Voting on AACTE’s proposed bylaw amendments is open now through November 22. These changes, recommended by the AACTE Board of Directors’ Task Force, aim to enhance the Association’s governance structure to better serve its mission in today’s rapidly changing educational environment.
To continue to strengthen the voice of the education community, AACTE has launched an enhanced website — a promise to continue to ask what is possible, break new ground, and keep you informed on the latest developments in educator preparation. The updated site expands resources, enhances user experience, and encourages collaboration among AACTE members, policymakers, and the greater education community.
The website is the next phase of AACTE’s refreshed brand identity, which includes a new modern logo, unveiled in February, that signifies a journey towards what’s possible for the Association, educator preparation, and each student and educator in the classroom. The logo also includes an inspiring tagline that embodies AACTE’s commitment to educate, advocate, and innovate.
Next week, AACTE’s Ed Prep Matters blog, which has offered members Association news, current events, and insights on U.S. educator preparation, will also undergo a significant refresh. Ed Prep Matters will transition to multimedia news site with increased functionality and easier navigation for those wishing to dive deeper into educator preparation content.
To learn more about AACTE and our mission, please visit aacte.org.
AACTE members Katherine O’Daniels, Ph.D., and Shea Kerkhoff, Ph.D., conducted survey research on the teaching of reading in educator preparation programs (EPPs) in Missouri. The survey investigated the reading curricular topics and instructional practices specifically in initial teacher certification programs. The survey items were created to reflect the reading competencies outlined in the Missouri Standards for the Preparation of Educators and the International Literacy Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals. The survey was taken by personnel working in Missouri who teach courses related to literacy preparation of early childhood and elementary teachers and represent 93% of Missouri EPPs.
The results indicate that Missouri EPPs attend to building evidence-based knowledge and practices aligned with the Science of Reading. The quantitative data identified foundational knowledge related to phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Although it appears that additional focus needs to be given to evidence-based practices for teaching vocabulary, by and large the perception is that teacher candidates are leaving with knowledge and instructional experiences related to the five pillars and their interactive nature.
You may be wondering how the recent election results will affect your state government and how to prepare for the changes ahead. Get answers to your questions at AACTE’s Fall 2024 Virtual State Leaders Institute on November 15 during the plenary session.
Election Analysis: Implications for Educator Preparation
Michelle Exstrom, the longstanding director of NCSL’s education program, will provide an exclusive analysis on how election results are likely to impact education policymaking in the states, including legislatures, governor’s offices, and state school superintendent races.
In addition, AACTE’s Jacqueline King, Ph.D., will update you on how the election is likely to impact federal policy regarding educator preparation.
View the agenda and register today.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced the signing of a joint agreement to strengthen college student access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. This agreement aims to increase awareness of SNAP among college students, as new data shows millions of eligible students are falling through the cracks. A recent Government Accountability Office report revealed that 67% of the 3.3 million college students potentially eligible for SNAP reported not receiving benefits.
“We’re committed to making SNAP more accessible and easier to understand for low-income college students,” said USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Deputy Under Secretary Cindy Long. “Many of today’s college students are balancing jobs and family responsibilities. Access to SNAP ensures that eligible students can focus on their education, mental health, and overall well-being, rather than making difficult choices between groceries, textbooks, or other essentials.”
The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) announced the six organizations selected for the third early childhood local leads cohort. With this third cohort, all 75 counties are now represented by 26 organizations focused on creating a comprehensive, localized plan to ensure children and families can access high-quality early childhood education programs in their communities.
In addition to creating a localized plan, the local leads are aligning the local plans to the state’s vision for early childhood education, as defined by the LEARNS Act. The LEARNS Act transferred the Office of Early Childhood to ADE in an effort to improve access to quality early childhood education programs and expand and improve the education system to include birth to post- secondary education.
Voting for AACTE’s proposed bylaw changes opened November 6.
In early 2023, the AACTE Board of Directors established a task force, comprising current and former board members, to examine best practices in association governance. This initiative sought to evaluate how AACTE’s governance system could best support the Association’s mission and its members in a rapidly evolving educational landscape. After extensive research and deliberation, the task force has recommended changes to the board composition that now awaits a vote by AACTE’s members.
A new NCES Data Point report, Changes in Public School Teachers’ Certification Type, examines the prevalence of public school teachers who did not hold a teaching certificate or held only provisional or emergency teaching certificates in the state where they were teaching, as opposed to regular, standard, advanced, or probationary certificates. It looks at the prevalence over time, by selected teacher and school characteristics, and by state.
AACTE recently partnered with the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) to identify members with responsibility over teacher education and to encourage those members to participate in surveys and interviews about how teacher preparation programs are currently integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their curricula and instruction.
The final report offers early insights into how schools of education are thinking about AI and offers recommendations for key stakeholders to accelerate AI integration and instruction within teacher preparation.
Are you a dean of a college of education who leads a senior leadership team (SLT)? Have you ever wondered how to structure and lead this SLT to work collaboratively to achieve college-wide priorities?
Research in SLTs demonstrates that they can improve organizational performance and decision-making when structured and led effectively. However, there is not much research on SLTs in higher education, especially at the college level. That is why as a doctoral graduate student at Frostburg State University, I am exploring this topic for my dissertation. I have been the assistant dean for Development and Alumni Relations at the University of Maryland College of Education for the past nine years. I have seen first-hand how SLTs have worked collaboratively to achieve remarkable results for their colleges. I have also observed SLTs struggle to find a purpose and to work as a team.
Secretary Cardona joined President Biden for an event celebrating Executive Order (EO) 14214, establishing the first-ever White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) alongside close to two dozen champions for these institutions. President Biden and Vice President Harris also announced nearly $19 million in transformational research infrastructure investments for five HSIs in Florida, Illinois, Texas, and Puerto Rico through the U.S. Department of Education’s Research and Development Infrastructure Program (RDI), which is providing a total of $49 million in funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
To remain the most competitive economy in the world, the nation’s most inclusive institutions of higher education that play a central role in educating students from diverse backgrounds must continue to lead in research and development. To advance this goal, the RDI grant program provides funds to HBCUs, TCCUs, and MSIs —including HSIs— to implement transformational investments in research infrastructure, including research productivity, faculty expertise, graduate programs, physical infrastructure, human capital development, and partnerships leading to increases in external funding.
The California Department of Education (CDE) released assessment results that show continued progress made by California’s K–12 students, including accelerated progress in closing equity gaps for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, Black/African American students, and Hispanic/Latino students.
The results include data for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).
The AACTE 2025 Annual Meeting, taking place February 21 – 23 in Long Beach, CA, will be a significant event for education professionals, featuring insightful presentations, groundbreaking discussions, and networking opportunities with thought leaders in the field.
At the Annual Meeting’s opening and closing keynote sessions, speakers Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, Ph.D., and Clint Smith, Ph.D., respectively, will engage the audience with their experiences, vision, and passion that will set the stage for transformative dialogue.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced the availability of PAsmart Advancing Grants to expand access to computer science and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for learners across the commonwealth.
“STEM and computer science skills prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, no matter what zip code they come from or where they plan to live in the future,” said Education Secretary Khalid Mumin. “Pennsylvania’s future depends on the development of a highly skilled workforce able to compete in the global economy. Equitable access to STEM and computer science programs gives students the skills they need to chart their own course and succeed.”
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced the next step in its ongoing efforts to provide student debt relief — a set of proposed rules that, if finalized, would authorize loan forgiveness for approximately 8 million borrowers experiencing hardship. If these rules are finalized as proposed, the Secretary of Education could waive up to the entire outstanding balance of a student loan when the Department determines a hardship is likely to impair the borrower’s ability to fully repay the loan or render the costs of continued collection of the loan unjustified.
“For far too long, our broken student loan system has made it too hard for borrowers experiencing heartbreaking and financially devastating hardships to access relief, and it’s not right,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The rules proposed by the Biden-Harris Administration today would provide hope to millions of struggling Americans whose challenges may make them eligible for student debt relief. President Biden, Vice President Harris, and I will not stop fighting to deliver student debt relief and create a fairer, more just, and more affordable student loan system for all borrowers.”
