02 Oct2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE is pleased to announce renowned academic, lecturer, and author Robin DiAngelo will headline the 2020 Annual Meeting, February 28 – March 1 in Atlanta, GA. She will take center stage as the opening keynote speaker on Friday, February 28.
DiAngelo serves as the affiliate associate professor of education at the University of Washington, where she teaches courses in multicultural teaching, inter-group dialogue facilitation, cultural diversity and social justice, and anti-racist education. She is widely recognized for her research in critical discourse analysis and whiteness studies.
In 2011, DiAngelo coined the term “white fragility” in an academic article, which influenced the national dialogue on race. Her book, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism, was released in June 2018 and debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Read more about DiAngelo and how you can join in “Disrupting Inequities: Educating for Change” during the Annual Meeting!
The October 30 early bird registration deadline is quickly approaching! Take advantage of discounted rates for the AACTE 72nd Annual Meeting by securing your spot today! Visit aacte.org for conference details, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation using #AACTE20.
Come experience the new AACTE Annual Meeting – One community. One purpose. One place.
Questions – Need Assistance?
Please contact us at events@aacte.org
26 Sep2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE’s engaging concurrent sessions, known as Learning Labs, are returning to the 2020 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. As an attendee from last year noted, “The practical sessions with actual implementation stories stood out as exemplary.” In the Learning Labs you too will receive inspiring content and tangible practices to implement in your daily work.
Come experience these enhanced sessions, categorized by these types:
- Case Stories sessions feature quality storytelling designed to illuminate real world case studies that demonstrate innovation or breakthrough practices.
- Data to Action sessions release recent data in ways that encourage attendees to discuss its relevance and practicality in everyday settings.
- Future Casting sessions explore the creation of “next practices” as opposed to and/or in addition to exploring current best practices.
- Paper Sessions feature two presentations focused on a similar topic centered around the event strands.
- Perspectives sessions address a current topic or concern that is germane to educator preparation framed as a research, policy, or program question.
- Roundtables sessions focus on a particular topic and are led by an individual or a small group.
- Scenario Planning sessions help attendees consider and discuss a variety of actions that might take place as a result of changing conditions.
AACTE continues to elevate the quality of its educational offerings and attendee engagement at its Annual Meeting. Come experience the reimagined offerings at the AACTE 72nd Annual Meeting, February 28 – March 1. Register now and take advantage of early bird rates by October 30. Visit aacte.org for conference details, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation using #AACTE20.
Do you have questions or need assistance? Please email events@aacte.org.
19 Sep2019
By Jerrica Thurman
The AACTE Annual Meeting consistently earns high attendee ratings. More than 90% of the 2019 attendees ranked the conference and its content quality as “Good” or “Excellent,” and said they would recommend it to their colleagues. Some of the top benefits participants cite are the value of learning and networking with like-minded professionals. Here is what attendees had to say:
“I love the Annual Meeting. The people are great, the sessions are generally strong, and I really appreciate the focus on taking ownership of education policy making.”
“I really appreciated the time to connect with peers doing this work and to hear about the ways in which we can continue to move the needle to a practice-based curriculum.”
“I enjoyed talking with all the vendors and making decisions about products to implement at our university.”
“I find the sessions useful and the networking is always great. [The event is] very important for gaining new information and perspective and [for] professional networking.”
Join colleagues from across the nation at the premier conference for teacher educators — AACTE’s 72nd Annual Meeting, February 28 – March 1, 2020. Register and take advantage of early bird rates by October 30.
Visit aacte.org for conference details, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation using #AACTE20.
For additional assistance, please contact us at events@aacte.org
29 Aug2019
By Jerrica Thurman
Members of AACTE’s Committee on Meetings and Professional Development took time a few weeks ago to share their views about how the Annual Meeting strengthens educator preparation! Watch the short videos below to learn more about the topics attendees should look forward to exploring during AACTE’s 2020 Annual Meeting, February 28-March 1, in Atlanta, GA. Here are a few highlights from the committee:
“I have been a participant of AACTE’s conferences for many years… The conferences provide us an opportunity to join experts in the field and colleagues…to learn from each other, share ideas and strategies, and reinvigorate ourselves,” said
19 Aug2019
By Jerrica Thurman
The AACTE Awards Program recognizes excellence in educator preparation in nine categories. One category is the Outstanding Dissertation Award, which honors doctoral research that contributes to the knowledge base of educator preparation or of teaching and learning with implications for educator preparation. Overseen by AACTE’s Committee on Research and Dissemination, the award includes a $1,000 cash prize as well as special recognition at AACTE’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA, February 28 – March 1, 2020.
The video above features the 2018 AACTE Outstanding Dissertation Award recipient, Molly Baustien Siuty, assistant professor of inclusive teacher education at AACTE member institution
09 Aug2019
By Jerrica Thurman
In the most recent AACTE member video, participants share their perspectives on how they value the benefits and engagement the Association offers. Here’s what they had to say:
30 Jul2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE is committed to recognizing excellence in educator preparation through its prestigious annual Awards Program. Among the nine categories of awards, the Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology honors AACTE members that infuse technology throughout their curriculum in an innovative way. AACTE’s Committee on Innovation and Technology sponsors this award and selects a school, college, or department of education that uses technologies to stretch beyond standard practices in teacher education.
The video above features AACTE member institution Northeastern State University’s (NSU) College of Education, the 2018 recipient of the Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology. Dean Vanessa Anton explains how NSU’s Robotics Academy of Critical Engagement (RACE) program works and why it received the award.
29 Jul2019
By Jerrica Thurman
Developing and sustaining partnerships with local school districts are critical to the success of the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Inclusive Early Childhood (IEC) program. Superintendents who work with BGSU assert that all parties need to understand the challenges each school district and university face and must be willing to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice together. BGSU’s teacher candidates are deployed for clinical practice in special education at local schools including in rural areas.
“One of the pieces that works really well for us is that all of the people working in the education department at the university are parents themselves of students in our district so there’s a vested interest,” said Francis Scruci, superintendent of Bowling Green City Schools. “I think there’s a mutual respect. We certainly respect what the university does and I think they respect what we’re trying to do at the K-12 level and we understand the challenges that both of us face. We are willing to bridge that gap and try to help each other become successful.”
BGSU’s overall objective is to prepare graduates of the IEC program to teach young children with and without disabilities in inclusive settings. The IEC program blends the best practices from early childhood education with early childhood special education. It addresses the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to meet the needs of each child. Graduates of the program are prepared to provide differentiated, evidence-based instruction to young children from birth through grade 3.
To learn more, watch the Developing and Sustaining Partnerships video highlighting BGSU’s Models of Inclusive Clinical Teacher Preparation, part of AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series.
17 Jul2019
By Jerrica Thurman and Donna Sacco
AACTE’s Jerrica Thurman first met Donna Sacco in 2015. Sacco was one of three doctoral students from George Mason University (GMU) who worked as an AACTE education intern, assisting in advocating for high-quality preparation programs and with its marketing communications. Thurman was pleasantly surprised when she saw Sacco at AACTE’s 2019 Washington Week with her two Holmes doctoral students from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC). It was during her AACTE internship that Sacco learned about the Holmes Program and determined to make a personal contribution to help diversify the teacher workforce by becoming a Holmes advocate. The following summary highlights an interview Thurman had with Sacco about her journey from an intern to a change agent in education.
What piqued your interest in the issues of teacher diversity as a doctoral student at George Mason University and student intern at AACTE?
Before my doctoral program, I was a special educator with a master’s degree in bilingual special education. For my entire career, my focus has been on culturally and linguistically responsive instructional practices. Part of my drive came from the stories my father told me about the obstacles he experienced in his childhood as the son of Italian immigrants. He was a brilliant man but never went to college. He had one advocate who helped mentor him in appreciating the arts but had no teachers who were advocates, role models, or who understood his background. Once I began researching teacher education, I was surprised to learn that the teaching force is composed of roughly 80% white female teachers. How had I missed that obvious point? I am a white female who was teaching mostly boys of
11 Jul2019
By Jerrica Thurman
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) recently released Ensuring an Equitable Opportunity: Providing a High-Quality Education for Students with Disabilities, a report that details policy and practice considerations around individualized education plans chiefs and state education leaders can reflect upon and implement in ensuring all students, especially students with disabilities, have access to a high-quality education. Students with disabilities are provided with an individualized education program (IEP) to ensure they receive specially-designed instruction and related services. The IEP is the primary mechanism for ensuring students with disabilities receive the right educational content and rigor at the right moment in their education.
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 marked an historic win for civil rights when the doors to public education were opened for all students. For the first time, children with disabilities had access to a public education and the hope of a productive and fulfilling future. Today, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), the most recent iteration of that law, aims to deliver on that promise; namely, that all students with disabilities have equitable access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment.
28 Jun2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE member institution Cato College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) works to create effective solutions to the shortage of Black male teachers. Thomas Fisher, supervisor of student teaching in the Office of School and Community Partnerships, recruited four of his former students to help implement a program to engage and recruit Black male students into the teaching profession. The team visits schools and shares their story to inspire a new generation of educators in the most underrepresented demographic in teaching.
“There’s only 2% Black male teachers in the United States,” says Timothy Wells, social studies teacher at Ridge Road Middle School, who is featured in the “What’s Your Impact?” video. “Studies show that your success increases if you have a Black male teacher or a male teacher in general from an early age.” The video spotlights Black male graduates of UNC’s Cato College of Education as they share why they pursued a teaching career. It also includes Edwin Campbell, American history teacher at Vance High School; Devin Murphy, math teacher at Myers Park High School; and Dwayne Simmons, English teacher and dean of students at Quail Hollow Middle School. Please take a few minutes to watch the video above to hear the dynamic stories of these educators.
24 Jun2019
By Jerrica Thurman
There was so much buzz in Washington, DC during AACTE’s 2019 Washington Week this month that we had to capture it all in a video! Check out the recap video above to view AACTE members at work for teacher education during our annual advocacy event. Then, be sure to access the variety of online resources that will help let your local elected officials know that “Your Voice Matters.”
- Ed Prep Matters continues to bring you reports from the event. Read what presenters, participants, and staff learned and what related opportunities are available.
- For photos from the event, visit our Facebook album. Feel free to tag yourself and share photos on your own page and check out the Facebook Live videos!
- Look up the hashtag #AACTEWW19 on Twitter and read through several tweets about the event.
- Visit AACTE’s Advocacy Center for the latest resources on federal and state policy issues about teacher preparation.
Plan now to join AACTE next year for the 2020 Washington Week, May 31 – June 3 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA and on Capitol Hill.
17 Jun2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE’s 2019 Washington Week attendees made known their presence in the nation’s capital on Twitter using #AACTEWW19. Photos and tweets of the event’s activities were shared on social media throughout the four-day conference last week, and on June 5 the attendees took over Twitter during their advocacy visits to congressional offices.
Analytic reports reveal #AACTEWW19 received more than 650 original posts, retweets and replies, which yielded over 1 million impressions! In fact, #AACTEWW19 was recognized as trending in Washington, DC by social media monitoring services.
17 Jun2019
By Jerrica Thurman
During AACTE’s 2019 Day on the Hill, the educator preparation community united on Capitol Hill to make their voices heard about challenging issues affecting education. AACTE members, colleagues, and students employed their advocacy skills to elevate the profession in meetings with Members of Congress and their staff. AACTE is excited to have captured attendees in real-time Facebook Live Shows and to highlight their significant work in Washington, DC.
In the video interviews, participants discuss the importance of teacher educators and students from across the nation converging on Capitol Hill to advocate for educator preparation as well as ways to impact education policy in their local areas. They also share how the advocacy training from AACTE’s Day on the Hill sessions prepared them for congressional meetings and key takeaways on best strategies to promote talking points with policymakers. All of the video participants emphasize the important message in the AACTE Washington Week event theme: “Your Voice Matters!”
03 Jun2019
By Jerrica Thurman
Are you following what’s happening at AACTE’s Washington Week on Facebook and Twitter at #AACTEWW19? Tune into the daily Facebook Live Shows on the AACTE Facebook page and hear in real time what attendees have to say about the key signature events, session topics, networking, and pressing issues in educator preparation. You can watch these videos of the Facebook Live Shows from the past two days of the event:
Sunday, June 2
Monday, June 3
