10 Nov2016
By Michelle Mitchell and Terrance McNeil
Congratulations to November Holmes Scholar of the Month Nevin Heard!
Heard is a second-year doctoral student in the counselor education program at the University of Central Florida. He is the program coordinator for the Situational Environmental Circumstances Mentorship Research Project, a mentor liaison for the Counselor Education Doctoral Student Organization, and a board member for the Cultural Encounter Committee of the Multicultural Research Center Initiative.Heard is also a founding member and doctoral representative for the Multicultural Partnership of Organizers for Equity and Resilience (M-POWER) in the hopes of creating a newly recognized university organization to support counseling students.
10 Nov2016
By Aaron Goldstein and Zachary VanHouten
This month, AACTE launched our new Advocacy Center – designed to provide users with the resources and timely information needed to be effective advocates at a state and federal level. Featuring a comprehensive set of new digital resources (with more on the way!), as well as a new AACTE Action Alert system, there is plenty to get engaged with now.
Please join us for a webinar Thursday, November 17, at 3:00 p.m. EST as we walk you through the Advocacy Center’s resources and the simple sign-up process for the new Action Alerts. The webinar will feature ample time for Q&A, and a recording will be made available in AACTE’s Resource Library for later viewing.
Sign up for the webinar here.
10 Nov2016
By Sungti Hsu and Yupin Bae
To expand the Data Dive blog series on Ed Prep Matters, AACTE invites members to submit brief articles presenting and discussing data related to educator preparation.
Like all blog submissions, Data Dive articles should be approximately 500 words and contain news or commentary relevant to AACTE or to educator preparation generally. Please include tables, charts, or other illustrations of the data and your analysis. Advertising-related posts are not permitted, and the content – including any graphics – must not infringe on any copyright agreements or laws.
09 Nov2016
By Jerrica Thurman
Check out the full lineup of sessions and presenters at the 2017 Annual Meeting now available through AACTE’s Event Planner at http://planner.aacte.org. View session titles and descriptions, presenters’ names, and locations all at your fingertips through mobile or online access to the Event Planner.
In recent years, AACTE has offered enhanced technology to foster robust interaction with event participants by providing the Event Planner as the go-to-resource for the Annual Meeting.
08 Nov2016
By Kristin McCabe
Did you miss AACTE’s webinar last month on what teacher candidates need to know about the intersection of educator dispositions, ethics, and law? Don’t worry – you can watch the recording at your convenience in AACTE’s Resource Library. You’ll find it, along with the presentation slides, here.
David Thompson, University of Texas – San Antonio
Troy Hutchings, Educational Testing Service
Presenters David Thompson of the University of Texas at San Antonio and Troy Hutchings of the Educational Testing Service opened their presentation with a case study that illustrated the complexity of factors at play not only in teacher-student relationships, but also in teacher-supervisor and other adult interactions. They discussed different frameworks that can guide teachers’ decision making and how teachers might reconcile conflicts between these frameworks to “navigate the gray areas.”
08 Nov2016
By Deborah Koolbeck and Sungti Hsu
Today, we are pleased to launch the online AACTE Advocacy Center to support your work in both federal and state advocacy. Please take a moment to visit the new center and explore the resources you’ve requested!
In this one-stop center, you’ll find downloadable advocacy guides, important hyperlinks, and an assortment of other digital resources. Want to catch up on the latest Federal Update webinar or blog post? Looking for contact information for your state legislators or tips on setting up a meeting with your representatives? Give us a visit!
08 Nov2016
By Renée A. Middleton
The AACTE Board of Directors this fall approved a revision of the AACTE Principles for National Accreditation in Educator Preparation, a document originally drafted in 2006 to state the Association’s aspirational views regarding national accreditation.
The revision was spearheaded by the Board’s subcommittee formed to engage with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The Board felt it was important to reaffirm our core values with respect to what we see as essential elements to any process of accreditation.
08 Nov2016
By Rodrick Lucero
AACTE and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) collaborated with the U.S. Department of Education to put together a dynamic Teach to Lead summit last week on improving teacher preparation.
07 Nov2016
Deadline extended: Please respond by December 2
By Sharon Lovell, Shelley B. Wepner and William Henk
The study of the education deanship and what is perceived as contributing to success in that key role is both timely and imperative. Such research can help standing deans reflect on their own characteristics and practices and perhaps adapt them to better effect. It can also assist prospective deans in understanding what capabilities figure to be necessary in increasing their leadership effectiveness should they assume these roles.
We invite your participation this month in a national survey, the “Deans’ Performance Belief Survey,” supported by AACTE. The purpose of this survey is to gauge education deans’ beliefs about the ways of thinking, being, and acting that are essential for doing their jobs.
07 Nov2016
By Jane S. Bray
Many of us growing up with siblings remember being told to “keep your eyes on your own plate” when issues arose or squabbles began. Those words come to my mind when reflecting on the current distractions hounding teacher education. Even as we actively promote the need for educators to think and act as one profession and to engage with various external groups, we also must not forget to mind our own business.
In addition to the uncertainty around the outcome of today’s highly contentious national election, many other factors are competing for our attention and causing us anxiety. The teacher preparation program regulations are now official, and so is the Every Student Succeeds Act. The nation is rapidly moving toward a major teacher shortage, and despite our very best efforts, we have not been able to make a significant dent in diversifying the profession. Our many critics continue to share their views on the state of university-based teacher preparation programs, and our national-level accrediting agency is still working to rise to the level it should in order to assist programs in meeting standards and improving their work. To my mind, we all could benefit from Mom’s mantra: Keep your eyes on your own plate.
02 Nov2016
By Kristin McCabe
The AACTE Annual Meeting always presents a full schedule of opportunities for registrants, even before the conference officially begins. The 2017 event in Tampa, Florida, will uphold this tradition with a wide variety of preconference meetings, workshops, and other events on the schedule for March 1.
As always, several affiliate organizations and leadership groups will hold business meetings, including the Florida state chapter, various deans’ organizations, and AACTE’s Board of Directors, standing committees, and topical action groups. (Separate registration may be required for some of these meetings–if in doubt, check with your group!) Special events will also be offered for participants in certain AACTE initiatives, and an assessment–focused workshop is available for anyone to register.
01 Nov2016
By JTE Insider
Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team? Check out the entry below providing an overview of the September-October content – and watch your mailbox for the November-December issue, too!
In the editorial of the September/October 2016 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education, Coeditors Maria Teresa Tatto, Gail Richmond, and Dorinda Carter Andrews explore the role of research in teacher education.
01 Nov2016
By Sungti Hsu
On October 11, a TeachStrong event was hosted by the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia to offer solutions to concerns in the state about the preparation of novice teachers. The event, held jointly with the state’s education secretary, aimed to highlight successful programs and practices aligned with TeachStrong’s policy proposal around quality teacher preparation. (AACTE is a partner supporting the nine TeachStrong principles to elevate teaching.)
After a short welcome and introduction by Dean Robert Pianta and Virginia Secretary of Education Dietra Trent, a panel of five educators discussed programs run by George Mason University, the University of Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Well-planned clinical practices were the focal point of the discussion.
31 Oct2016
By John F. Snyder
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
For future teachers, the job outlook is bright. For school hiring personnel, the challenge of finding enough qualified educators for their vacancies is daunting.
The growing mismatch between teacher supply and demand was documented strongly in a comprehensive report published by the Learning Policy Institute last month. One of the key data sources cited in the study is the American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) “Educator Supply and Demand Report 2014-15,” which now has a new edition available—and the shortage situation has not improved.
31 Oct2016
By Amanda Lester
Please join me Tuesday, November 15, 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST for the third webinar in this year’s AACTE clinical practice series, “Advancing Science and Math Teaching in Diverse Elementary Classrooms: A Clinical Practice Model at San Francisco State University.”
Presenters Judith Munter, dean of the Graduate College of Education, and Stephanie Sisk-Hilton, associate professor of elementary education, will discuss the clinical preparation model at San Francisco State University (SFSU) centered around ensuring elementary education candidates and practicing elementary educators in their partner schools are highly prepared to teach science and math to an increasingly diverse population.
