23 Aug2021
By Weade James
AACTE is excited to announce Congressman Mondaire Jones will participate in its 2021 Washington Week virtual conference Holmes Program. Representative Jones serves on the House Committee on Education and Labor. He is a champion of public education and understands that a quality education leads to intergenerational mobility.
About Rep. Mondaire Jones
Congressman Jones is serving his first term as the Congressman from New York’s 17th District, encompassing all of Rockland County and parts of central and northern Westchester County.
A product of East Ramapo public schools, Rep. Jones was raised in Section 8 housing and on food stamps in the Village of Spring Valley by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to provide for their family.
23 Aug2021
By Joshua Flanagan
The Texas Woman’s University College of Professional Education (COPE) has been selected to participate in the Holmes Program sponsored by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), which supports racially and ethnically diverse students pursuing graduate degrees in education.
TWU is the only woman-centric university participating in the program to date. Founded in 1991 for doctoral students, the AACTE Holmes Program provides students mentorship, peer support, and professional development opportunities.
“The college is proud to be part of the prestigious Holmes Scholars program,” COPE Dean Lisa Huffman said. “Our participation — with our program’s unique focus on underrepresented women — will allow us to provide support to doctoral students that ensures their success and builds the next generation of diverse leaders in education.”
23 Aug2021
By Michael Rose
The nation’s newspapers, websites, and blogs are filled with discussions about what policies Congress should address next. Currently, it seems like all eyes are on Afghanistan; yesterday was all about investing in the nation’s infrastructure; tomorrow the discussion may be on President Biden’s American Families Plan. The president’s proposal calls for historic investments in our nation’s youth, families, and economic future, including a call to invest $9 billion in teacher preparation programs. But it is unclear whether Congress will support the proposal, let alone the $9 billion in long-overdue investments in teacher preparation.
23 Aug2021
By Leslie Ekpe
Congratulations to Frank Conic, Holmes Scholar of the Month for August 2021. Conic successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Analysis of the Impact of SB 1720 on Gateway Math Courses” this summer.
Currently, Conic serves as an assistant program director for the Community College Futures Assembly, a University of Florida Institute of Higher Education independent policy forum, where he works to prepare students for the many facets of post-secondary education.
Conic has been a Holmes Program participant since 2011 and continues to exhibit the values of excellence and leadership through his service as a student mentor and instructor. He is a mathematics instructor at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, and plans to continue in the professoriate at the community college level to support students who are often first-generation, low income, and minority students.
To nominate a Holmes Scholar for the Scholar of the Month award, please use this online form.
20 Aug2021
By Gaelle Gilbert
Series one, episode six of the AACTE Podcast, Revolutionizing Education, is now available.
The latest and final episode of series one features a discussion surrounding the critical question: How do we design authentic field experiences that equip students with evidence-based skills to support a sustainable career? Tara Mathien from the University of Florida shares how the adaptations that her educator preparation program made throughout this past year has led to lasting change that will continue to be implemented in the future.
Listen now to Episode 6: Jack Be Nimble
20 Aug2021
By Robert Floden
As chair of the AACTE Board of Directors, I invite you to attend AACTE’s second virtual Washington Week, taking place throughout September. Your participation, and your voice, are critical in supporting programs, advocating for funds, and advancing policies our institutions need to move the profession forward.
Watch the video to learn more about the virtual conference. Register now and invite your colleagues and students to participate in AACTE’s 2021 Washington Week. View the event schedule and details at www.aacte.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation using #AACTEWW21.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact AACTE’s Events Team at events@aacte.org.
I look forward to seeing you at AACTE’s virtual event next month!
Robert E. Floden
Dean Emeritus and University Distinguished Professor, College of Education, Michigan State University
Board Chair, AACTE
Questions – Need Assistance?
Please contact us at events@aacte.org
19 Aug2021
By Blair Mann
Leaders are grappling with the unprecedented challenge of working to understand and address the impact of the pandemic on students and communities. To support recovery, decisionmakers at all levels, from state policymakers to parents, must have access to data and use it to effectively address the challenges schools and districts face. But DQC’s 2021 public opinion polling of parents and principals uncovered considerable disconnects that could threaten efforts to use data to address the current moment and beyond.
As leaders turn their attention to the upcoming school year, data continues to be a critical tool for informing recovery efforts. State and local leaders are working together and using data to tackle the most pressing issues, which include:
19 Aug2021
By Christine C. Gorowara
In a recent Q&A with AACTE, Christine Carrino Gorowara, past president of the Delaware Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, shares her perspective as a frequent attendee of the Washington Week State Leaders Institute.
Why do you believe it is important for AACTE members to actively advocate for education? Why do you recommend AACTE members attend the State Leaders Institute?
AACTE members have specialized knowledge about education issues and provide an invaluable perspective to lawmakers. Additionally, part of our role in preparing educators is doing what we can to create an environment where educators can thrive, including ensuring funding, promoting culturally responsive policies, and expanding opportunity. The State Leaders Institute helps us hone our knowledge of issues relevant to educator preparation and how those issues are connected to pending legislation and develop the skills needed to advocate effectively.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s State Leaders Institute?
As informative as the speakers always are, I most look forward to the opportunity to learn from other state chapters. I love learning about what kinds of events they hold, what resources and services they provide their members, how they work with partner organizations, and their innovative ideas for moving the profession forward.
19 Aug2021
By Meghan Grenda
Whether you are shopping for yourself or a student in college, a great set of school supplies can help anyone feel prepared and eager to learn. Buying school supplies can prove costly, and savvy consumers are often on the hunt for good deals. As a member of AACTE, you have access to discounted Office Depot pricing. Your discount never expires and can be used for personal, school, or business purchases such as ink, toner, paper, and cleaning and classroom supplies.
18 Aug2021
By Weade James
The AACTE Holmes Program continues to expand to support new scholars in their academic pursuit. We are pleased to welcome Ava Jackson, Holmes Post-doctoral Fellow at Boston University, and Elizabeth León Zaragoza, Holmes doctoral student at University of Nevada Las Vegas, to the Holmes community. Congratulations to these scholars and their institutions for their commitment to promoting excellence and success of diverse scholars.
17 Aug2021
By Linda Minor
Time is running out. Have you, or someone you know, received their doctorate since January 1, 2020 and are eligible to apply for the AACTE Outstanding Dissertation Award? The deadline to submit an application is Friday, August 20.
This award recognizes excellence in research (or its equivalent) that contributes to the knowledge base of educator preparation or of teaching and learning with implications for educator preparation.
The Outstanding Dissertation Award, overseen by AACTE’s Committee on Research and Dissemination, includes a $1,000 cash prize, as well as special recognition at AACTE’s 74th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, March 4-6, 2022.
The primary selection criterion is quality of scholarship. The narrative summary file should answer the following questions about the dissertation:
17 Aug2021
By Ward Cummings
Join AACTE at this year’s virtual State Leaders Institute, September 30 – October 1, as we address current trends impacting the profession. Hear from AACTE leaders and experts on effective ways to advocate for policies and funding within your state. Interactive sessions will cover topics such as:
- Working with Coalitions to Do Advocacy Work
- ARPA State Funding Initiatives
- Consortium for Research-Based and Equitable Assessments
- State Affiliates Access to AACTE’s Connect360
17 Aug2021
By Kantele Franko - Associated Press
Before last year, a one-credit technology course for students pursuing master’s degrees in education at the University of Washington wasn’t seen as the program’s most relevant. Then COVID-19 hit, schools plunged into remote learning, and suddenly material from that course was being infused into others.
“It’s become so relevant, and it’s staying that way,” said Anne Beitlers, who directs Washington’s master’s program for secondary education. “And nobody’s going to question that now.”
Changes to standards and curricula happen slowly, but the pandemic is already leaving its fingerprints on the education of future teachers. Many U.S. educator preparation programs are incorporating more about digital tools, online instruction and mental and emotional wellness in their courses to reflect takeaways from the pandemic.
17 Aug2021
By Carol Stinnett
This article originally appeared on the UCF Today and is reprinted with permission.
Martha Lue Stewart, the first Black woman promoted to the rank of professor at UCF, retired on August 7. (Photo by Amy Floyd)
If one word could encapsulate the journey that Martha Lue Stewart has had at UCF, it’s grateful. As the professor submitted grades for her final course last week and packed up the books, photos and other mementos in her office, she reminisced on countless stories.
As the first Black woman promoted to the rank of professor at UCF, Stewart has been instrumental in helping build a diverse and inclusive campus. Early on, she served as chair of the Diversity Programming Committee that organizes events like Diversity Week. Stewart was also actively involved in the Black Faculty and Staff Association, where she served as president from 1998–99. Her first service project with the association involved launching the university’s first Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.
“I enjoyed having a place where I could meet other colleagues of color,” she says. “It felt like a family and that’s amazing.”
17 Aug2021
By Rebecca Koenig
Graduates of Call Me MISTER: Photo by Patrick Wright, Clemson University, Photographic Services-University Relations.
This article originally appeared in EdSurge and is reprinted with permission.
When Alphonso Richard Jr. walked into his first teacher education course at Clemson University, he experienced a shock.
“Being in a class where you’re the only male, I didn’t know where to sit,” he says. “Girls were looking like, ‘Oh my goodness, is that a guy in here?’”
Compounding the confusion: Most women in the room were white, and Richard is Black. The dissonance was enough to send a shiver of doubt through the aspiring educator’s mind.
“It was a scared, hesitant feeling at first,” Richard says. “Am I meant to be here? Is this for me?”
It takes courage to enter a space where you’re not sure you belong. That’s the kind of threshold that Black men training to become educators have to cross many times. They make up only 2 percent of U.S. public school teachers (men overall compose 24 percent). They’re also underrepresented in college teacher-preparation programs, as education is “one of the least diverse major fields in higher education,” according to a 2019 report from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
