08 Jan2024
By Michael Bratton
AACTE Teacher Stories is a series highlighting the experiences of K-12 educators who are attending or alumni of AACTE member institutions. AACTE invites preservice and in-service school teachers to reflect on how they are applying the practices, frameworks, and strategies they acquired during their educator preparation program (EPP) studies to assure student success. Please email submissions to Tyler Pointer at tpointer@aacte.org.
A Bowling Green State University (BGSU) graduate student was recently recognized for her exceptional performance in the classroom by receiving the Emerging Leader Award from the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics — an honor given to a current mathematics pre-service teacher or a mathematics educator who has taught for five years or fewer.
Kaitlyn Solymosi ’22, who earned a bachelor’s degree in integrated mathematics education and has been involved in the University’s Math Camp, Math Emporium, and was a Thompson Family Scholar, said she found herself immersed at BGSU from the start.
“I was going to math conferences as a freshman, and I joined the math-ed community way before I was in my own classroom student teaching,” Solymosi said. “My experience at BG was definitely more than I expected to get out of a math-ed degree.”
03 Jan2024
NM Residencies Program Provides Aspiring Teachers with Classroom Experience
By Nate Williams
The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) has been awarded a five-year, $8 million federal grant for NM Residencies, a statewide initiative to provide aspiring teachers with a year of co-teaching alongside an accomplished mentor teacher as part of their pre-service preparation program.
The grant, part of the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Education Innovation and Research Program, will provide much-needed research, infrastructure, and implementation support for NM Residencies.
03 Jan2024
By Stacie Brensilver Berman
Queering the Curriculum: Advocating for and Affirming LGBTQIA+ Identities in the Teacher Education Curriculum in Challenging Times is a webinar intended for faculty and staff who are preparing teacher education students to work with all students, with a special emphasis on important curricular considerations for LGBTQIA+ candidates, cooperating teachers, and K-12 students and families. Join nationally recognized experts as they discuss how recent legislation that targets LGBTQIA+ identities has the potential to shape teacher education and how teacher educators can respond via curriculum and instructional decision-making.
I started teaching high school in 2001 at a large public high school in New York City, highly regarded for its theater and arts programs. Two-thirds of the students identified as female and one-third identified as male; several students were openly gay. It was a rare and different environment for the time; though there was growing recognition and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community we were not yet at a moment where, when surveyed, 20% of the generation that I taught identified as LGBTQ+.
Teaching in New York City, and this particular school, allowed me opportunities to integrate LGBTQ+ history in ways that I might not have felt safe doing in other schools. Early in my career, I saw the way students’ faces lit up when they felt represented in the curriculum. Conversely, I also learned how to address and navigate homophobic comments that students made in class, often based on preconceived ideas they learned outside of school. Neither my colleagues nor the administration weighed in on what I should or shouldn’t teach. It seemed right and accurate to me to teach LGBTQ+ history, so I did. It was only later, as a doctoral student, that I started to understand the level of support necessary to effectively and meaningfully bring this history into our classrooms.
03 Jan2024
By U.S. Department of Education
The Biden-Harris Administration announced $44.5 million in grants to 22 institutions of higher education to improve rates of postsecondary education enrollment, persistence, and completion among students in rural communities. The Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) grant program promotes the development of high-quality career pathways aligned to high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in the region.
In America’s rural communities, only 29% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 are enrolled in higher education, compared to almost 48% of their counterparts in urban areas and 42% in suburban areas. In addition to navigating how to pay for college and the application process, students in rural areas face other barriers to accessing and completing college, including reliable transportation, food and housing insecurity, and access to health care and high-speed internet.
“The grants announced today by the Biden-Harris Administration reflect our commitment to empowering rural communities to build on their strengths, attract new investments, and prepare students for the high-skill, high-wage jobs of tomorrow,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “When we invest in postsecondary attainment in rural communities, we create pathways for students to find rewarding careers that do not require them to leave their hometowns for economic opportunity. These grant awards will help rural institutions Raise the Bar for student success and the attainment of valuable degrees and credentials that lead to brighter futures and greater prosperity.”
A full version of the press release is available on the U.S. Department of Education’s website.
03 Jan2024
By Tyler Pointer
In their work to prepare aspiring teachers with pathways to paid residencies, Prepared To Teach is offering a six-part webinar series titled “Foundations to Futures” to support building new residencies. Foundations to Futures is a free, exploratory webinar series on residencies that will culminate in an invitation to join the Prepared to Teach Community of Practice to launch residencies.
The series will launch on January 29, 2024, with its first webinar, “Foundations for a Strong Residency” which will focus on the potential teacher residencies have to fundamentally transform both how individuals enter the profession and how students and teachers experience schooling. This webinar will share the following:
- A vision for residencies as a unique approach to preparation—and why we need them today,
- How preparation programs and school/district partnerships form the backbone of a strong residency,
- The basics of co-constructing residency designs,
- And tools and resources—all Creative Commons Licensed—for you to use in your local context.
03 Jan2024
By Michael Slaton
The Clemson University College of Education is dedicated to improving teacher preparation and student outcomes in every classroom, focusing on underserved schools and communities. With this in mind, researchers in the college are interested in classroom practices and the effects of education policies on schools, districts, and entire regions.
Two recent grants awarded to college faculty showcase both ends of this spectrum.
Faiza Jamil, associate professor in the college, uses data from multiple sources to examine the effectiveness of district policies designed to increase the number of teachers from diverse backgrounds. Meanwhile, Kristen Duncan, an assistant professor in the college, uses more qualitative research to examine how Black educators tackle challenging discipline-specific content with students.
21 Dec2023
By Amelia Q. Rivera
Terrance J. Lewis
Congratulations to Terrance J. Lewis, the distinguished Holmes Scholar of the Month for November 2023. McNeil, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., is a doctoral candidate in secondary education social science at Auburn University, where he currently serves as a presidential research fellow and graduate assistant. McNeil’s research agenda spans the exploration of pedagogical beliefs and practices of Black men social studies teachers, the factors associated with teaching Black history in K-12 classrooms, and the use of documentary film as an instructional tool in social studies.
Before enrolling at Auburn, Lewis taught U.S. government, world geography, and Georgia studies at the high school and middle school levels for four years in Columbus, GA. During his time as a classroom teacher, he served in various roles including student council sponsor, robotics coach, and wrestling coach. He was also the founder of a mentoring program, Building Better Men Lunchroom Mentoring, which provided mentorship and support to male students in sixth through eighth grades.
McNeil’s research has been featured at national conferences including the Men of Color Summit hosted by Clemson University and the Teaching Black History Conference hosted by the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has also conducted research on topics related to diversifying social studies curriculum and the impacts of Black history education.
McNeil is a graduate of the University of Alabama where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in secondary education and a master’s degree in secondary education from Columbus State University. His professional goal is to obtain a tenure-track faculty position at a university where he can continue his research while educating and mentoring future social studies teachers. Lewis firmly believes a life spent serving others is a life well lived.
21 Dec2023
By Weade James
AACTE is proud to welcome five new Holmes Scholars as 2023 draws to a close. These scholars hail from California State University San Bernadino, Fresno State, the University of Northern Iowa, and the UCDS Graduate School of Education.
California State University San Bernadino
Reyan Warren, who taught 11th-grade English at Adelanto High School in Adelanto, CA, was born in San Bernardino and raised in Victorville. A lifelong Inland Empire resident, she believes in diversifying our most critical positions of power to increase the equity and quality of education for all students. Warren is a Silverado High School alumna and transfer graduate of Victor Valley College, and holds a bachelor’s degree, teaching credential, and master’s degree in secondary education from California State University San Bernadino. She believes that being a professional educator means having a mindset that can create actionable strategies to address the gaps in diversity in the education field so that all students have an amplified voice. It was her love for teaching at Adelanto High School that ignited her interest in fighting for equity and equality for all who are in the education field. She continues to pursue a passion for advocating for underrepresented groups and their successes beyond the high school level, and throughout their lives. “As long as you keep your head to the sky, you can win.”
19 Dec2023
By Nicole Dunn
AACTE is excited to launch a second podcast dedicated to supporting the often-unsung heroes in our education system: our principals. With support from the Wallace Foundation, Preparing and Sustaining Principals will dig into research from the Wallace’s Knowledge Center for School Leadership through interviews with researchers like Linda Darling-Hammond Ed.D., as well as the practitioners and principal preparation leaders who are implementing findings from that research to utilize. The learning objectives covered in the podcast, as well as many of the experts you’ll hear from, were provided by AACTE’s Principal Preparation Support TAG.
While last year’s podcast, The University Principal Preparation Initiative, covered a major collaborative redesign initiative between seven prep programs and their state and district partners, this podcast will dive deeper into the experiences and multi-faceted roles of principals and how their preparation did or could have better-prepared them to be school leaders. Over the next six episodes, we will discuss topics like how to prepare principals to be equitable in a climate of censorship, what type of preparation matters when principals are called to be crisis leaders, and how principal candidates view their preparation and future roles as school and community leaders.
19 Dec2023
By Andrew Donnelly
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Rep. Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-Ind.) introduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy Act on December 15, 2023. The bill would codify AI literacy as a key component of digital literacy and create opportunities to incorporate AI literacy into existing programs.
The adoption of AI has more than doubled since 2017, and the average number of AI capabilities that organizations use doubled between 2018 and 2022. Americans of every age, in every district, and from every background will be impacted by AI, and therefore need AI literacy — an understanding of basic AI principles and applications, the skills to recognize when AI is employed, and awareness of its limits.
“It’s no secret that the use of artificial intelligence has skyrocketed over the past few years, playing a key role in the ways we learn, work, and interact with one another. Like any emerging technology, AI presents us with incredible opportunities along with unique challenges,” said Blunt Rochester. “That’s why I’m proud to introduce the bipartisan AI Literacy Act with my colleague, Rep. Bucshon. By ensuring that AI literacy is at the heart of our digital literacy program, we’re ensuring that we can not only mitigate the risk of AI but seize the opportunity it creates to help improve the way we learn and the way we work.”
19 Dec2023
By AACTE
As the year comes to a close, make a resolution to invest in your professional development by registering for AACTE’s 2024 Annual Meeting before the Advanced Registration deadline of January 1. AACTE does not want you to miss out on the chance to network with peers, explore cutting-edge educational practices in teacher preparation, and gain insights from industry experts at the February 16 – 18 Annual Meeting in Aurora/Denver, CO.
18 Dec2023
By Judith Cebula
Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved more than $21.5 million in implementation grants to help 28 colleges and universities in Indiana prepare the next generation of teachers in methods aligned with the Science of Reading.
The Endowment made the grants through its initiative, Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana (ASRI). The initiative aims to improve significantly the reading abilities of Indiana K-12 students by helping teachers strengthen their use of methods aligned with the Science of Reading, a vast body of research related to how children learn to read. Methods aligned with the research include explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction focused on phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
The Endowment, which has long supported efforts to improve educational outcomes for students in Indiana’s K-12 schools, launched ASRI in 2022 to help address low reading achievement among Indiana students. Only 33% of Indiana fourth-graders scored proficient in reading comprehension in the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called ‘The Nation’s Report Card.’
18 Dec2023
From the Teacher Follow-up Survey to the National Teacher and Principal Survey
By National Teacher and Principal Survey
New data provides attrition and mobility information about teachers in public and private K-12 schools during the 2021–22 school year.
The National Center for Education Statistics released a new report, Teacher Attrition and Mobility. Results From the 2021–22 Teacher Follow-up Survey to the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NCES 2023-058). The report provides new information about attrition and mobility of teachers in public and private K–12 schools including the following:
18 Dec2023
By Sara Skretta
The Nebraska Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NACTE) is proud to be a leader in the state’s efforts to address the educator workforce challenges it faces. It was thanks to an AACTE chapter grant, that NACTE was able to host the first Nebraska State Educator Shortage Summit in October of 2021.
The original summit’s 100 participants, representing PK-12 education, the State Board of Education, the Nebraska Department of Education, supporting education associations, Educational Service Unit, and educator preparation programs (EPPs) participated in fully interactive discussions designed to identify state priority areas. The day-long summit concluded by identifying four priority areas and establishing a state task force for each area. In 2022, the four task forces, composed of those who attended the first summit, focused on the areas of certification, recruitment, and retention, elevating the profession and the Praxis Core required exam. While many things were accomplished it also was apparent that there was more work to be done as a collective education community in Nebraska.
That is how the Nebraska State Educator Shortage Summit, or Summit 2.0, came to be. Funded in large part by a Nebraska Department of Education Shortage Pipeline Grant, this event convened a few months ago in October. Summit 2.0 was a two-day event with an expanded program that included interactive discussions, keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and a 100% increase in registrants. That meant we had to move to a legitimate conference facility, which was fairly daunting to our planning committee as it got very real, very quickly.
12 Dec2023
By AACTE
As the AACTE 2024 Annual Meeting quickly approaches, Ed Prep Matters will highlight presenters at Featured Sessions. These accomplished experts represent a diverse spectrum of thought leadership in the field of teacher education, bringing a wealth of knowledge, experience, and groundbreaking insights to the forefront. Get ready to be inspired by members in the field, each poised to elevate and shape the future of educator preparation.
Featured Session: From Hiring to Tenure: Solutions to Diversify the Ranks of Higher Education Faculty and Leaders
Despite increased racial and ethnic diversity of U.S. college enrollees and calls for greater DEI, the lack of faculty of color in higher education, particularly colleges and schools of education, continues to persist. Faculty diversity plays an important role in college completion. This session will examine the challenges and opportunities to diversify the ranks of academia and elevate successful initiatives to attract and retain faculty and leaders of color.
In this member spotlight, Nicholas D. Hartlep, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin discusses his presentation in this Featured Session and what attendees can look forward to in this engaging conversation.
Hartlep holds the Robert Charles Billings Endowed Chair in Education at Berea College, where he chairs the Education Studies Department. His research includes examinations of the model minority stereotype of Asian Americans, higher education leadership, teaching and transformation in urban educational settings, and the impact of neoliberalism on public P–20 education. He has published 26 books in the field of education over the course of his academic career, two of which were named Outstanding Books by the Society of Professors of Education.
