The Nominee the Country Needs to Build Education Back Better

By AACTE

(December 18, 2020, Washington, D.C.) The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone issued the following statement today regarding the new Secretary of Education under the Biden-Harris administration:

“AACTE has happily submitted recommendations and participated in discussions with the Biden Transition Team regarding what is needed to rebuild and revolutionize education. We have highlighted the critical need for a COVID-19 relief bill, provided critical suggestions for the first 100-day executive actions, and contributed ideas for long term strategies and investments.

For the last four years, our nation has suffered from misguided and inadequate leadership at the U.S. Department of Education. This Administration’s failures have taken our nation’s PK-12 schools and system of higher education down a destructive path. While school districts struggle amidst a shortage of educators, with more than 600,000 jobs lost, so too do colleges of education with lowered program enrollment, program closures and faculty layoffs. The educator pipeline is at risk, and the future of our public education system is in jeopardy.

AACTE Membership – 2021 Renewal Due Dec. 31

By Kathleen M. DaBoll-Lavoie, Ph.D.

Happy Holidays from AACTE

By Lynn M. Gangone

Warm Regards,

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D.
President and CEO
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

Still Time to Register at Discounted Rates

By Jerrica Thurman

AACTE has extended registration deadlines for its virtual 2021 Annual Meeting, February 24-26. Enjoy the gift of time this holiday season to secure discounted rates for the premier educator preparation conference in the nation. The early bird registration deadline is now January 11.

Reduced Registration Rates

What Is the Next Education Workforce and Why Is AACTE Engaged in This Work?

By Lynn M. Gangone

AACTE’s Strategic Plan holds forth a vision to Revolutionize education for all learners. A bold statement for sure, and our strategic priorities of diversity, equity, and inclusion; high quality preparation; and inquiry and innovation exist to move us toward our vision.

As AACTE surveys the work of its member institutions looking for revolutionary ideas and practices, I have been intrigued by the work of member institution Arizona State University’s  Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College (MLFTC) and its Next Education Workforce initiative. I invite our college of education deans to join me in adding to the conversation and the work of this initiative at a virtual convening next month.

We have talked for years about declining enrollments, the perception of lack of innovation, and the myriad challenges facing teacher education and colleges of education—as well as the challenges of our K-12 partners in staffing and retaining a classroom-ready teacher workforce. What better time to consider different approaches to our collective work? MLFTC, in partnership with its local school districts, is implementing what it calls the Next Education Workforce models in its service area.

Timara Davis Named Holmes Scholar of the Month

By Azaria Cunningham

Congratulations to Timara Davis, the December Holmes Scholar of the Month. Davis is a doctoral candidate in the Exceptional Education program at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Prior to studying at UCF, Davis earned her master’s in special education with an emphasis on mild to moderate disabilities from Western Carolina University. Davis is an experienced educator, having taught for more than seven years at the elementary level and in higher education.

Previously, she served as secretary on the Holmes Council and credits the program with helping her to expand her network to other scholars of color and providing ample opportunities to build professional and personal connections. Davis has also served in other leadership roles, including serving as the former president of the Association for Doctoral Students in Exceptional Education (ADSEE) in 2019.

Her research interests include teacher preparation and professional development for general education teachers in inclusive settings and the retention of teachers, with a particular focus on high needs populations. Davis’ dissertation research will focus on implementing a data-based coaching model for general education teachers in inclusive settings.

Neag School Selected to Join National Holmes Scholars Program

By Stefanie Dion Jones

This article originally appeared in UCONN Today and is reprinted with permission.

This fall, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) selected UConn’s Neag School of Education to join its Holmes Scholars Program, a nationwide network of higher education institutions seeking to support students from historically underrepresented communities enrolled in graduate programs across the field of education.

For current and prospective Neag School doctoral students, the Holmes Scholars Program will offer an array of benefits — including numerous opportunities for mentorship, peer support, networking, and professional development. In addition, the Neag School has pledged to cover the costs of sending each of its Holmes Scholars to the AACTE’s annual conference, as well as the two-day preconference exclusive to Holmes Scholars, for a minimum of three years.

WGU Texas Launches Scholarship to Support Teachers of Tomorrow

By Alana Dunagan

While many things have changed or been put on hold over the last several months, academic goals don’t have to. Some of the biggest changes brought on by the current pandemic are the way American students are going to school and how adult learners earn their degrees.

In Texas, more than 40,000 teaching positions are still open and as more teachers retire, school administrators have more positions than applicants to fill them. With the growing need for in-person and online schooling, there is an ever-increasing demand for qualified teachers. That’s why WGU Texas is offering the special Become a Teacher Scholarship to help paraprofessionals and other aspiring teachers get started on their teaching degrees.

The Become a Teacher scholarship program assists recipients with $2,500 in scholarship funds awarded at $625 per six-month term for up to four terms and an additional $1,500 stipend during student teaching. These funds can be applied toward any of WGU’s Teachers College degree programs leading to teacher licensure.

Teacher Prep Programs Showing Promise

By Ruth Campbell

This article originally appeared in Odessa American and is reprinted with permission.

University of Texas Permian Basin’s new certification program in early childhood prekindergarten through third grade education has one semester in the books.

Dean of the College of Education Larry Daniel said they have 11 to 12 students in that major.

“It’s our first semester this fall, so we’re expecting that program to continue to grow. I know we’ve had a lot of inquiries but I don’t have a precise figure. … We are expecting that program to continue to grow and having teachers certified, particularly with the early childhood area,” Daniel said during a Zoom Early Childhood Action Network meeting this week.

ECAN is a committee of the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin. The Education Partnership of the Permian Basin is a nonprofit organization focused on supporting and improving the quality of education throughout the Permian Basin from cradle to career, its website said.

Plan Your Virtual Experience with AACTE Annual Meeting Event Planner

By Linda Minor

Want to know everything that is happening at the 2021 AACTE Annual Meeting?  The Event Planner has the entire schedule for each day (all times listed in the Event Planner are Eastern Time).    

Once you have logged in to the Event Planner, you will be able to

1. Browse the Full Schedule – You can use the search field at the top to locate sessions by presenter name (first or last), title, keywords, and other fields.
2. Access Session Information – See a session you might be interested in? Just click on the session title to access a description and list of presenters.
3. Plan Your Annual Meeting Experience – When you find a session you want to attend, just click the “add” button next to the session information. This will store the session to your schedule (which you can access at any time by clicking the “My Schedule” tab at the top).
4. Sync AACTE’s Annual Meeting to Your Calendar – At any time, you can visit “My Schedule” to both print a copy of your schedule and send invite requests to your electronic calendar(s) for each session you wish to attend.
5. Share Your Work with Other Attendees – Want to get other attendees interested in your session? If you are the presenter of a session, you can upload your slides, handouts, and other documents at any time. Just click on the “Sessions I’m Presenting” tab at the top of your page, and then click the “manage handouts” button next to the session you wish to add documents to in the schedule.

CAEP Teacher Preparation Standards Updated to Streamline Language

Increase Focus on Technology and Commitment to Equity and Diversity

By Matt Vanover

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Board of Directors has approved changes to the 2013 CAEP Standards for educator preparation. The CAEP Standards guide the nation’s top schools of education, those that are CAEP accredited, in preparing future K-12 teachers. The changes the Board approved include streamlining language, strengthening emphasis on technology, equity, and diversity. The revised standards are in effect for providers with visits in spring 2022.   

“The changes to the standards maintain our commitment to continuous improvement for our organization and our providers. The CAEP Standards were developed in 2013 to unify the profession under a single set of standards, with a commitment to ensure they remain rigorous. The enhancement to the standards is based on research to ensure rigor and relevance,” said CAEP President Christopher A. Koch. “CAEP providers are committed to preparing graduates that are ready to teach all students on the first day they enter a classroom.”

Cal State LA receives NSF grant to enhance STEM teaching in urban schools

By Margie Low

Photo: A screenshot of Cal State LA student-teachers interacting virtually with avatar pupils in a simulated classroom. (Credit: Cal State LA)

California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA ) has been awarded a three-year, $586,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to train future teachers in math and science instruction using a simulation lab.

The grant will establish Simulations for Minority Interactive Learning Environments (SMILE): A Design and Development Project at Cal State LA. The project will feature a simulation lab that will help prepare elementary teachers who will work in high-need urban schools to offer a successful learning experience in math and science.

Researchers will also study the integration of the use of mixed-reality virtual simulations in teacher preparation across several courses in the university’s Multiple Subject Teaching Credential Program. Faculty in Cal State LA’s Charter College of Education (CCOE) will create scenarios and develop scripts specifically intended to teach STEM concepts.

Developing Technology Excellence in Teachers Requires Lots of Practice

By Teresa Foulger, Kevin J. Graziano and Arlene Borthwick

This article originally appeared on the ISTE blog and is reprinted with permission.

If teacher candidates are to learn how to integrate technology, teacher educators and PK-12 mentor teachers must value, promote and demand that technology be an essential element to good teaching. Furthermore, teacher candidates and novice teachers must have ample opportunities to practice teaching with technology during their field experiences and student teaching.

A new paradigm for practice

In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell writes about the connection between practice and success. Experts, he writes, do not “float effortlessly to the top while practicing a fraction of the time their peers did.” Gladwell believes dedicating an enormous amount of time to practice is one of the most important factors in developing excellence. As such, “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”

Educators concerned with developing expertise remind us that not all practice is created equal. In a recent blog post, James Clear, author of Atomic Habits (2018), writes, “…at any level of skill, (if you) practice in the same way you always have you’ll get the same results you always have.” Applying a more purposeful and powerful conception of practice to educational technology calls for teacher educators and PK–12 mentor teachers to distinguish between time spent in repetitive activities to integrate research-based teaching from how time practicing is actually spent as a way to improve teaching with technology.

Explore Continuous Improvement at AACTE’s 2021 Annual Meeting

By Jerrica Thurman

• Navigating Student Supports in a Financial Crisis
• Identifying, Understanding, and Replacing Racist Curricula
• Future-casting: What does the Future of Education Look Like? How Can AACTE and it’s Partners Help to Advance the Field?
• What are the Latest Developments with the Biden Administration and the New Congress?
• Publishing in JTE
• Preparing Educators for Equitable Family, School, and Community Engagement
• Disrupting Inequities: Local and Global initiatives for Shared Responsibility in Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice
• Advocacy Talks and Town Hall—Your Voice in Advocating for the Profession

Who are the Candidates for the Biden Secretary of Education?

By Jane E. West

Welcome to Washington’s “end of the semester” sprint. Will that FY 2021 spending bill cross the finish line by the end of the year or be pushed into next year for the new Congress to grapple with?  Will the President refuse to sign the bill and cause a government shutdown? Will there be another COVID relief bill any time soon? And how about the Biden Secretary of Education?

Congress Punts FY 2021 Funding Bill and COVID Relief Package until Next Week

They say there is nothing that focuses the mind like a deadline. In Washington, that means moving the deadline to the edge of the cliff before acting. This week, the House and Senate agreed to extend the December 11 deadline for funding the government to next Friday, December 18, giving them an additional week to negotiate and finalize the $1.4 trillion bill.  President Trump is expected to sign the bill, called a continuing resolution, but he is a hard one to predict. 

Consensus on a bi-partisan COVID relief bill seems to be growing on one day and shrinking the next. Many appear hopeful that another week could bring them to closure so that the COVID relief bill and the FY 2021 spending bill could be packaged together and delivered to the White House as an early Christmas present.  There could also be a further extension of the deadline, even through Christmas. Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) has said she is not leaving town without a deal on both.