Archive for August, 2022

AACTE to Participate in Department of Education Webinar

On August 31, AACTE representatives will participate in a webinar sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education (register here). Officially titled, “Helping Teachers Afford Comprehensive Pathways into the Profession and Achieve Loan Forgiveness,” the webinar will discuss TEACH Grants and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) programs, valuable tools to help attract and retain individuals interested in pursuing a career in education.

Congratulations Matthew J. Wales

After 16 years of service to the association (for which we are extremely grateful!), Matthew J. Wales will depart AACTE at the end of this month. While at AACTE, Matt engaged with many members through his leadership in Annual Meetings, Leadership Academies, and Washington Weeks, as well as innumerable member engagement activities.

Matt joined the AACTE staff in 2006 as the coordinator for state relations, overseeing state chapter management. In October 2007, he transitioned to the associations’ Meetings and Events team. When promoted to Vice President of Member Services & Events in 2018, Matt provided program management, business development, constituent services and event coordination and implementation expertise to the association’s Membership, Marketing and Communications, and Events team.

Butler University’s Program Provides Training for Teachers with Alternative Credentials

Butler University is addressing Indiana’s teacher shortage through a new program designed to support new teachers, alternatively credentialed teachers, emergency-permitted teachers, or long-term substitute teachers with the training they need to succeed in the classroom. Butler’s first cohort of teachers will begin the first module of training in its “Teacher-Led, Teacher Education” program at the end of August.

According to a 2016 report from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, 8.5 percent of Indiana educators leave the field for reasons other than retirement (the third highest rate in the nation). The high attrition of educators, coupled with an insufficient pipeline of teacher candidates from bachelor’s degree programs, has led to drastic increases in alternative teaching credentials and emergency permits.

Public Broadly Supports School Security Measures – But Not Armed Teachers and Staff

The 54th annual PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools demonstrates broad support for school security measures, with 80% of respondents supporting armed police officers on duty while classes are in session. When it comes to arming teachers and staff, however, support falls to only 45%.

Despite the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, overall attitudes are similar to the 2018 PDK Poll, which asked the same questions of public school parents after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Pathways Alliance to Release Seminal Report Defining Teacher Residency Programs

The Pathways Alliance, a coalition of education organizations dedicated to supporting and implementing diverse and inclusive educator preparation pipelines, announces the release of their latest report, “Towards a National Definition of Teacher Residencies.” Based on input from teacher residency programs and other education leaders from across the country, this groundbreaking first-of-its-kind report offers a condensed yet thorough definition to guide policies that can support high-quality residencies to attract, prepare, and retain a robust and diverse teaching workforce. The report was written by the Pathways Alliance Teacher Residency Working Group, co-chaired by the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) and Prepared To Teach, Bank Street College. The working group participants included state education departments, educator preparation programs, and national nonprofit organizations. In addition, more than 40 organizations gave feedback and reviewed the report and definition.

Call for Chapters – Co-Teaching in Teacher Education: Centering Equity

Schools are a microcosm, reproducing the inequities seen in American society. As educator preparation faculty in this context, it is imperative to put equity at the forefront of programming and mission. In this volume, we position co-teaching as an innovation that can mitigate inequities in classrooms. Co-teaching is typically associated with special education or inclusion classrooms; however, more recently it is being used in general education classrooms at BK-12 level and in educator preparation.

Take Action: Support Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act

One of the barriers to a diverse and well-prepared educator workforce is the high cost of college and student loan debt. Research has found that higher debt burdens are associated with students avoiding public service jobs, particularly in the education field.  These barriers are more acute for people of color interested in entering the teaching profession and hinders their ability to stay in the profession.

Call for Entries: 2023 Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award

The AACTE 2023 Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award is open for submissions. Now is your chance to nominate an author’s book for this prestigious national award. The deadline for submission is August 19.

This award, overseen by the AACTE Committee on Research and Dissemination, recognizes exemplary books that make a significant contribution to the knowledge base of educator preparation or of teaching and learning with implications for educator preparation.

Call for Entries: 2023 James D. Anderson Outstanding Dissertation Award

Have you or do you know someone who recently completed a doctoral dissertation related to educator preparation? Now is the time to submit entries for the AACTE 2023 James D. Anderson Outstanding Dissertation Award. The deadline for submission is August 26.

This award recognizes excellence in doctoral dissertation research (or its equivalent) that contributes to the knowledge base of educator preparation or of teaching and learning with implications for educator preparation.

First-of-its-Kind Teacher Apprenticeship Program Launched at UCCS

This article originally appeared on Communique

UCCS has partnered with Calhan School District to offer a new K-12 Teacher Apprenticeship program. The program, offered through the College of Education, helps paraprofessionals become certified to teach in their own classrooms. 

“There’s a huge teacher shortage, especially in the rural communities, it’s especially difficult to recruit and retain teachers there,” explained Katie Anderson-Pence, Interim Associate Dean for the College of Education. “What this program looks to do is help people who are already at those schools, working as a paraprofessional or a teacher’s aide, to help them get their teaching license.”

New GSU Program to Assist Students in Special Education

Georgia Southern University special education faculty created an Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) program to assist undergraduate special education students with earning an advanced degree in special education in less time.

The team, including the College of Education’s Eric Landers, Ph.D., Cynthia Massey, Ph.D., Stephanie Devine, Ph.D., Kathryn Haughney, Ph.D., Caitlin Criss, Ph.D., and Karin Fisher, Ph.D., received approval for the new ABM to begin this fall, encouraging special education undergraduates at Georgia Southern to complete a M.Ed. in Special Education.

Member Spotlight: Sara Skretta

AACTE’s Member Spotlight features an individual from a member institution, highlighting how their work makes a difference in classrooms across the country. Nominate yourself or another member by providing a response to the following questions and sending to mgrenda@aacte.org. 

Get to know Sara Skretta …