Candidates Report Obstacles to Integrating Culturally Responsive Practice in Teaching

Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team? Check out the following interview with the author of a recent article. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles themselves in the full JTE archives online – just log in with your AACTE profile here.

This interview features insights from the article “Preparing for Culturally Responsive Schooling: Initial Teacher Educators Into the Fray” by Greg Vass of the University of New South Wales (Australia). The article, which appears in the November/December issue of JTE, is summarized in the following abstract:

Government Shutdown, DACA, HEA, Tax Reform – Catch Up on the Latest From Washington!

Did you miss the January AACTE Federal Update webinar? The recording and slides are now available in AACTE’s Resource Library – a free, member-exclusive benefit! Catch up on all the latest developments in Washington, DC, as Congress works through a packed and polarizing agenda this month. Feel free to share these resources with colleagues at your institution who might also be interested in viewing.

Remember, there will be no February Federal Update webinar (we will resume again in March!), as you’ll have the opportunity to attend two Washington Update sessions in early March at AACTE’s 70th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. You’ll also want to attend Deborah Koolbeck’s “advocacy speed-dating” session March 2, where you can participate in your choice of five mini advocacy trainings:

New Compendium Identifies 6 Elements of Successful Schools

What makes a public school successful? A new report from the Learning First Alliance (LFA) identifies six common elements critical to success – while also emphasizing that each school must tailor its programs to the specific goals and challenges of its setting. In other words, all successful schools share key characteristics, but how these elements are implemented and integrated depends greatly on context.

LFA members, which include AACTE and collectively represent more than 10 million educators, parents, and local policy makers, contributed their sectors’ best practices and research to the compendium to advance a collective vision of how and why public schools flourish. In addition to AACTE, LFA members include AASA, The School Superintendents Association; American Federation of Teachers; American School Counselor Association; Consortium for School Networking; Learning Forward; National Association of Elementary School Principals; National Association of Secondary School Principals; National Education Association; National PTA; National School Boards Association; and National School Public Relations Association.

Strengthening the Principal Pipeline: Free Preconference Event at #AACTE18

If you are looking for an opportunity to engage in a dynamic day of discussion and information sharing about the preparation of school leaders, look no further. With the generous support of The Wallace Foundation, AACTE is excited to again be able to host a free, day-long preconference event before AACTE’s Annual Meeting to share ideas and issues focused on strengthening the principal pipeline.

Strengthening the Pipeline to Transform the Principalship will be held Wednesday, February 28, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Marriott Baltimore Inner Harbor. Participants will draw upon emergent Wallace Knowledge in School Leadership as well as presentations on emergent policy issues, initiatives to improve practice, and exemplars of practice in educational leadership to explore approaches and address persistent problems in principal preparation.

Address Challenges of Integrating Technology in Teacher Preparation at #AACTE18 Preconference Symposium

Is it time to upgrade your candidates’ tech competency? Please join us for a free half-day symposium before AACTE’s Annual Meeting, organized by the AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology (I&T), to share leadership strategies for better integrating technology in teacher preparation.

Press Briefing Spotlights Work of AACTE Clinical Practice Commission

Members of the AACTE Clinical Practice Commission speak at the National Press Club January 17. Left to right: Jennifer Roth, Diane Fogarty, Kristien Zenkov, and Jennifer Robinson.

AACTE hosted a press briefing January 17 in Washington, DC, showcasing the work of the AACTE Clinical Practice Commission (CPC) and releasing the report A Pivot Toward Clinical Practice, Its Lexicon, and the Renewal of Educator Preparation.

Held in the historic National Press Club, the briefing opened with a welcome from AACTE Board Past Chair Jane Bray, dean of the Darden College of Education at Old Dominion University (VA). More than half the members of AACTE’s Board of Directors were in attendance, as were 30 members of the CPC and dozens of representatives from Washington-area education organizations, colleges and universities, news media, and AACTE staff.

What’s Up in Washington? Join AACTE’s Federal Update Webinar

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The clock is ticking on what appears to be an imminent federal government shutdown, unless a last-minute deal is struck on a short-term funding solution (continuing resolution) through either next week or February 16. Republicans and Democrats are facing off on numerous issues.

What’s causing this logjam? Challenges range from settling on a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program, increasing defense spending, deferring some healthcare tax provisions, extending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and raising spending caps (aka “a budget deal”). What’s also coming in February is the need to raise the debt ceiling. Looking forward, we could see more action on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act through the spring.

AACTE Commission Issues Proclamations for Effective Clinical Educator Preparation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For interviews, contact Jerrica Thurman
(202) 478-4502 or jthurman@aacte.org

(January 17, 2018, Washington, D.C.) – Clinical practice and partnership are central to high-quality teacher preparation, and although a variety of delivery models can coexist, they all must incorporate key principles to be effective, according to a report released today by a commission of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).

Putting Advocacy to Work – Try ‘Speed Dating’ in Baltimore

As you plan your session schedule for the AACTE Annual Meeting, don’t neglect your advocacy skill development! Please join me Friday, March 2, at 2:00 p.m. for “Putting Advocacy to Work.”

In this speed-dating-style session, I will run the clock while you circulate through your choice of introductory mini-sessions led by experts and professionals. There will be four time slots during this hour-long opportunity, each beginning with a few minutes of commentary by the leaders, and then opening for questions and discussion. Move from table to table to learn how to start off:

Researchers Propose Theoretical Model to Embed Social Justice in Classroom Practices, Teacher Preparation

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A recent Journal of Teacher Education article proposes a new model to integrate social justice with the concept of pedagogical content knowledge. In “Foregrounding Equity in Teacher Education: Toward a Model of Social Justice Pedagogical and Content Knowledge,” authors Jeanne Dyches of Iowa State University and Ashley Boyd of Washington State University lay out the theoretical model they call Social Justice Pedagogical and Content Knowledge, or SJPACK. A recent podcast interview with the authors for the JTE Insider blog sheds light on the model.

In the interview, the authors explain that since Lee Shulman’s concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) was introduced in the 1980s, it has thoroughly permeated teacher preparation, but it does not explicitly link PCK to equity concerns. They wanted to tease out the different ways this would look in different disciplines.

JTE Author: Teacher Preparation Programs Must Do More to Alleviate Teachers’ Math Anxiety

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Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team? Check out the following interview with the author of a recent article. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles themselves in the full JTE archives online – just log in with your AACTE profile here.

This interview features insights from the article “Preservice to In-Service: Does Mathematics Anxiety Change With Teaching Experience?” by Gina Gresham of the University of Central Florida. The article, which appears in the January-February issue of JTE, is summarized in the following abstract:

Experience the Benefits of AACTE’s Annual Meeting

image of woman smiling in a crowd
Dean Pamela Carroll of the University of Central Florida (center) enjoys a presentation at the AACTE Annual Meeting with hundreds of colleagues from around the nation.

In a recent survey of AACTE members, the highest rated member benefits are the opportunity to stay current with news, information, and trends related to the profession; support the advocacy efforts conducted on behalf of the profession; and share knowledge and best practices. At the 2018 AACTE Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, you can enjoy these valued benefits through sessions such as these:

Deeper Dive Sessions

Strong Clinical Partnerships Enable Collaborative Problem-Solving

The author is a member of AACTE’s Clinical Practice Commission, whose report will be released January 17 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

As an administrator at a clinical partnership high school, I am honored to serve on the AACTE Clinical Practice Commission (CPC) and value the resulting connections with clinical practitioners and researchers this opportunity has afforded me.

2018 National Teacher of the Year Finalists Announced

Today, the Council of Chief State School Officers announced four teachers from New Jersey, Ohio, Washington, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) as finalists for the 2018 National Teacher of the Year:

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Amy T. Anderson, 2018 New Jersey Teacher of the Year
A high school American Sign Language teacher at Ocean City Public Schools, Anderson received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a master’s degree from Western Maryland College. Learn more