Teacher Stories: NJACTE Welcomes Teacher of the Year, Joe Nappi

By Amy Kline

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) strives to recognize educators who have gone above and beyond in their service to New Jersey’s students. All local educational agencies (LEAs) are encouraged to participate in its Governor’s Educator of the Year program to honor the hardworking teachers and educational services professionals for their dedication to students, and to the profession. 

As part of this distinguished state program, the New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NJACTE) welcomes the teachers chosen to speak at a monthly membership meeting and invites them to share their thoughts about education. What follows is a post authored by 2024 NJ Teacher of the Year, Joe Nappi on the topic of difficult conversations.

Call for Proposals, Reviewers for the AACTE 2025 Annual Meeting

By AACTE

The Call for Proposals and Call for Reviewers for the AACTE 2025 Annual Meeting is now open. The conference theme, “Beyond the Horizon: Charting the Course for Educator Preparation” aligns the meeting with the Association’s vision and mission to revolutionize education for all learners by elevating education and educator preparation through research, professional practice, advocacy, and collaboration. Representing the institutions and programs that prepare the greatest number of professional educators in the United States and its territories, and in partnership with international colleague organizations, AACTE is the incubator for bold ideas and discoveries to drive impactful applications based on evidence-based reasoning. 

Shifting from Preparing to Sustaining a Teacher Workforce

2024 AACTE Featured Session Reflection

By Kimberly Lawson

The “Shifting from Preparing to Sustaining a Teacher Workforce” session provided participants with a project overview of shifting from preparing to sustaining a teacher workforce. The Teacher Educational Global Learning Futures Collaborative (TEGLFC) presentation addressed the need to globally connect educators to “visualize new futures for education.” The panel presented an innovative team-based model that provides all students with a “deeper and personalized learning” by developing expert teams of educators and improving ways that will empower educators as they enter the profession.  TEGLFC invites teacher preparation programs, as well as students, to join this cooperative venture which will serve as a network to “leverage the collective power of teacher preparation programs across the globe.”

A Committee Review of AI Integration in Education

By Jon Margerum-Leys and Peña L. Bedesem

At the AACTE 2024 Annual Meeting in February, incoming AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology members Peña Bedesem (Kent State University) and Jon Margerum-Leys (Oakland University) attended the Featured session “AI Integration in Education: Bridging the Gap for Future Educators.” In the following article, they recap the panelists’ presentation.

AACTE at its best has always brought together viewpoints representing philosophy, innovation, and implementation. The featured panel on artificial intelligence (AI) integration certainly did that. Moderator David Slykhuis, Ph.D., (Valdosta State University) led a wide-ranging conversation among Arizona State’s Punya Mishra, Ph.D., Marie Heath, Ed.D., (Loyola Marymount); and Diane Lauer, Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer of St. Vrain Valley Schools in Colorado.

While all three panelists brought expertise regarding artificial intelligence, each offered a unique perspective. Mishra served as the proponent of innovation, Lauer the experienced implementer, and Heath the philosophical conscience of the group.

Prepared to Teach: How New Mexico is Building Its Path 

By Karen DeMoss

This two-day convening on May 30-31, 2024 in Albuquerque, NM, will explore concrete, synergistic actions based on the Prepared to Teach model to produce positive, mutually reinforcing transformations in the teacher preparation ecosystem. 

Day 1 of this convening will review New Mexico’s robust, supportive public and policy environment for teacher preparation transformation. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore key approaches for shifting public narratives about teacher preparation and education, using new and existing data to build political will for residency funding, and framing policies that support ecosystem shifts. 

In Illinois: ISBE Invests $4.3 Million To Cultivate Future Educators Through CTE Education Career Pathway Grants 

By Illinois State Board of Education

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today announced approximately $4.3 million in state funding for the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Education Career Pathway Grants. The grant marks the fourth round of funding for the CTE Education Career Pathway Grant program, which has provided $5.6 million to date and served nearly 12,000 Illinois high school students across 212 school districts and three community colleges.   

The grant provides funding to prepare current high school students in Illinois for careers in teaching and aims to address the teacher shortage in Illinois by recruiting diverse students into the field of education. Participants are equipped for success in college-level teacher preparation programs through tailored coursework, field experiences, and work-based learning opportunities.  

From Student to Teacher: The Impact of Education Village at Winona State University 

By Elena Armstrong

Currently in her third year of teaching first grade at Cotter Schools, Jessica Houghton can clearly see the influence Winona State University’s Education Village had on her teaching career. 

The state-of-the-art mini-campus for the College of Education was finished in 2019 and included renovations to Helble Hall, Wabasha Recreation Center, and Cathedral Elementary School to create modernized classrooms and innovative spaces. Education Village is celebrating its five-year anniversary this April with an open house and community activities. 

Houghton was in her senior year when Education Village opened. She got to see first-hand the impact it had on her schooling, peers, and learning environment. 

AACTE Celebrates Arab American Heritage Month

By Nicole Dunn

We invite you to join AACTE in celebrating Arab American Heritage Month. This annual observance is a significant opportunity to recognize and honor the vibrant heritage and invaluable contributions of Arab Americans in our schools and communities.  There are an estimated 3.7 million Arab Americans in the U.S.; however, schools are often unable to identify students who are Arab American because they are classified as White by the United States Census Bureau (SPLC Learning For Justice, 2021).

Tennessee English as a Second Language Teacher Named 2024 National Teacher of the Year

By Erica Stanley

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) today announced Missy Testerman, a kindergarten through eighth grade English as a second language (ESL) teacher, as the 2024 National Teacher of the Year.

Testerman served as a first and second-grade teacher at Rogersville City School in Rogersville, TN, for three decades before taking advantage of the state’s Grow Your Own initiative and adding an ESL endorsement three years ago. She currently works as an ESL specialist at Rogersville City School, where she teaches K-8 students who do not speak English as their first language and supports them in all academic areas. A staunch advocate for students, teachers, and families, Testerman prioritizes instruction that ensures her students have the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve. She knows families are extensions of the classroom and often advocates for her families who speak little English.

Preview AACTE’s Washington Week 2024: Testimonial from State Leaders

By Tunara Moore

The June 3 – 5, 2024 AACTE Washington Week is just around the corner. This year’s national advocacy event for educator preparation will be held at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA, and on Capitol Hill.

AACTE’s legislative conference aims to improve member advocacy skills, including Congressional visits while advocating for policies that support educator preparation programs.

Combining programming from three distinct events — the State Leaders Institute, Holmes Policy Institute, and Day on the Hill — AACTE’s Washington Week establishes a mini-conference fostering heightened collaboration and networking opportunities.

National Center for Learning Disabilities Research and Survey

By Lauren Wong

My name is Lauren Wong and I am from WestEd, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization engaged in educational technical support and research across the country. We are partnered with the National Center for Learning Disabilities, one of the nation’s leading organizations advancing the lives of individuals with learning disabilities through policy, innovation, practice, and outreach. We are working together to learn about the experiences, opinions, and perspectives of educators who teach students with learning disabilities. 

We are surveying K-12 educators who teach students with learning disabilities. Your participation in this survey will help us understand your experiences teaching students with learning disabilities, the needs you have related to professional development and access to resources, and your school’s climate. All information shared will be kept secure and will be de-identified to protect your privacy and confidentiality. Results from this survey will be used to guide NCLD’s efforts in outreach, policy, and advocacy.

Diversifying the Teaching Profession: Strategies for Success

A 2024 AACTE Session Recap and Reflection

By Mayra Marquez-Mendez

The session “Diversifying the Teaching Profession: Strategies for Success” provided invaluable insights into evaluating, reimagining, and implementing supportive models for diversifying the teaching profession. The presenters reflected and provided various perspectives to emphasize the importance of having a diverse teaching workforce to support culturally and linguistically diverse students across the United States. Key highlights from the presentation include the importance of providing high-quality instruction for our students, which begins with teachers, leaders, and districts nationwide through excellent lines of work in teacher preparation, professional learning, education policy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion by explaining local and national strategies to diversify the teaching profession.

In this session, the discussion centered on the need to diversify the teaching profession locally and nationally. More specifically, the focus was on the innovative work being done by The Public Education Business Coalition (PEBC) in Colorado, which has a proven track record of successfully reaching and attracting a diverse pool of potential educators across the United States. With a national reach, the PEBC is leading the charge in promoting high-quality instruction by collaborating with teachers, leaders, and districts nationwide. Their work spans various areas, including teacher preparation, professional learning, education policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion. By leveraging their expertise in these areas, the PEBC is helping to create a more inclusive and equitable teaching profession that better reflects the diverse student population in our schools.

U.S. Department of Education Launches Government Coordinating Council to Strengthen Cybersecurity in Schools 

By U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education (Department), in coordination with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), launched the Government Coordinating Council (GCC) for the Education Facilities Subsector, a pivotal step forward in the national effort to enhance cybersecurity across K-12 educational institutions. This new council signifies an unprecedented level of collaboration between federal, state, tribal, and local governments to protect schools from cybersecurity threats. The Education Facilities Subsector is part of the Government Facilities Sector, one of 16 critical infrastructure sectors defined in Presidential Policy Directive 21. 

In recent years, the PK-12 cybersecurity landscape has become increasingly complex, with school districts across the country experiencing ransomware attacks that shut down schools and data breaches that expose sensitive health, financial, and educational data on students, families, and staff. The formation of the GCC is a direct response to these challenges, aiming to foster a more resilient and secure K-12 digital infrastructure through structured dialogue and shared best practices. 

Register for ReAction Virtual Conference, April 10-11 

By Karenna Glover

ReAction Virtual, the no-cost skills-based learning conference, hosted by GoReact, is set for April 10-11. Don’t miss this event featuring two half-days of workshops, panels, and thought leadership sessions featuring a wide range of topics including AI, assessment strategies, career readiness, and much more. 

In DC: OSSE Invests in Teacher Preparation, Pipelines, and Supports 

By The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (Washington DC)

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) announced the expansion of a popular and successful educator coaching program, which will provide free instructional coaching to 75 DC public and public charter teachers who have completed DC Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) programs and have fewer than five years of teaching experience. This work builds on OSSE’s 2023-24 school year school leader coaching, which served nearly 200 school leaders who support over 2,000 DC school-based educators. 

“OSSE is proud to provide this coaching opportunity for new teachers who have completed their teacher training right here in the District,” said State Superintendent Christina Grant, Ed.D. “To improve student outcomes, teachers must be well prepared and well supported from the minute they set foot in the classroom, and investing in this one-on-one coaching resource will provide new teachers with the support they need to improve their instructional practice and ultimately make a meaningful impact on the social and academic success of DC students.”