss ways to address systemic challenges in colleges of education, across university campuses and within the educator preparation profession that prevent students of color in pursuing a teaching career. “What are colleges of education, or teacher education programs doing—that we don’t even realize we are doing—to almost prevent diverse people from coming into the profession,” says Gangone. “What does it mean to diversify our pipeline? Who don’t we have sitting at the table right now that we can ensure their voices are being heard and how we can adjust our programs?” says Kimberly Tobey, executive director of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs. “To help set the tone within my college that says we are not only strategizing to get folks of color in my college, but also we’re going to take necessary steps to support folks of color once they are there,” says AACTE board of director Michael Dantley, dean of the college of education, health and society at Miami University.
Over the next several weeks, AACTE will roll out the full video series, which will be available on AACTE’s Video Wall. Stay tuned for more information about this new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Educator Preparation video series. Help AACTE spread the word by sharing the videos with your social network!
Tags: diversity, equity, inclusion, media, strategic plan, thought leadership
