AACTE Joins Learning Policy Institute Teacher Licensure Collaborative
AACTE recently joined the Learning Policy Institute to announce the formation of the Teacher Licensure Collaborative (TLC), a partnership of interested states building on the work of the Whole Child Policy Table, to advance revisions of state licensure and certification standards to incorporate whole child practices and ensure alignment with the science of learning and development.
Led by the Learning Policy Institute, with support of AACTE, the TLC will help advance revisions of state licensure and certification standards, incorporate whole child practices—including social and emotional learning (SEL)—and ensure alignment with the science of learning and development.
As educator preparation programs seek ways to meet the social and emotional needs of children and to implement trauma and healing informed practices across states and districts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, research points to important transformations in teaching practices. These practices are to ensure children experience secure relationships, skillful teaching, and personalized supports that will enable healthy development and successful lives beyond the pandemic, especially for those who have experienced adverse conditions. Strong educator preparation, which increases teacher efficacy and retention, is needed now more than ever to help teachers build these skills and meet this moment.
A main goal of educator preparation is to pursue strong standards for professional teacher licensing and certification. Doing so helps to establish a foundation for infusing whole child priorities and the science of learning and development throughout teacher preparation, early career development, and continued professional growth and advancement. Unfortunately, most state standards for licensing and certification have not been revised in the past decade, and states that have undertaken revisions have only begun the process of building systems that bring those standards into everyday practice.
Over the next year, the TLC will work closely with states as they
- Collaborate directly with experts and national organizations,
- Collaborate with others in the state and learn from similar work in other states,
- Draft revisions to state licensure and certification standards that incorporate whole child practices and align with the science of learning and development, and
- Build action plans for adopting and implementing revised standards across their systems for certification, preparation, and professional learning.
Please reach out to me at wcummings@aacte.org for a more detailed description of TLC or a copy of the “Teacher Licensure Collaborative: Statement of Interest.” Additionally, staff from the Learning Policy Institute are available to discuss the project. To schedule a meeting with an LPI staffer, please contact LPI Senior Policy Advisor Ryan Saunders at rsaunders@learningpolicyinstitute.org.
Tags: AACTE partner organizations, accreditation, state policy
