Special education teachers and advocates are invited to utilize resources developed by CEEDAR to improve student outcomes, implement new strategies, and gain valuable leadership skills. AACTE collaborates with CEEDAR to offer insights from comprehensive educator preparation programs and educational partners who have excelled in recruiting and preparing candidates to become fully licensed special educators.
The New York State Education Department and TEACH are partnering to launch TeachNY.org, a new digitally powered recruitment platform developed in collaboration with a wide coalition of New York schools, districts, institutions of higher education, and education organizations, Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced. The mission of TEACH New York (TeachNY) is to identify and cultivate the next generation of teachers throughout the state.
“We must continually design, develop, and implement innovative approaches that nurture a highly skilled, diverse teaching workforce,” Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said. “TeachNY is precisely the kind of initiative that will inspire and ignite the future generation of New York State teachers.”
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced more than $44.5 million for 22 grants under the Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) program to improve rates of postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion among rural students through the development of high-quality career pathways aligned to high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in the region.
“Rural communities face unique challenges in educating, training, and developing high-skill workers—yet they are also home to students with unique skills and potential,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “These dedicated funds will ensure that students in rural areas have access to postsecondary credentials and other resources that lead to high-quality career pathways and economic success.”
The AACTE Holmes Scholars Program is proud to feature Jennifer Jackson, Ph.D., as the June 2024 Holmes Scholar of the Month. Jackson recently defended her dissertation last month and will be graduating in August in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on science education at Pennsylvania State University, where she has distinguished herself through her research, teaching, service, and leadership.
Jackson’s research focuses on how secondary science teachers communicate within professional learning spaces while attending to equitable, culturally responsive pedagogy. Her work explores how providing professional learning opportunities for teachers to engage in identity work can inform their teaching practices and ability to create inclusive science classrooms. Jackson has presented her research at prestigious conferences like the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) and has traveled abroad to present her work in Germany at the 2023 European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) summer school as a summer institute fellow. Additionally, she has several publications in research journals such as the Journal of Science Teacher Education.
Participating in AACTE’s Washington Week as a Holmes Scholar and representing Ohio University on different platforms was truly an enlightening and fulfilling experience. Given my international background, this event was a wonderful occasion for me to learn, share, and actively engage in democratic processes that shape the policy of U.S. education.
One of the major highlights of the week was our visit to Capitol Hill. The mentorship provided by AACTE’s program was instrumental in preparing state leaders, Holmes Scholars, and other attendees for advocacy on Capitol Hill. It was an exhilarating and impactful experience to address critical issues in the current educational landscape for policymakers and pave the way to see a positive change in the education sector. The advocacy team I was on was comprised of seasoned state leaders. We focused on addressing federal issues that are prevalent across the states, such as quality education, funding for teacher preparation programs, holistic support for teachers, and the need for a diverse teaching workforce. We shared our state’s best practices for tackling these issues with the legislator’s aides.
This article was originally published on Stephen F. Austin State University’s website and is reprinted with permission.
Nine students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Education Studies traveled to Washington, D.C., in early June to learn firsthand what it felt like to advocate for their future professions to the U.S. Congress during AACTE’s Washington Week.
Students attending the AACTE’s legislative conference engage in advocacy training and learn about the legislative process for public education. Walking the hallowed halls in which our nation’s representatives decide how best to guide our democracy, they also meet with U.S. representatives, senators, and their staffers, and tour historical sites across Washington.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to give a child of immigrant parents the opportunity to advocate on Capitol Hill? Think of a child who once felt unimportant, watching “the important fancy people” walk in and out of a high-end hotel in her neighborhood while she sat outside her ready-for-demolition home. She felt like her voice did not matter because she was just a little brown child whose roots were left behind in another country.
But what happens when this same child encounters educators who make her believe in herself and her power? Those same educators fostered her learning and found ways to connect new information to make it relevant to her life. Well, you get an adult who is now given the opportunity to go to Capitol Hill and advocate for other children’s rights for exceptionally trained educators by supporting bills that would strengthen educator preparation and the educator workforce.
The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to help the Department better understand operational aspects of potentially expanding Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) for workers in early childhood education (ECE) settings.
“Early childhood educators help young children learn, grow, and thrive. But they are often poorly compensated, and student debt is a problem. If these educators can access Public Service Loan Forgiveness, we can help our youngest children, their families, and their communities,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal.
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is supporting school districts and community organizations to expand out-of-school-time learning opportunities for students at 24 sites across the state. The department awarded $3 million in grant funding from the federal Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant to support academic enrichment opportunities with a focus on serving economically disadvantaged students.
This year’s grant recipients are the CDE’s eleventh cohort of 21st Century Community Learning sites. Some examples of what the funds will support include the following:
Dear Blackqueer Student,
I got a hold of some truth on this journey; I am sure it is partial, yet it pertains to us, and I believe you should know. This truth is not the typical rhetoric of lies wrapped in subject matter, and I do not mean to alarm you with any of it. But as much as we illuminate “the way,” we must also give sound warning.
Before I get there, a little about the energy that speaks to you in this letter. My journey as an educator commenced in 2008, and I remember seeing you because I remember who I was in high school, the “out-gay girl.” With that came many challenges, not just for me, but for my Black Christian family and my peers who decided to call me friend. Though we did have access to the language back in the late ’90s, we all were coming to terms with the phrase, love is love and what that looked like for us. Nonetheless, when I saw you, I could not speak to you because, by the time I entered the classroom as a teacher of record, I was full of fear, cloaked in shame, and definitely not communicating, in a healthy way, with the queer parts of myself. I was programmed for survival; therefore, I obliged the binary request of wearing clothing that looked the part because my pronouns are she/her but made me uncomfortable because I was wearing a costume — I am a masculine woman.
Do you want to feature your work at the AACTE 2025 Annual Meeting in Long Beach, CA, being held February 21 – 23? The theme, “Beyond the Horizon: Charting the Course for Educator Preparation,” illuminates the continuous forward-thinking AACTE members make in their work and aligns with the current Call for Proposals, as AACTE seeks those that share perspectives on addressing current issues and providing innovative ways to approach that which has yet to be considered in educator preparation.
Top 5 Tips for Submitting a Successful Annual Meeting Proposal
The deadline to submit a proposal is June 28. Learn more on AACTE’s website.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) hosted the 2024 Persistence to Graduation Summit in Lexington, KY, on June 11-12.
Educators, superintendents, administrators, counselors, and other community leaders focused on ways to help students at all levels reach graduation, despite any challenges they face along the way.
“There’s a lot of different kinds of barriers,” said KDE Division of Student Success Director Christina Weeter. “And they don’t just start in high school. They start in earlier years as well, and they can be cumulative.”
As Pride Month unfolds this June, AACTE commemorates the importance of fostering inclusive educational environments. Recognizing the imperative to integrate LGBTQ+ histories and perspectives into teaching curricula, AACTE provides members with essential resources to cultivate supportive spaces for students and teacher candidates of all identities.
Please see the following list of resources for educators curated by AACTE that will empower you to continue to be more inclusive in your teaching experience:
On June 19, 1865, the emancipation of enslaved Black people in the United States was realized when Union troops arrived in Galveston, TX, to enforce the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation for these citizens.
The newly freed people called this day “Juneteenth.” Also known as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is the commemoration of Black and African American people in the United States seizing their freedom that was denied to them despite their contributions to the growth of the nation’s economy and culture. While organizations around the country, including AACTE, will close their offices to give time to celebrate, reflect, and appreciate this history, more than half of the states in the country have introduced or passed legislation to prohibit teaching about structural racism, and you cannot fully teach and appreciate Juneteenth without acknowledging structural racism.
On June 13-14, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) held the second of three Regional Convenings to Support State Action to Advance the Education Professions in Chicago with a focus on Midwest to Northeastern states. AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D., CAE, was in attendance and presented at the Chicago meeting on June 13.
The three convenings are bringing together key leaders from across over 25 states, D.C., and American Samoa in cross-sector state leadership teams to learn from each other about effective efforts by states to increase educator compensation, expand access to high-quality and affordable pathways into the education professions, and increase educator diversity. The opening remarks featured the Department’s Assistant Secretary for the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development Roberto J. Rodriguez, and Illinois State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders, Ed.D. The opening remarks and session featured leadership from The Hunt Institute and TEACH.org.
