AACTE thought leaders have spoken about issues ranging from solutions to the teacher shortage to the impact of censorship on education over the past month.
As a result, AACTE has been cited in stories about colleges innovating ways to fill teacher jobs, reinvigorating interest among students in the teaching profession, and celebrating the next generation of teachers.
The new “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
States and districts around the country continue to scramble to fill teaching positions with fully certified, profession ready educators. A recent analysis from the Southern Regional Education Board of 2019-20 data in 11 states found roughly 4% of teachers — which could be up to 56,000 educators — were uncertified or teaching with an emergency certification. By 2030, the number of uncertified teachers or those teaching with an emergency certification is expected to balloon. The Southern Regional Education Boards projects that upwards of 16 million K-12 students in the Southern region of the country could be taught by an unprepared or inexperienced teacher. While the pandemic certainly exacerbated the problem, it is not new and has steadily gotten worse over the last decade. For example, in Texas school districts’ reliance on uncertified new hires increased significantly over the last decade. In the 2011-12 school year, fewer than 7% of the state’s new teachers — roughly 1,600 — didn’t have a certification. By last year, about 8,400 of the state’s nearly 43,000 new hires were uncertified.
The Department of Education recently announced permanent changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to make it easier for borrowers to see their federal student loans forgiven under the program. Many of these changes were announced earlier this year on a temporary basis; they will take effect in July 2023.
The School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San Diego has received a $1.5 million grant from the San Diego Foundation to develop and launch the Black InGenius Initiative (BiGI)– a college access and early literacy program for Black students within the San Diego region.
Sixty rising sixth graders will be selected for BiGI every year starting in fall 2023. USD will provide students with consistent academic support delivered by SOLES students and faculty trained in neurodivergent teaching, which is the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in different ways, therefore there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning or behaving.
Virtual reality has a number of applications for pedagogy and teacher training; simulation training in these much-needed areas may add an essential component to the field of teacher education (Tondeur, Pareja-Roblin, van Braak, Voogt, & Prestridge, 2017). Computer simulations can provide guided practice for a variety of situations that pre-service teachers wouldn’t frequently experience during their teacher education studies (Mason, Jeon, Blair, & Glomb, 2011; Mason, 2011). Simulations can help pre-service teachers develop the skills that it takes to properly run a classroom without the high-stakes risk of causing harm to actual students (Matsuda, 2005).
There are numerous benefits to game-based learning, including improved learner motivation and engagement, constructive knowledge frameworks, exploratory and independent learning and, at times, higher achievement outcomes over traditional pedagogy (Boyle et al., 2016; Cheong, Flippou, & France, 2015; Peterson, 2019). Simulations can allow pre-service teachers to see their students from a different perspective, gain insight into the best ways to manage their future classroom, and understand the direct consequences of their actions in the classroom (Ferry et al., 2004). Including simulations in pre-service teaching coursework has demonstrated an increase in the confidence and effectiveness of first year teachers (Englebert, 2010).
Congratulations to Phylicia Anderson, on being named Holmes Scholar of the Month! Anderson is a doctoral candidate at Texas Woman’s University.We are excited to welcome four outstanding scholars to the Holmes Community. Please join us in welcoming Jordana Simmons (Rowan University), Zhan Shi (Texas Christian University), Denise Mugabe (Texas Christian University), and Monica Manzur (Texas Christian University).
Does your institution have a best practice that deserves national attention? Do you want to recognize the achievements of a colleague in the field? You still have time to nominate institutions and individuals for a 2023 AACTE Award. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2022.
Help AACTE To identify notable programs, practices, activities, writing, and research that strengthen the profession of teacher preparation through innovation, high standards, and leadership. Winning entries will be recognized formally at the 2023 Annual Meeting, February 24-26, in Indianapolis, IN.
Learn more about the 2023 AACTE Awards, eligibility, and criteria. AACTE invites nominations or applications for the following awards:
AACTE today released a newly commissioned report on The State of Education Censorship in Institutions of Higher Ed and Implications for the Field. The report, authored by AACTE member Ashley L. White, Ph.D., is a comprehensive overview of proposed and enacted censorship in education impacting educators, students, and preparation for the next generation of teachers.
Understanding learner variability helps disrupt the idea of a one-size-fits all approach and paves the way for more equitable teaching and learning. The intersection of culturally responsive practice with the science of learner variability can provide great insight into what it takes to successfully implement culturally responsive instruction with both teachers and students. It also helps us understand why culturally responsive practices are necessary for reaching and embracing the whole learner.
On November 10, 2022 at 1:00 p.m., we will hear from our distinguished panelists, Courtney Teague, Angela Elkordy, and Leigh Ann Erikson, on how they approach culturally responsive practice in their courses and practice. We’ll discuss some of the key findings from the research on culturally responsive practices, where the research gaps are, and the importance of culturally responsive practices in teacher education and K-12 classrooms. Register today for the Learner Variability and Culturally Responsive Practices, hosted by Digital Promise and AACTE.
Voters will cast their votes on November 8 for scores of local, state, and federal elections. The election results will likely be felt for years, including in our nation’s classrooms. The results could impact curriculum, civil rights for underrepresented students, educator preparation, and other related issues.
While election experts predict modest changes in the composition of Congress, even the slightest of changes can have significant effect on our students and educators.
What does all this mean for AACTE, its members, and the students they work with?
Join me for a discussion on Wednesday, November 9 about the challenges and opportunities we expect over the next two years, including the following:
This article originally appeared on reimaginED, the policy and public affairs communications platform for Step Up For Students and is reprinted with permission.
The Early Learning Residency Program at Austin Peay University proved to be what recent graduate Malachi Johnson was looking for: a college education and a guaranteed job.
In her 20s, Heather Fracker set her sights on becoming a respiratory therapist. But as John Lennon observed, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
Fast forward two decades, and Fracker, a 43-year-old single mom to two middle schoolers, is pursuing a new dream. In two years, she will be a fully credentialed elementary school teacher thanks to an accelerated program that began in her hometown.
In today’s schools, the ability to integrate technology into the teaching and learning environment is a necessary and crucial skill. Many K-12 classroom environments are technology-rich, with 1:1 devices, blended learning, and even distance instruction taking place. However, new teachers often enter the classroom unprepared to successfully utilize educational technology and navigate the technology-rich classroom environment. The research study, Preparation to Teach in Technology-Rich K-12 Classroom Environments, examined the preparation of preservice teachers to teach with technology in today’s classrooms and explored the gap between the preparation teachers received in their teacher education program and what they needed to be able to do to be successful as classroom teachers. The study was conducted during the spring of 2022, and a total of 217 K to 12th grade teachers in their first three years of teaching in the United States participated in the survey, with ten participating in an in-depth follow-up interview.
Diana Lys, Ed.D., assistant dean for educator preparation and accreditation at the UNC School of Education, was named the ninth president of the North Carolina Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NCACTE) on Thursday, Sept. 22, at the organization’s 40th annual Teacher Education Fall Forum held in Raleigh.
NCACTE is the leading advocacy group for policy issues regarding teacher preparation in North Carolina, and its membership includes private and public educator preparation programs across the state. Lys will serve as NCACTE president until 2024.
In the role she will have an opportunity to make direct impact on the success of teacher education and preparation in the state — and, ultimately, the success of students, educators, and schools.
