12 Sep2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “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.
Last month, the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada — the nation’s fifth-largest school district —was forced to cancel classes at two elementary schools due to teacher vacancies. Currently, Clark County has upwards of 1,100 teacher vacancies; however, that number nearly doubles when you account for positions being filled by substitute teachers, many of whom are often un or underqualified for the role.
Additional disruptions to the academic year occurred the Friday before Labor Day when another elementary school was forced to cancel classes due to a high volume of teachers calling in sick leading to staffing concerns. Similarly, a Las Vegas middle school reported combining classes due to the lack of personnel.
12 Sep2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
The Senate returned on Tuesday from August recess and all eyes quickly turned to appropriations. Members in the House return this coming Tuesday and there will already be a full agenda of action to both enact a necessary extension of government funding to start on October 1 and avoid a government shutdown (otherwise known as a continuing resolution) and passing FY 2024 government funding bills. With only three weeks remaining until the end of the fiscal year this will certainly be a busy and stressful time in Washington. Although Congress has been on recess for the past month, the work in DC doesn’t stop — a lot has happened since our last update. Let’s dive in.
Ranking Member Cassidy Releases Report on the Legislative Role of Congress as it relates to Artificial Intelligence
On Wednesday, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a white paper, Exploring Congress’ Framework for the Future of AI: The Oversight and Legislative Role of Congress Over the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Health, Education, and Labor. The paper examines the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and how Congress should regulate the technology. The report ends with a call for stakeholder input on “ways to improve the framework in which these technologies are developed, reviewed, and used” by submitting comments to HELPGOP_AIComments@help.senate.gov by September 22. Read the white paper in its entirety.
12 Sep2023
By Nicole Dunn
The Wallace Foundation’s Knowledge Center for School Leadership has released a new Principal Sustainability Guide. The guide, developed by Policy Studies Associates (PSA), explains what it takes to sustain an effective principal pipeline and provides districts with tools to assess the strength of their pipelines and sustain their efforts for long-term benefits. Partnerships are one of the six key elements for sustainability outlined in the guide.
Last year, AACTE covered the partnership dynamics between principal preparation programs and districts throughout its University Principal Preparation Initiative Podcast. The podcast sheds light on how programs can work with districts to ensure high-quality principal preparation responsive to the district’s needs. The Principal Sustainability Guide dives into high-quality preservice principal preparation and the six other domains comprising a comprehensive, aligned principal pipeline strategy. AACTE encourages members to explore and share the guide with your district and community partners. AACTE and the Wallace Knowledge Center for School Leadership have a wealth of resources for preparation programs that cover various topics beyond district partnerships.
If you are interested in working with AACTE’s Topical Action Group for Principal Preparation and Support, please contact me at ndunn@aacte.org.
12 Sep2023
By Brooke Evans
AACTE is pleased to offer Lunch and Learns, new professional development opportunities for members. These 30-minute sessions are designed to provide you with an immediate tool or strategy that you can immediately apply to your work. You can’t make it virtually? All Lunch and Learns will be available on-demand just for AACTE members. Watch them during your lunch break or whenever it is convenient for you.
AACTE will kick off its new Lunch and Learn Series on Tuesday, September 26 from 3:00 -3:30 p.m. ET with Building Partnerships to Address the Educator Shortage in California. Karen Escalante (California State University San Bernadino) will teach us about the partnership developed between the Riverside County Office of Education and California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), a Hispanic and minority-serving institution. The mission of this partnership is to support teacher candidates into, through, and beyond teacher induction.
05 Sep2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “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.
Last week, local news media outlets reported that more than 600 students at Chancellor High School in Spotsylvania County, Virginia are taking math and English courses using the online platform, Edgenuity, as the district grapples with vacant teaching positions.
In an email sent to parents just before the end of the first week of classes for students, Principal Abe Jeffers outlined the problem: “At Chancellor, we have over 600 of our students taking math and English courses using the program due to three math vacancies and English vacancies.” Jeffers explained the school has filled one vacant English position and has an interview scheduled with another candidate. “… However, we have had no applicants to fill our three math positions, thus we’re forced to have our students use the teaching program Edgenuity, supervised by a substitute teacher, to learn math.”
05 Sep2023
By AACTE
The AACTE 2024 Annual Meeting, taking place February 16 – 18, will showcase content from faculty, scholars, leaders, practitioners, and other educator preparation colleagues from around the world. The submitted proposals undergo a selective review process, which AACTE could not carry out without the volunteer reviewers from member institutions. Reviewers are integral to the creation of the educational content offered and their advice and guidance are invaluable assets to our conference speakers and authors.
AACTE appreciates the time and effort of the 131 individual reviewers and the 83 member institutions that support them. The proposal review process offers selected faculty and graduate students the opportunity to engage with research from faculty and institutions from across the country. Thank you to the following Annual Meeting 2024 Reviewers.
05 Sep2023
By AACTE
The Biden-Harris Administration has announced the next step in its work to open a new pathway to student debt relief by soliciting nominations for negotiators who will participate in public rulemaking negotiation sessions this Fall. The Department is seeking nominations from 14 different constituency groups for the Student Loan Relief committee, which will meet for three virtual sessions beginning October 10. These nominations are the second step in a process known as “negotiated rulemaking,” which is required under the Higher Education Act for any regulations related to the Federal student financial aid programs.
05 Sep2023
By Brooke Evans
As part of the Longview Foundation-supported Global Education Faculty Professional Learning Series, AACTE is proud to partner with member institutions Marist College, the University of Florida, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis as they discuss their international collaborations with teacher educators from Brazil, Ecuador, and South Africa. The webinar, “Cross-Cultural Collaboration: How EPPs Can Foster Relationships with International Partners,” will take place on Wednesday, September 20 from 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. ET via Zoom.
31 Aug2023
By Alliant International University
Alliant International University and San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) have partnered through SDUSD’s TEACH-LEAD program in order to support aspiring teachers on their educational journey. With both institutions dedicated to equity in education, representation in the classroom, and providing the support that teachers need both in education and practice, the partnership was a natural step toward shared impact.
TEACH-LEAD San Diego (TLSD) is San Diego Unified’s latest endeavor focused on eliminating barriers that hold future educators back from pursuing their goals. The new program offers both financial and personalized pathway resources to individuals beginning or continuing their journey towards a career as a teacher. TEACH-LEAD San Diego is the district’s new “grow your own” teacher pipeline program, dedicated to supporting individuals in becoming teachers in their local communities.
31 Aug2023
By Lyna Kelley
Photo by Justin Merriman
A truly one-of-a-kind initiative, Thomas More University’s School of Education launches the commonwealth’s first Dyslexia Institute. The institute supports students and the greater community through sharing resources that are intentionally designed to promote awareness and create change by highlighting the dyslexic profile. Fully understanding the impact of dyslexia enables parents, teachers, and employers to ensure dyslexic children and adults have the support needed to thrive. Programming through the institute includes assessment clinics, teacher training, direct family support, and more.
“Thomas More is the first university in the commonwealth to have a dyslexia-specific resource for our students and our community,” explains Kayla Steltenkamp, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Education. Steltenkamp is a renowned expert in the field of literacy and dyslexia and leads the new initiative. “The Thomas More University Dyslexia Institute is a preeminent source in Kentucky to disseminate the latest research, share practical resources with the community, and to transform the instruction and intervention for all dyslexic children and adults,” adds Steltenkamp.
31 Aug2023
By Amelia Q. Rivera
Congratulations to Charles A. Barnes, II Holmes Scholar of the Month for July 2023!
Barnes holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Rowan University-Glassboro (RU) and a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law-Camden. He returned to Rowan to pursue a Ph.D. in Urban and Diverse Learning Environments. His area of research focuses on the intersectionality of social identities and related systems of oppression, discrimination, or domination as it relates to LGBTQIA+ communities.
29 Aug2023
By AACTE
It’s time you are recognized for your exceptional achievements in educational preparation. AACTE invites you to showcase your outstanding contributions and best practices (or nominate a deserving colleague!) for the 2024 AACTE Awards.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity. Applications are due by September 1.
Start preparing your submission today and get ready to be celebrated at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Denver/Aurora, Colorado during this highly coveted awards ceremony.
29 Aug2023
By Amy Kline
Sponsored by the New Jersey Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (NJACTE), in partnership with the State of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the 6th Annual New Jersey Convening for Diversifying the Teacher Workforce is a conversation among educational stakeholders aimed at creating and sustaining an educator workforce reflective of the cultural and linguistic diversity of New Jersey students.
This year’s theme is Retaining a Diverse Workforce: Teachers are Talking. Are You Listening?
Week 1 – Virtual Session on October 17 from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. (EST)
Week 2 – Virtual Session on October 24 from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. (EST)
Week 3 – In-Person Session at Georgian Court University on November 2 from 8:30 am to 2:00 p.m.
29 Aug2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “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.
As I have long been reporting, school districts across America are in the midst of a staffing crisis as students across the country return to classrooms for the start of the school year. Several states and districts have turned to long-term or day-to-day substitutes often with little or no teacher training at all to fill vacancies. This week, the Milwaukee Public School District (MSD) announced that in order to address staffing shortages, the district has turned to hiring upwards of 200 teachers from 17 different counties for the new school year.
A representative from the district spoke about the need for a different approach on recruitment saying in part, “As the shortage became national, everybody was short on teachers; we started to look where we could bring teachers from.”
29 Aug2023
By Tennessee State University Newsroom
This article was originally published by Tennessee State University Newsroom.
For Tennessee State University alumna Sa’Mariah Harding, teaching isn’t just about the subject at hand but molding the minds of future leaders. Harding graduated from TSU in spring 2023 and serves as a 9th and 10th-grade honors geometry teacher.
“I always knew I wanted to teach high school math,” said the former Miss TSU, Harding, who currently works as an educator at Valor College Prep in Nashville.
Amid the ongoing nationwide teacher shortage, Tennessee State University continues to produce and nurture the next generation of educators who College of Education faculty believe will shape generations to come.
