11 Mar2020
By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.
The 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) covers about 260,000 teachers in 15,000 schools across 48 countries and economies.
The survey found that 67% of U.S. teachers under age 30 claimed teaching was their first career choice, consistent with the average for all participating countries. However, more than 73% of young teachers in Finland and close to 80% of young teachers in Alberta, Canada said teaching was their first choice. Moreover, 85% of young teachers in Japan and over 90% of young teachers in South Korea indicated teaching was their first-choice career.
Positive findings are that teachers in the United States are more likely to have received formal preparation on teaching students with special needs and on teaching in multicultural and/or multilingual settings, and feel better prepared in those areas than their peers in other OECD countries.
11 Mar2020
By Faye Snodgress
In response to many requests, Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), an AACTE affiliate member, is offering faculty to participate in free professional development related to education for sustainable development (ESD). The Online Global Forum on ESD is designed to meet the needs of teacher educators who work with preservice and in-service teachers of primary and secondary schools. The Forum focuses on educational themes (e.g., systems thinking, pedagogy, and assessment) and teaching about current threats to global sustainability (e.g., climate change and social inequity).
Each unit includes an overview of the theme, usually in short videos, online discussions, and thought activities, as well as a live discussion with ESD experts. Videos and discussions will include practical topics, such as how to integrate sustainability into existing teacher preparation courses and good practices.
To join the Forum, please visit our website. There is no cost to participate!
Faye Snodgress is the executive director of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education.
09 Mar2020
By Jane E. West
This blog post is written by AACTE consultant Jane West and is intended to provide updated information. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
The coronavirus outbreak has left us all a bit flummoxed this week. Higher education, school districts and all of our communities are working to provide informed leadership, but not be alarmist—a tall order when so much is unknown.
Meanwhile, Congress continues to make progress with education matters and political campaigns continue to unfold.
House and Senate Kick Off FY 2021 Appropriations Season with DeVos Hearings
In the last two weeks Sec. Betsy DeVos has appeared before both the House and Senate Subcommittees on Labor/HHS/Education to defend the Trump education budget proposal for FY 2021. The controversial budget calls for almost a $9 billion cut from last year, a block grant for virtually all elementary and secondary education programs and a familiar $5 billion voucher program (“Education Freedom Scholarships”).
09 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
William Earl Gardner, a former AACTE president and dean of the College of Education at the University of Minnesota, passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on February 16 in St. Paul, MN. During his AACTE tenure, he greatly influenced the international program efforts and reshaped the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), along with his colleague, the late Dale Scannell.
Dr. Gardner earned three degrees from the University of Minnesota: B.S. and M.A. degrees in education and social sciences and a Ph.D. in education and American history. After teaching junior and senior high school social studies, he joined the University of Minnesota’s College of Education faculty, serving as department chair and associate dean before being named dean of the College in 1977. In addition to his leadership role at AACTE, Dr. Gardner was a St. Louis Park School Board member and affiliated with numerous state, national, and international educational organizations. His many publications include scholarly articles, books, textbooks, and a social studies curriculum.
A celebration of life party for Dr. Gardner will be held June 6 at Bradshaw, 2800 Curve Crest Blvd., Stillwater, MN. Memorial contributions may be given to the William E. Gardner Scholarship Fund, University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development.
09 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
Former AACTE Board member Dale Paul Scannell died at the age of 90 on February 14 at Abington Hospital near his home in Flourtown, PA. Dr. Scannell made many contributions to the field of education preparation, including the development of the country‘s first integrated five-year program in education at the University of Kansas in 1981. He received the AACTE Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education in 1989.
Dr. Scannell earned his B.A., Masters and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Iowa. Rising quickly in the education field, he was appointed dean of Education at the University of Kansas in 1969 and continued in that role for 16 years. He then served for six years as dean of education at the University of Maryland in College Park, followed by posts at the University of South Carolina and at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). Throughout his tenure, he mentored many faculty, both men and women, and he created a special program at the University of Maryland to encourage women to enter administrative roles in the College of Education. He ended his professional career at age 70 after serving for 10 years as a consultant to the United Arab Emirates University, College of Education.
06 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
AACTE Board member Robert E. Floden is one of 12 prominent scholars selected as a 2020 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow. AERA Fellows are selected based on their notable and sustained research achievements. Floden, along with the other 2020 Fellows, will be inducted on April 18 during the 2020 AERA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.
Floden is dean of the College of Education at Michigan State University and a University Distinguished Professor of teacher education. He serves as co-editor of the Journal of Teacher Education, the official journal of AACTE. During its meeting last month, AACTE Board members elected Floden as the chair-elect and a member of the Executive Committee. He will begin his term as AACTE chair in 2021.
“We are delighted to honor these scholars for their contributions to education research and their dedication to the field,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “AERA Fellows exemplify the highest standards of excellence through accomplishment, professionalism, and commitment. We welcome the class of 2020 to these prestigious ranks.”
AERA is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. The 2020 Fellows were nominated by their peers, selected by the Fellows Committee, and approved by the AERA Council, the association’s elected governing body. They join 665 current AERA Fellows.
06 Mar2020
By Anna Stolley Persky
Julie Conner, a teacher at the Virginia School for the Visually Impaired, works with a female student with vision impairment.
This article originally appeared on the George Mason University website and is reprinted with permission.
The United States is in desperate need of educators who can read and teach braille, according to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Less than 10% of the 1.3 million people who are legally blind in the U.S. are able to read braille, according to a 2009 report by the NFB.
But few U.S. colleges offer programs that prepare teachers to educate students who are visually impaired, according to Kimberly Avila, professor-in-charge of the teacher preparation program in blindness and vision impairment within the College of Education and Human Development. Avila is also the coordinator for the Virginia Consortium for Teacher Preparation in Vision Impairment.
06 Mar2020
By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.
At its meeting prior to the 72nd Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA, the AACTE Board of Directors elected the following board members to leadership positions on the AACTE Executive Committee:
Chair-Elect
Robert Floden
Dean, College of Education and University Distinguished Professor
Michigan State University
Member-at-large
Patricia Alvarez-McHatton
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Student Success, and P-16 Integration
University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
06 Mar2020
By Ann Doss Helms
This article originally appeared on WFAE and is reprinted with permission.
Fourth-grade teacher Lindsey Turner (left) huddles with student teacher Jessica Jenkins during class at Harrisburg Elementary. Credit Ann Doss Helms/WFAE
Whenever the spotlight turns to struggling schools and failing students, there’s another question that bubbles up: How well are America’s teacher preparation programs doing their job?
Ellen McIntyre, who headed UNC Charlotte’s Cato College of Education for six years, says there’s plenty of room for improvement. The college (which is a WFAE underwriter) is working with Charlotte-area public schools to improve a crucial step in teacher prep: Student teaching.
Too many student teachers, she says, still experience the sink-or-swim approach she did years ago: Being thrown into a classroom with the regular teacher watching passively and critiquing after the fact, while university supervisors pop in and out without forging real connections.
06 Mar2020
By Linda Minor
Registration is now open for AACTE’s 2020 Washington Week. This annual event, with participation from AACTE and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) state chapter leaders, Holmes Scholars, and AACTE members and non-members alike interested in advocating for the profession, will take place in the nation’s capital. This year’s Washington Week will be held May 31 – June 3 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA, and on Capitol Hill.
06 Mar2020
By Azaria Cunningham
Congratulations to Phillandra Smith, Holmes Scholar of the Month for February 2020. Smith is a second-year doctoral student in special education, and is also pursuing a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Disability Studies at Syracuse University. She is one of two inaugural Holmes Scholars at Syracuse University, where she is also a board member on the School of Education Graduate Student Council. Smith serves as an American Education Research Association (AERA) peer reviewer for the Caribbean and African Studies in Education special interest group (SIG).
Originally from The Bahamas, Smith has taught in her home country and Japan. Her research interests include cultural reciprocity in the transition planning of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities, the retention and recruitment of racially and ethnically diverse students to inclusive education teacher programs, and the experience of Caribbean migrant students with disabilities in U.S. schools.
04 Mar2020
By Dustin Wunderlich
This article originally appeared on the University of Washington College of Education website and is reprinted with permission.
Back in 2017, the University of Washington’s Elementary Teacher Education Program (ELTEP) enrolled its first cohort of teacher candidates in which more than half were people of color and more than half spoke a language in addition to English.
While the diversity of the cohort was welcome — particularly in a state where 89 percent of teachers are white but students of color make up nearly 50 percent of public school enrollment — it also meant UW teacher educators needed to reassess their program.
“When we admitted our first group of very diverse students, I went to the faculty and said ‘We’ve got a gift’,” said Teddi Beam-Conroy, director of the UW’s Elementary Teacher Education Program. “Most efforts [to diversify the teaching workforce] concentrate on recruiting students, and they’re here. So now we have to talk about how we’re going to change to meet their needs. What do we need to do in order to sustain and learn from the students we have with us?”
04 Mar2020
By Weade James
AACTE is excited to announce and welcome the newly elected 2020-21 Holmes Council. The Council, selected by members of the AACTE Holmes Program, is comprised of current Holmes students and serves as the student voice of the program for AACTE. In my role as the AACTE director of development and research and an alumna of the Holmes Program, I look forward to collaborating with the new Holmes Council to implement initiatives that align with the organization’s strategic priorities.
03 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
AACTE says “thank you” to the AACTE members, partners, and supporters who attended the 2020 Annual Meeting in Atlanta February 28-March 1! Your presence was vital to exploring this our theme, “Disrupting Inequities: Educating for Change” during AACTE’s 72nd national conference.
Over the coming weeks, Ed Prep Matters will offer you a range of Annual Meeting coverage. Meanwhile, take a moment to view (and share!) conference photos and conversations on the AACTE Twitter feed using #AACTE20, and enjoy the following recap videos:
Highlights – Friday February 28
03 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
During the AACTE 72nd Annual Meeting attendees went viral on Twitter using #AACTE20—tweeting, retweeting, and, liking posts over the 3 days in Atlanta! From presenters, to Holmes Scholars, to session attendees, hundreds of contributors shared photos of event activities. Thanks to the flurry of social media activity, close to 1,000 conversations took place on Twitter while participants were “Disrupting Inequities: Educating for change.”
Check out a selection of posts below. To see the full volume of tweets, visit us on Twitter at #AACTE20.
