30 May2017
By Sungti Hsu
On May 12, AACTE President/CEO Sharon P. Robinson addressed U.S. and Chinese leaders from education, investment, and business sectors in Shenzhen, China, marking the launch of an investment fund of $20 billion for education initiatives by CITICS Securities, the largest brokerage in China. Robinson was invited to speak as cochair of the China-U.S. Education Innovation Alliance, which was created in February 2017 to promote collaboration and exchange opportunities for innovative education programs in both countries.
“Our alliance results from more than 2 years of intense research and discussions to identify unique Chinese and U.S. assets that are ready to be leveraged in order to create new answers to important questions of education practice in both countries,” Robinson noted in her remarks, thanking the Ivy Elite Education Association for its role in convening the group. She also expressed gratitude on behalf of the alliance to CITICS leadership connecting Chinese business and philanthropic interests to global education issues.
28 Apr2017
By Sungti Hsu
To understand more about attitudes toward professional ethics in preservice educator preparation, AACTE is collaborating with the National Council for the Advancement of Educator Ethics (NCAEE) to conduct a brief survey this spring. We invite you and your colleagues in both PK-12 and higher education to complete the survey by May 15, 2017.
This survey is intended to gather information regarding teacher educators’ beliefs about professional ethics as well as practices in educator ethics preparation across the nation. Responses will inform the future work of NCAEE, which was created following the 2015 release of the Model Code of Ethics for Educators (MCEE) by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.
18 Apr2017
By Sungti Hsu
AACTE and Westat are partnering with state chapters and education agencies this spring to pilot new surveys of beginning teachers and their supervisors. By developing common instruments to be used across states that can also be customized with state-specific questions, the partners aim to fill the need for both national benchmarks for preparation programs (as called for in accreditation standards) and state-determined priorities.
AACTE staff conducted exploratory work last year, collecting and studying state-level instruments currently used for surveying program completers in 13 states that were willing to share both their instruments and their most recent survey results. We found that all of the instruments align with the InTASC model standards for beginning teachers, although their length and emphasis areas vary. Meanwhile, we began talking with state education agencies (SEAs) and AACTE state chapters and member institutions to gauge their interest in consolidating these state and institution data collection efforts in a national-level instrument.
10 Nov2016
By Sungti Hsu and Yupin Bae
To expand the Data Dive blog series on Ed Prep Matters, AACTE invites members to submit brief articles presenting and discussing data related to educator preparation.
Like all blog submissions, Data Dive articles should be approximately 500 words and contain news or commentary relevant to AACTE or to educator preparation generally. Please include tables, charts, or other illustrations of the data and your analysis. Advertising-related posts are not permitted, and the content – including any graphics – must not infringe on any copyright agreements or laws.
08 Nov2016
By Deborah Koolbeck and Sungti Hsu
Today, we are pleased to launch the online AACTE Advocacy Center to support your work in both federal and state advocacy. Please take a moment to visit the new center and explore the resources you’ve requested!
In this one-stop center, you’ll find downloadable advocacy guides, important hyperlinks, and an assortment of other digital resources. Want to catch up on the latest Federal Update webinar or blog post? Looking for contact information for your state legislators or tips on setting up a meeting with your representatives? Give us a visit!
01 Nov2016
By Sungti Hsu
On October 11, a TeachStrong event was hosted by the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia to offer solutions to concerns in the state about the preparation of novice teachers. The event, held jointly with the state’s education secretary, aimed to highlight successful programs and practices aligned with TeachStrong’s policy proposal around quality teacher preparation. (AACTE is a partner supporting the nine TeachStrong principles to elevate teaching.)
After a short welcome and introduction by Dean Robert Pianta and Virginia Secretary of Education Dietra Trent, a panel of five educators discussed programs run by George Mason University, the University of Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Well-planned clinical practices were the focal point of the discussion.
11 Oct2016
By Sungti Hsu
The AACTE Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) seeks nominations by October 24 of state chapter leaders to run in an election for the ACSR Executive Committee. The positions open for election are the Northeast Region representative, Western Region representative, and ACSR chair-elect, all to take office in March 2017.
02 Aug2016
By Sungti Hsu
Sharon Robinson addresses the China Teacher Leaders Forum. Photo courtesy of East China Normal University
Thank you for responding to AACTE’s survey earlier this year about members’ international activities. We were excited to hear from 142 of you about your established partnerships, new ventures, and suggestions for AACTE to take up the global agenda.
The survey results seem to reflect the growing emphasis, at least among the subset of educator preparation providers (EPPs) that responded, on international exchange and competitiveness as educators in our global society seek to learn from and share with colleagues around the world.
25 Apr2016
By Sungti Hsu
AACTE is proud to support two daylong colloquia at the annual conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators in Denver, Colorado, May 31 and June 3.
On Tuesday, May 31, the Global Learning Colloquium on Teacher Education will focus on the theme “High-Impact Global Learning Experiences and Curricular Design.” The program runs 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. and will address how to prepare preservice teachers to work with diverse populations, understand how their practice affects both local and global communities, and be culturally responsive in pedagogy and curriculum choices. Participants will hear from global education organizations as well as from teacher educators from California State University, Kent State University (OH), Southern Connecticut State University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Missouri, and the University of Nevada-Reno.
28 Mar2016
By Sungti Hsu and Yupin Bae
Editor’s note: As AACTE moves from collecting information through the Professional Education Data System (PEDS) to tapping other nationally available data sources on educator preparation, we will be providing periodic data reports on Ed Prep Matters based on PEDS, federal collections such as Title II and SASS, and other sources.
The U.S. Department of Education collects data annually from states on teacher certification/licensure programs of all kinds, as mandated by Sections 205 through 208 of the Title II of the Higher Education Act. Assembling information on programs that are “traditional” and “alternative,” based both inside and outside of institutions of higher education (IHEs), the Title II data collection aims to provide a comprehensive view of the field of teacher preparation.
11 Mar2016
By Sungti Hsu
A new survey report from the Hope Street Group (HSG) presents perspectives of nearly 2,000 classroom teachers on their own preparation and that of future educators, aiming to inform both preparation program improvement and state and federal policy. The report, On Deck: Preparing the Next Generation of Teachers, asks whether teachers are being prepared effectively for the realities of today’s classrooms and what changes to curriculum, clinical experiences, and accountability measures might be needed.
The study was conducted by 18 HSG National Teacher Fellows, who are practicing classroom teachers and instructional coaches from 17 states. Last fall, they collected data through surveys and focus groups from other practicing teachers in their regions on their experiences and perceptions of how well teacher preparation providers are doing. Participating teachers ranged from 1 to 31 years of experience and came from all grade levels and subjects and from rural, urban, and suburban settings.
02 Mar2016
By Sungti Hsu and Aaron Goldstein
Education Commission of the States (ECS) recently produced a searchable resource summarizing the education policy highlights contained in governors’ State of the State Addresses going back to 2011. ECS also offers a shorter report on the top education issues mentioned in just the 41 addresses made in 2016.
Governors cited the following topics most in 2016:
26 Jan2016
By Sungti Hsu
As the Every Student Succeeds Act rolls back the direct federal involvement in improving student achievement and hands over much of that authority to states, lawmakers throughout the country will be examining a range of issues related to PK-12 education during their 2016 legislative sessions. One of the most pressing concerns on many states’ lists is teacher shortages.
At AACTE’s 2016 Annual Meeting next month in Las Vegas, a three-part series of panel discussions on the topic has been organized with the help of the Advisory Council of State Representatives:
14 Dec2015
By Aaron Goldstein and Sungti Hsu
As 2015 comes to an end, we want to take a moment to reflect on what was a very active year for state policy makers and AACTE state chapters.
In 2015, state legislators proposed more than 150 bills related to educator preparation. Of these proposed bills, 18 were enacted into law. Some of the highlights of these new state laws are the creation of a new teacher leader endorsement in New Jersey; establishing the Teach Nevada Scholarship Program to incentivize students to pursue teaching degrees in Nevada; prohibiting video recording of classroom teachers in New Hampshire; and modifying teacher licensure standards in Delaware, Illinois, Maine, and Michigan.
23 Sep2015
By Sungti Hsu
As your state chapters plan fall and spring conferences, executive retreats, and other meetings, please keep in mind that AACTE staff are available to serve as speakers and presenters at meetings around the country.
