Archive for January, 2022

How are You Using ESSER Funds to Address Educator Shortages in Your Community?

AACTE has heard about several educator preparation programs and local school districts partnering together to utilize Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds to help address the teacher shortage in their communities. Now, we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to complete this short survey to share how you are using ESSER funds to place teacher candidates in local classrooms to help with the transition back to in-person learning.

Resource to Prepare, Retain High Quality Special and General Educators

A Framework for Change: Investing ESSER Funds to Prepare and Support Teachers of Students With Disabilities. AACTE joined the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) in 2020 as the pandemic gave rise to the growing challenges to teaching students with learning differences online. The Alliance steadfastly supports PK-20 students through resource development, including the newest resource: A Framework for Change: Investing ESSER Funds to Prepare and Support Teachers of Students With Disabilities

This resource was developed by EALA partners to give an overview of strategies for preparing and developing highly qualified general and special education teachers. It will show how states and districts can invest Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to address the current and growing need for educators to support students with disabilities and their peers. It shares data and research on both current challenges and recommended strategies and outlines recommended actions for states, districts, and educator preparation programs.

Black Women are Leading Student Governments With Intention

Leslie Ekpe

PHOTO CREDIT: VON HARRIS PRODUCTIONS

This article originally appeared in Forbes and is reprinted with permission.

In 2020, vast changes in higher education due to racial justice movements and the impact of Covid-19, resulted in colleges and universities clamoring to respond with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. One aspect of this response came in the form of newly elected African American student body presidents and student leaders. Whereas the majority of these posts had been held by White students for decades, the “interlocking” of COVID-19 and racial justice turmoil prompted Black students to create platforms for change on their campuses, and as a result their classmates elected them to leadership positions.

Ejana Bennett Named Holmes Scholar of the Month

Ejana BennettCongratulations to Ejana Bennett, Holmes Scholar of the Month, for January 2022. Bennett is currently a second-year doctoral student in the Curriculum, Culture and Change Ph.D. program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). 

Bennett’s research examines how teacher-critical racial consciousness impacts implementation of culturally relevant practices, student-teacher relationships, student learning outcomes, and student development, as well as opportunity gaps that positively address the racial/ethnic student-teacher mismatch.

Join Us in Revolutionizing Education

Register today for the AACTE 74th Annual Meeting

Join us in the Big Easy!Be part of the change this March 4 – 6, 2022, in New Orleans, LA, as we “Rethink, Reshape, Reimagine, Revolutionize, and Grow Our Profession Post Pandemic” during AACTE’s 74th Annual Meeting.

Hear from nationally renowned educator, education policy scholar, and best-selling author, Leslie T. Fenwick, Ph.D., as she takes the stage to discuss her new book, Jim Crow’s Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership.

AACTE Applauds Educator Preparation-Based Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship Programs

New Apprenticeship Programs Funded by U.S. Department of Labor Work to Address Teacher Shortages and Remove Financial Barriers for Teacher Candidates

AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education) supports the Tennessee Department of Education’s new Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship program as an innovative partnership approach to extend teacher pipelines and address teacher shortages.

In 2021, AACTE supported a federal application by the State of Tennessee and member institution Austin Peay State University (APSU) to create educator preparation-based Grow Your Own programs as acceptable apprenticeships for aspiring educators. After rigorous review and meetings with state and federal officials, AACTE endorsed the effort, which partners college or university educator preparation programs (EPPs) with local school districts to ensure teacher candidates are profession-ready upon entering the classroom.

Tennessee is the first state to sponsor Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship programs. Following approval from the United States Department of Labor (DOL), the state will establish a permanent Grow Your Own model, with a partnership between the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and APSU’s Teacher Residency initiative becoming the first registered program in the country.

edTPA Transitions to Pearson

edTPA logoFor nearly a decade, AACTE hosted the informational website containing assessment materials and resources to support the exploration and implementation of the edTPA as a communication partner with Stanford University and the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson.

Beginning in January 2022, AACTE transitioned out of its role as a communication partner and edTPA users are now being supported by the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson.

Time to Refresh and Renew with Savings from Office Depot

Office Depot - Exclusive Savings for AACTE members

Now is the perfect time to use your AACTE Office Depot Savings Program and start the new year well stocked and organized. From Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like masks and air purifies, calendars and planners to paper, ink and toner, you’ll find just want you need.Use these exclusive member-only coupons to help you get started. Get up to $35 off your next qualifying purchase. The offer is valid through February 7, 2022.

Attend Session Two: Strategies to Teach Students with Different Life Experience than Yours

GSoLEN and AACTE Webinar On Teaching Diverse Learners, Session 2The current demographics in the United States public school workforce are not representative of all students in American classroom settings. Though American classroom settings continue to grow in diversity, the teaching workforce remains predominantly white, middle class, and female. These racial inequalities in classroom settings may lead to biases, stereotype threats, and a need for more inclusive environments, thereby impacting student experiences in school settings in areas such as grades, disciplinary referrals, and teacher expectations of students. Across the field of education, stakeholders, including AACTE, are attempting to diversify the field in an attempt to improve the ability of our current teaching workforce to support their students who have different experiences from their own. In an era where, in the United States, our classrooms have never been more diverse with students from multiple cultures, socio-economic levels, and students with disabilities, how can we best prepare teachers to support all students in classroom settings?

APSU Now Offers First Registered Apprenticeship Program for Teaching in the Country

In 2021, AACTE supported a federal application by the State of Tennessee and member institution Austin Peay State University (APSU) to create educator preparation-based Grow Your Own programs as acceptable apprenticeships for aspiring educators. After rigorous review and meetings with state and federal officials, AACTE endorsed the effort, which partners college or university educator preparation programs (EPPs) with local school districts to ensure teacher candidates are profession-ready upon entering the classroom.

Paving the way for teaching and educator workforce development nationwide, the Tennessee Department of Education announced it has pioneered a new way to develop teacher pipelines, and is the first state to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a permanent Grow Your Own model, with Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and Austin Peay State University’s Teacher Residency program becoming the first registered apprenticeship program for teaching in the country. Tennessee is the first state in the country to sponsor Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship programs between school districts and Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs), which will further the state’s and nation’s efforts to extend the teacher pipeline and address teacher shortages.

Educators Won’t Be Silenced: Register for Webinar Addressing Book Banning

Ed Censorship and the Role of Book BanningSince the historic SCOTUS ruling in 1982, Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico, which ruled that school boards cannot remove books because they disagree with them, describing libraries as spaces of “voluntary inquiry,” book bans and challenges have continued. The education field is based upon the values of intellectual freedom that were upheld by this and other Supreme Court decisions; however, the executive director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom recently stated in an interview, “We’re seeing an unprecedented volume of challenges.” While there is a formal “challenge” process for censoring information in libraries and curriculum, the enormous increase in political pressure has prompted some school districts to abandon their policies and begin pulling the books without undergoing this review process. As a result of not abiding by this process, which is legally reserved for challenging content that is “obscene,” books that overwhelmingly depict LGBTQ+ and BIPOC stories are removed from shelves, having been deemed “obscene” by local opinion.

Addressing Teacher Shortages, Civil Rights, and Loan Servicing

A horizontal image of an empty primary school classroom. Teacher shortage conceptIt was another busy week in Washington as lawmakers prepared for the congressional recess  the following week. Conversations are heating up behind the scenes surrounding FY22 appropriations and a new iteration of the Build Back Better Act. Advocacy work will be critical in the coming weeks to ensure the historic proposals for education funding are included in both pieces of legislation.

An Update: Masks and Vaccinations at #AACTE22

AACTE's 74th Annual Meeting - Masks and VaccinationsIn just over a month, AACTE’s 74th Annual Meeting, Rethink, Reshape, Reimagine, Revolutionize: Growing the Profession Post Pandemic, will commence March 4-6, 2022, in New Orleans, LA.  As conference preparations continue, know that the AACTE team remains committed to providing an enriching and engaging educational experience in an environment that promotes health and safety and follows the local COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations. 

As of January 25, 2022, the city of New Orleans remains in Phase Three of their COVID-19 recovery plan. However, new regulations have been added to combat the spread of the Omicron variant. As a result, the following guidelines are currently in effect within the city:

Texas State University Students Surprised with $20,000 Stipends

Texas State University students

Texas State University students participating in the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) approved teacher residency program at Lockhart Independent School District (LSD) were surprised with $20,000 annual stipends awarded during a special event on Jan. 18 at Clear Fork Elementary.

The stipends, in the form of oversized checks, were presented to a cohort of 17 Texas State students who are embedded in Lockhart ISD for a full year, working with mentor teachers and engaging with students. The funds are meant to support the students financially while they are working in the residency program.