12 Jun2018
By Zachary VanHouten
The federal appropriations season for Fiscal Year 2019 is kicking into high gear during the month of June, with committee markups of the Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill scheduled in both the House and Senate. On top of that, there is a growing possibility that the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act, a problematic bill that would reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA), will come to the floor of the House for a vote in June.
Whether or not you just attended AACTE’s Washington Week, this is a great opportunity to continue growing your advocacy capacity by staying informed – there have been numerous developments in this past week alone! We encourage you to watch the webinar with your students and colleagues, as the content covered in the webinar can help inform their advocacy for the profession.
12 Jun2018
By Janeula Burt
AACTE Holmes Scholars and other graduate students are invited to sharpen their research acumen at the annual Holmes Dissertation Retreat and Research Symposium, July 26-28 at Rowan University (NJ). The retreat supports the research, academic, and professional development of doctoral students through 2½ days of workshops, relationship-building activities, and peer-to-peer and student-to-faculty engagement.
A combination of plenary and smaller concurrent sessions will cover topics such as writing an annotated bibliography, quantitative and qualitative research methods, developing measurable questions, mentor/mentee relationships, reading/dissecting research articles, publishing research, academic etiquette, time management, scholar identity, and training for Holmes Program coordinators.
12 Jun2018
By Kristin McCabe
Four new videos are available this week in AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series highlighting the urban residencies of the State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego School of Education. In the latest videos, educators discuss why demand for Oswego residents is growing, how the clinical partnerships are boosting teacher recruitment, and myriad outreach efforts supporting diversity and inclusion–including the AACTE Holmes Program.
The growing clinical partnerships and residency programs of the SUNY Oswego School of Education are generating a compelling track record that places both student teachers and graduates in high demand among local districts. The programs are also boosting recruitment and support of more culturally and linguistically diverse educators, thanks to a variety of efforts on campus and beyond.
12 Jun2018
By Kristin McCabe, Jerry Stephens and Mahlet B. Tesfaye
Oregon teacher educators meet with U.S. Representative Kurt Schrader (second from left) during AACTE’s Day on the Hill.
Last week, AACTE members, chapter leaders, and partners convened for the Association’s annual Washington Week events in Arlington, Virginia, and on Capitol Hill. United under the theme “Your Voice Matters,” participants joined in one or more of the three signature events: the State Leaders Institute, the Holmes Summer Policy Institute, and Day on the Hill.
State Leaders Institute
12 Jun2018
By Samuel Santos
AACTE intern Samuel Santos (second from left) joined this New York delegation June 6 at AACTE’s Day on the Hill.
My summer internship with AACTE started during the 2018 Washington Week, and I had the privilege of not only witnessing the week’s events but also accompanying members on their congressional visits during Day on the Hill.
My fellow interns and I were each paired with different scholars who took us along with them and acted as our mentors during the Hill visits June 6. I was paired up with Jacob Easley II, dean of the Graduate School of Education at Touro College in New York City. Along with other members from New York State, we spent most of the day meeting with representatives, senators, and their staff to advocate for AACTE’s current legislative agenda.
11 Jun2018
By Deborah Koolbeck
On June 6, while AACTE members and partners were on Capitol Hill advocating for educator preparation as part of AACTE’s Day on the Hill, Association President/CEO Lynn M. Gangone was testifying before the Federal School Safety Commission at a listening session at the U.S. Department of Education.
The Commission, tasked with quickly providing meaningful and actionable recommendations to keep students safe at school and headed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is composed of the leadership of the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Last week’s meeting was the fourth since the Commission’s inception in March of this year and the first public listening session.
11 Jun2018
By Donna Wake and Terri Cullen
The authors are members and leaders of the AACTE topical action group called “All Things Accreditation.” The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Members of the All Things Accreditation Topical Action Group (TAG) spent the spring term this year designing and validating a survey that aims to help us better understand how the field is measuring technology integration in teacher education programs and what evidence colleges are using for technology expectations such as those of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). We invite you to participate in the survey at this link by June 29.
06 Jun2018
By Sara Hiller
Dean Renée A. Middleton of Ohio University
Superintendent Paolo DeMaria of Ohio Dept. of Education
AACTE is pleased to announce two keynote speakers for the Quality Support Workshop in Columbus, Ohio, August 2-4: Renée A. Middleton of Ohio University and Paolo DeMaria of the Ohio Department of Education.
The heart of the Quality Support Workshop is a series of hands-on sessions focused on quality assurance, continuous improvement, and performance assessment. Participants work with expert facilitators to develop their own quality assurance plans and other program-specific solutions to problems of practice. At the Ohio event, attendees will have a choice of concurrent workshop sessions in six time slots spread across 3 days, interspersed with group work time, a gallery walk, and office hours with facilitators.
05 Jun2018
By Kristin McCabe
Five new videos are available this week in AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series highlighting the urban residencies of the State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego School of Education. In the latest videos, educators discuss the professional growth they experience through their partnership work, the primary challenges they’ve faced, and advice they’d offer others looking to transition to a clinical residency.
Teachers of English as a new language (ENL) at Grant Middle School in Syracuse, New York, say they are fortunate to host preservice teachers from the SUNY Oswego TESOL program, who spend their full senior year working with them and other city schools in a coteaching residency.
04 Jun2018
By AACTE
(June 4, 2018, Washington, D.C.) – Teacher educators and other members from colleges and schools of education across the nation are convening June 3-6 for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) 2018 Washington Week. This national advocacy event for educator preparation, themed “Your Voice Matters,” is taking place at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, and on Capitol Hill.
“Washington Week is one of our premier programs, and AACTE is very proud to gather our colleagues and students from throughout the states to focus on policy and advocacy. I strongly encourage all of our members–administrators, faculty and staff—to attend and to make their voices heard,” said Dr. Lynn M. Gangone, president and CEO of AACTE. “Washington Week also showcases many of AACTE’s partnerships and highlights the importance of coalition and collaboration, particularly among education organizations here in Washington, to advocate for educator preparation at the federal and state levels.”
04 Jun2018
By Donna Wake, Sue Corbin and Sean Bedard-Parker
The authors are members and leaders of the AACTE topical action group called “All Things Accreditation.” The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
At the most recent AACTE Annual Meeting, we hosted a session on behalf of the All Things Accreditation Topical Action Group (TAG) to explore the expectations of Standard 4 of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The session, “A Courageous Conversation About Fairness, Justice, and Accountability in EPP Assessment and Impact on P-12 Student Learning,” aimed to evaluate current practices specific to CAEP Standard 4 as well as the merit of using standardized or criterion-referenced state tests designed to evaluate PK-12 student learning as a metric to judge the viability of educator preparation providers (EPPs). We discussed complications around value-added measures (VAM) and the fairness of judging EPPs by their graduates’ impact on student learning.
04 Jun2018
By JTE Insider
Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team? Check out the following interview with the authors 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.
The following interview features insights from the authors of the article “Early Childhood Open-Mindedness: An Investigation Into Preservice Teachers’ Capacity to Address Controversial Issues,” published in the March/April 2018 issue of JTE. The article is written by Nazan U. Bautista, Thomas J. Misco, and Stephen J. Quaye, all of Miami University (OH), and is summarized in the following abstract:
30 May2018
By Zachary VanHouten
The U.S. Department of Education has formally published a notice inviting applications for a new Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant cycle. Interested applicants should notify the Department by June 11 of their intent to apply, with completed applications due 4:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 26.
The TQP grant program, authorized in Title II of the Higher Education Act, is the only federal initiative designed to strengthen and reform educator preparation at institutions of higher education. AACTE has long advocated for this program, which funds partnerships between institutions of higher education and high-need schools and districts to develop master’s-level residency programs or to reform undergraduate preservice preparation programs.
29 May2018
By Matthew Wales
In just a few weeks, new and aspiring academic leaders from across the country will gather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for AACTE’s annual Leadership Academy. This popular professional development experience provides attendees the opportunity to advance their leadership skills while exploring a wide range of topics including garnering and allocating resources, promoting your unit and program, and managing your personal and professional time.
Even if you have attended AACTE’s Leadership Academy in the past, you might want to consider returning this year, June 24-28, as the program has implemented new, interactive content that will continue to develop your critical skills. (View the full schedule here.)
29 May2018
By Janeula Burt
On June 4, AACTE will welcome more than three dozen students to the Holmes Summer Policy Institute in Arlington, Virginia, as part of the Association’s Washington Week. This annual institute connects students with advocacy work at the intersection of education research and policy.
Throughout the day, interactive panel discussions will explore topics such as advocating for students of color, using social media for research and advocacy, and partnering with grass roots organizations and other advocacy groups. Featured panelists will include representatives from national organizations and associations such as UNCF, EdTrust, and HBCU Buzz. The Holmes institute participants will also receive a policy briefing and join an evening reception with the leaders of AACTE’s state chapters.
