29 Apr2019
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE invites you to view a livestreamed panel discussion about the second release of the NAEP Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) results by the National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics. The livestream is on Tuesday, April 30 from 2:00-4:00pm EDT. Register now!
In response to the increasing role of technology in students’ lives, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) administers the Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) assessment—the first one of its kind in the United States. TEL adds valuable information to what NAEP reports for science and mathematics. This assessment measures students’ capacity to understand technology and how to design objects, processes, and systems to meet human needs. During the livestreamed event, presenters will discuss how the 2018 results compare to the 2014 debut of TEL and show how this assessment breaks the testing mold.
25 Apr2019
By Catherine Rosa and James Zoll
In September of 2018, University of North Georgia (UNG) Educational Leadership staff began partnership discussions with Gwinnett County Schools. The UNG educational leadership program went through several iterations and was working toward revising the program to align with the Principal Pipeline Research from the Wallace Foundation. This revision also met the requirements for the new Tier 1 certification program implemented by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. We were new to the work and very interested in the successful, data-driven work Gwinnett County Schools Leadership development programs.
The initial discussions were about the application process and how we screen candidates, as well as, how we measured the success of our candidates beyond the obvious licensing test by the state. This was the beginning of deep thinking for us about our program. We quickly learned that to build a quality program, we needed to attract the best candidates and track them through their placements in schools as leaders to determine the effectiveness of our work. We were most impressed with Gwinnett’s systems for measuring the success of their leadership development programs. This was great timing for our program as our Tier I participants had just completed the first cohort.
The quality measures divide the process program improvement into six domains. We shared our practices in our Tier I program in each of the six areas, collecting evidence to support our work with our critical friends from Gwinnett. At the same time, Gwinnett County Schools examined its practices in its principal preparation program sharing with us as critical friends. The process was transparent and helpful. We both walked away with fresh ideas for improving our programs.
25 Apr2019
By Nadene Davidson and Jeffrey Haverland
The Iowa Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (IACTE) is engaged in an initiative to bring the Model Code of Ethics for Educators (MCEE) to Iowa’s teacher preparation programs. Educators have the responsibility to ensure a safe environment and support the well-being of each and every child. The MCEE was designed as a framework to inform the decision-making process that educators can use to guide them through the gray areas of the profession based on five guiding principles. The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) began developing MCEE in 2012 and adopted it in 2015. The MCEE is designed to protect the rights of students and support educators’ commitment to the profession.
There are five principles of responsibility identified in the MCEE:
- Responsibility to the profession
- Responsibility for professional competence
- Responsibility to students
- Responsibility to parents/guardians, colleagues, the community and employers
- Responsible and ethical use of technology
19 Apr2019
By Matthew Wales
AACTE received high praise for its sessions during the 2019 Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY. Such acclaim can be contributed to one important element: the competitive nature of the Annual Meeting selection process. Each year, AACTE receives many more proposals for consideration than can be accommodated, so only the “best of the best” content makes its way into the programming for the conference.
Want to see your work featured during AACTE’s 2020 Annual Meeting in Atlanta? Then take note, because you will want to prepare a proposal that stands out in our peer-review process. Follow these five tips, and you are likely to distinguish yourself from the rest:
- Mind the Details –Y our proposal will be evaluated based upon the 10 criteria and elements outlined in the Expectations for Presentations. Familiarize yourself with these prior to writing your proposal. And most importantly, do NOT include any information that identifies either the authors or the institutions in the written proposal.
- Be Succinct and Specific – Choose a title that clearly conveys your topic. Proposals selected for presentation tend to state their subject matter upfront in the title. Additionally, the majority of chosen proposals contain short, concise abstracts that highlight the main focus of the presentation.
19 Apr2019
By Deborah Koolbeck
The AACTE Federal Update Webinars are back! As April has unfolded, quite a few things have started to bloom and grow in Washington, DC, including the budget and appropriations process. The President’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request was released and the Congress is in full appropriations season. But will the caps on defense and non-defense discretionary funds be raised to avoid deep cuts in programs? What is unfolding with legislation, including the Higher Education Act reauthorization?
We will cover this and more during the AACTE April 2019 Federal Update webinar. Remember there is always time to get your questions answered, and the webinar will be recorded and posted on the AACTE Advocacy Center federal page.
Register Today:
Tuesday, April 23 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. EDT
Wednesday, April 24, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon EDT
19 Apr2019
By Linda Minor
Applications for the 2020 AACTE awards are now open on AACTE’s online submission site. Entries for the Outstanding Book Award are due May 16 and entries for the Outstanding Dissertation Award are due August 20. All other award submissions are due October 9.
This is the 24th year AACTE’s awards program has been recognizing member institutions’ exemplary programs as well as individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to education preparation. For an overview of the 2019 award winners, see this press release.
19 Apr2019
By Ann Shillingford-Butler
I have exciting news for all master’s and doctoral students! The University of Central Florida (UCF) Holmes Scholar Program will host a Research & Scholarship Expo, Building Bridges: Promoting Impactful, Equitable Research, on June 28-29 in Orlando, FL. The Expo will include sessions on developing and conducting qualitative and quantitative research, exploring and securing external grant funding, developing winning manuscripts (conceptual and empirical), problem-solving through the dissertation journey, building meaningful mentoring relationships, and other practical topics related to successfully navigating higher education and the publication process.
Our keynote speaker will be David H. Jackson, Jr. dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at Florida A& M University.
Although the Research Expo will be hosted by the UCF Holmes Scholar program, the sessions are open to all master’s and doctoral students. For registration and hotel information, please visit https://2019ucfholmesscholarexpo.eventbrite.com.
For more information, feel free to contact me at Dr-S@ucf.edu or Amanda Wilkerson at Amanda.Wilkerson@ucf.edu.
19 Apr2019
By JTE Insider
Read the latest JTE Insider blog interview by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles in the JTE online archives—just log in with your AACTE profile.
This interview features insights from the authors of the JTE article “Keeping Our Best? A Survival Analysis Examining a Measure of Preservice Teacher Quality and Teacher Attrition.” Robert Vagi, Margarita Pivovarova, and Wendy Miedel Barnard co-authored the article, which is published in the March/April 2019 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education.
Q1. What motivated you to pursue this particular research topic?
With a background as a classroom teacher, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that great teachers can have on students. In my experience (and research supports this), those teachers are most desperately needed in challenging schools. As a result, I’ve always been interested in the strategic recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers. This interest fit naturally with my Ph.D. program that was housed in one of the largest teacher education colleges in the country. My co-authors, on the other hand, have been engaged in research on teacher quality and evaluation for several years, both for pre-service and in-service teachers.
18 Apr2019
By Matthew Wales
AACTE’s Leadership Academy is the perfect professional development opportunity for you to discover who you are as a leader. Designed for new and aspiring deans, department chairs, and anyone looking to develop or enhance their skills as an academic administrator, the academy covers the essentials of leadership while helping attendees cultivate a supportive network of peers. Here’s what the newest member of AACTE’s Academy Faculty, John Kuykendall had to say about his experience, including being a previous Academy participant:
What do you feel is the most valuable reason for attending the Leadership Academy?
For new administrators, it is essential to know that you are not alone in your role. I consider it necessary to develop a support group around your new leadership position and to have colleagues to call upon for guidance and assistance. The sessions at AACTE’s Leadership Academy provided me with key awareness in the decision-making process and leadership practices and strategies. My experience with the Academy was essential in developing a confident start in my new role as a dean for a school of education.
18 Apr2019
By Meghan Grenda
Help AACTE keep you informed on developments that impact educator preparation. Update your member profile! Our online process makes it easy and fast—just visit aacte.org to access the AACTE Profile Manager.
The AACTE Profile Manager allows us retrieve the most accurate member information to deliver the content and communications you’ll find most valuable. The Profile Manager allows you to edit your contact information, select your research areas of expertise, view any outstanding orders, and manage your subscriptions. An updated profile also provides us the opportunity to customize information specific to your member needs.
18 Apr2019
By Kim Metcalf
How often have you said (or thought to yourself), “I can’t possibly take on any more responsibilities! I can barely keep my head above water now?”
As I write to encourage you to serve on the AACTE Board of Directors and standing committees, I’m acutely aware that concerns about time and commitments exist for each of you. Given that we all struggle to balance our professional and personal lives, why should we commit time for service to AACTE? As someone who manages to serve on the Board of Directors—and who is now the chair—let me offer a few reasons why I find service to AACTE worth the investment of time and talent.
- It is important. Our institutions prepare students for the most important profession in the world. Yet, we are regularly reminded that policy makers and political leaders, the members of our communities, and sometimes even our colleagues in the academy don’t fully value the breadth or impact of our work. AACTE, through our collective voice, is both a vehicle and a resource for highlighting the value and importance of high-quality, university-based educator preparation. Being actively engaged in the work of AACTE has provide me with opportunities to influence the national conversation about educator preparation, helped me be better aware of developments beyond my institution, and provided tools and materials by which to more effectively communicate to my own regional and state audiences.
17 Apr2019
By Joanne Arhar
The Longview Foundation invites teacher educators to apply for the 2019-2020 cohort of the Global Teacher Education Fellows (GTE) Program. The GTE Fellows Program offers virtual professional development for select U. S. teacher educators to design Global Learning Classrooms for their teacher candidates. Program participants will receive professional development that includes a series of webinars led by experts in global learning and the support of a mentor with expertise in global learning in teacher education.
The GTE Fellows Program is seeking applicants who are
- Committed to global learning
Engaged with a full time teaching load during the 2019-2020 academic year, which includes at least two teacher education courses in an initial teacher preparation program
Supported by their respective dean/department chair to revise and teach at least one teacher education course that incorporates global learning outcomes, assessments, content, technology, and pedagogical practices that foster global competence in K-12 learners.
Interested candidates should apply for the Global Teacher Education Fellows Program by May 1.
12 Apr2019
By Denise Pearson
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) are uniquely positioned to engage higher education policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders to increase the participation of males of color throughout the teacher pipeline. To that end, Project Pipeline Repair: Restoring Minority Male Participation and Persistence in Educator Preparation Programs is a three-year, research-based initiative that emphasizes cross-sector collaboration as foundational to addressing three interconnected problems: nationwide teacher shortages, the lack of teacher diversity, and the teaching profession narrative.
On October 2-5, 2019, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) will host the Project Pipeline Repair Summit that will bring together P-16 policy, institutional, and community leaders to culminate this collaboration between state agencies, HBCUs, and partnering school districts in four states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina). During the Summit, we will engage in deep conversations with higher education policy and practice experts, including educator preparation researchers and practitioners. Representatives from other MSIs and organizations with similar aims are welcomed, and will also be present to expand the learning and build capacity in these important policy and practice areas.
12 Apr2019
By Jane E. West
This blog post is written by AACTE consultant Jane West and is intended to provide update information. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Congress was busy this week trying to wrap a few things up as they enter an extended recess period. With the timeline for the election pressing, the momentum will continue. Remember the first Democratic presidential candidate debate is in June—just two months away! So the pressure is on.
- House Makes Magic Move on Budget!
The Budget Control Act, as it stands now, would require dramatic cuts for education and other programs for FY 2020, which begins October 1. In order to avoid significant cuts to education and other programs, the Budget Control Act needs to be amended to increase the spending caps. While the House Budget Committee adopted new spending caps this week, Democrats were unable to find consensus and bring that provision to the House floor.
But do not despair! Where there is a will there is a way! On Wednesday the House adopted something called a “deeming resolution” which provides for $1.3 trillion for the 12 spending bills in FY 2020. The “non-defense discretionary” portion (which includes education) will be $34 billion over the FY 2019 spending level. This deeming resolution paves the way for Appropriations Chair, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), to divvy up the funding into 12 pots—one for each of the appropriations bills.
12 Apr2019
By Brandon R.T. Frost
Research indicates that effective school leadership is associated with better outcomes for students and schools. A high-quality school leader affects their teachers and students for many years. School districts are also instrumental in affecting teacher and student outcomes by playing a pivotal role in supporting their school leaders.
The Wallace Foundation partnered with six large and urban school districts across the nation to study the effects of Principal Pipelines from 2011 to 2016. The purpose was to examine whether a comprehensive principal pipeline would be more effective than business-as-usual approaches to the preparation and management of school leaders. The term, principal pipeline, encompasses the following components: 1) leader standards that guide all pipeline activities, 2) preservice preparation opportunities for assistant principals and principals, 3) selective hiring and placement, and 4) on-the-job induction, evaluation, and support. School districts were also required to produce and implement systems to further develop and sustain the principal pipeline outside of the study’s original time frame.
