Department of Education Announces Funding Opportunities to Prepare Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities

This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

This week, in recognition of National Teacher Appreciation Day and National Teacher Appreciation Week the Biden-Harris Administration acknowledged the hard work and critical importance of our nation’s educators. President Biden issued a proclamation, saying in part:

“In schools across America, teachers are arriving early to set up classrooms, spending long hours educating students, and staying late to prepare tomorrow’s lesson plans. Their devotion to our children embodies the best of America — ready to serve and eager to see others thrive.  Today and during this week, we celebrate our nation’s remarkable teachers and early childhood educators, and we recommit to having their backs, just as they have ours.” 

Additionally, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden shared a video of 2023 State Teachers of the Year receiving thank you messages from the parents of their students. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona released a video and penned an op-ed, calling for the “ABCs of the teaching profession: agency, better working conditions, and competitive salary.”

Covering Politics, Policy and School Leadership at Upcoming Washington Week

A Q&A with Paul Katnik

AACTE’s 2023 Washington Week, June 4-7, is a legislative conference designed to enhance member advocacy skills, including Congressional visits while promoting policies to support educator preparation programs. Regarding academic censorship legislation, school leaders are at the intersection of the implications of proposed or passed legislation and how they affect student’s learning and the mental well-being of everyone working within our nation’s P-20 institutions. In a Wallace Foundation report by lead author Linda-Darling HammondDeveloping Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters, the research tells us that for school leaders to serve their primary objective, to serve and be inclusive of all students, they must be provided quality principal preparation programs that are equity-oriented. How can our school leaders meet their objective if policies are explicitly, or through an induced chilling climate, preventing them from even discussing how to teach diverse learners and the history and context in which diverse students live?

Educator preparation professionals are invited to join AACTE’s premier advocacy event to exchange ideas with like-minded colleagues and leaders and advocate for positive change in educational policies. Take a look at the full schedule of sessions and register by May 31 to save your spot.

Call for Entries: AACTE’s Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award and James D. Anderson Outstanding Dissertation Award

AACTE recognizes exemplary research, writing and practices in educator preparation through its Awards Program. The two leading research and writing awards elevate an outstanding book and dissertation in the field. The Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award recognizes a published book that offers new perspectives and solutions, and centers equity in education and educator preparation, so it’s only fitting that this award is named after renowned scholar, Gloria J. Ladson-Billings. Her work has shaped the field in many ways, and her research in cultural pedagogy and equity in educator and student instruction, including critical race theory, has transcended beyond educator preparation.

AACTE Innovation & Technology Committee Hosts Webinar on Using AI Tools in EPPs

The current generation of artificial intelligence (AI) is already integrated into daily life for every person with a mobile device. Even personalized news feeds are informed by algorithms tailored to maximize engagement via personalized content moderation. However, current AI models also have the potential to compose and spread misinformation. Therefore, it is essential for the field to develop a comprehensive understanding of this technology along with the impact it will have on teaching, learning, and human development. Concurrently, the community must establish policy and ethical guidelines for the field.

Join AACTE members on Tuesday, May 23 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET as AACTE’s Committee on Innovation and Technology co-chair, Rachel Karchmer-Klein (University of Delaware) moderates a panel composed of the following experts: Marie K. Heath  (Loyola University), AACTE Innovation and Technology committee member Punya Mishra (Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University), and Eleazar Vasquez III (University of Central Florida). The panel will discuss how Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) can leverage AI to meet the needs of the next generation of educators.

Incorporating Diversity into the Elementary Curriculum: Suggested Teaching Strategies

Incorporating diversity into the curriculum has never been more relevant or necessary.

Culturally competent teaching begins with acknowledging and embracing the considerable diversity students bring to the classroom and it builds on the culturally relevant literature utilized in teaching. However, teachers with minimum or no prior diversity experience are less likely to make informed decisions in their book selection. Failure to properly design inclusive lesson plans could create and maintain misunderstanding between teachers and students, further contributing to the cultural gap between them.

EDUCATORS for America Act is Re-Introduced in Congress

This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

It was another busy week in Washington — with conversations surrounding the debt limit continuing to dominate much of the conversation. As you will recall, last month House Republicans passed a bill which ties the debt limit to appropriations by raising the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or through the end of next March, whichever happens first, in exchange for a wide range of proposals to decrease government funding. The cuts to federal funding would include capping federal funding at fiscal year (FY) 2022 levels- a nearly 22% cut to non-defense discretionary programs (i.e., education)- while also limiting spending growth to 1% every year over the next decade.

In the States: Arizona School District Uses Housing Project to Attract Teacher

The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.

As school districts across the nation struggle to find qualified educators to fill classroom vacancies,  one Arizona school district will utilize an unconventional recruitment tool: tiny houses. As reported by CNN, the Chino Valley Unified School District is using federal money to build 10 studio units, each 400 square feet, on a vacant lot behind an elementary school, where teachers will pay roughly $550 per month in rent — well below the market rate for the area.

AACTE Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week May 8-12

AACTE is pleased to honor P-20 educators during National Teacher Appreciation Week. Typically held the first full week of May, this week is dedicated to America’s educators who commit their lives to service by educating, encouraging, and advocating for all students. Inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt’s 1953 call to Congress to create a National Day of Recognition for Teachers, and through the contributions of both the National Education Association (NEA) and National Parent Teacher Organization (PTA), America celebrated its first Teacher Appreciation Week in 1984.

Asian American Experiences Matter: Centering Asian American Leadership Experiences in Teacher Education

In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month, Asian American leaders in educator preparation programs (EPPS) Rachel Endo and Nicholas D. Hartlep, share their collective experiences that caused their interest in collaborating on researching and writing a critical inquiry paper that explores the experiences of current and former Asian American leaders in EPPs in the United States. Endo is dean of the School of Education at the University of Washington, Tacoma and Hartlep is chair of the Education Studies Department at Berea College.

Our paper seeks to answer the following questions:

  • What are the intersecting social identity markers within the current pool of Asian American leaders?
  • How do Asian/American EPP leaders describe their trajectory into leadership positions?  

Registration Now Open: 2023 Leadership Academy

 Registration is now open for AACTE’s Leadership Academy — a unique opportunity for deans, department chairs, and other administrators and faculty to enhance their leadership skills, address current issues, and build a professional peer network. Whether just beginning your career in academic leadership, or a seasoned and experienced leader with years of experience, this year’s Leadership Academy provides professional development that is essential and applicable to everyone, including a New Deans Academy:

  • Leadership Academy: Sunday, July 30 – Thursday, August 3, and 
  • New Deans Academy: Thursday, August 3 – Friday, August 4  

Call for Reviewers for 2024 Annual Meeting Proposals

AACTE is pleased to announce the call for volunteer reviewers for its 2024 Annual Meeting conference slated to occur February 16 – 18, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. The conference theme, “Ascending New Heights: Propelling the Profession into the Future,” will bring together scholars, researchers, leaders and practitioners to share impactful research, programs and practices in teacher education, and identify new opportunities to advance the field.

$1.45M NSF Grant Awarded to Longwood University to Expand STEM Teacher Pipeline to Rural Areas

Longwood University faculty members were recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) totaling $1.45 million to recruit and support future secondary school teachers who want to teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects in Southside and southwestern Virginia.

The NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant will fund a five-year project that aims to serve the national need for preparing and retaining highly qualified science and mathematics teachers to teach in rural, high-need school districts. The grant will be used to provide scholarships and academic support to 20 undergraduate students, 14 of whom will be transfers from the Virginia Community College System who will major in biology, chemistry, mathematics or physics and pursue a STEM teaching career.

A Washington Update: ISTP, Federal Funding and IDEA Annual Report

This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

It was another busy week in Washington. The Department of Education co-hosted the 2023 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP), welcoming more than 22 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The theme for this year’s summit was “Poised for the Future: Transformative Teaching for Global Engagement, Sustainability, and Digital Access.” Building on discussions held during past summits, 2023 focused on elevating and enhancing the teaching profession, educating for global and cultural competence and civic engagement, and leveraging digital technologies to ensure equitable access and enhanced learning for all. Jill Biden and Secretary Cardona both participated in the convening using the opportunity in part to tout President Biden’s commitment to educators. This comes on the heels of President Biden announcing his 2024 reelection campaign. In his first two campaign videos President Biden has referred to Republican-led efforts to restrict what’s taught in schools — we expect education will continue to be a major theme throughout this election cycle.

Follow Us