10 Mar2014
By Lucy Berrier
The AACTE Board of Directors met February 28 immediately prior to the Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. The meeting agenda, led by outgoing Chair Fayneese Miller (University of Vermont), ranged from Innovation Exchange projects and state chapter relations to the awards program and various governance issues, including election of a new Executive Committee.
Effective March 1, the new Executive Committee of the Board includes Chair Julie Underwood (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Past Chair Fayneese Miller, and Secretary Tim Wall (Northwest Missouri State University) along with the newly elected Chair-Elect Mark Ginsberg (George Mason University) and at-large representatives Jane Bray (Old Dominion University, with a 2-year term) and Dwight Watson (University of Northern Iowa, with a 1-year term).
10 Mar2014
By Sarah Pinsky
On February 27, the U.S. House subcommittee on elementary and secondary education and the subcommittee on higher education held a hearing titled “Exploring Efforts to Strengthen the Teaching Profession.”
Witnesses included Marcy Singer-Gabella, professor of the Practice of Education at Vanderbilt University (TN), along with two officials from state departments of education and the director of an alternative-route program.
07 Mar2014
By Alicia Ardila-Rey
Close to 60 AACTE Holmes Scholars® and program alumni met in Indianapolis February 28-March 3 in conjunction with the 2014 AACTE Annual Meeting. The Holmes Scholars preconference event offered dedicated networking, mentoring, and professional development opportunities to the Scholars. This year we welcomed six new institutions to the program, as well as 25 Scholars who were attending the event for the first time.
04 Mar2014
By Lucy Berrier
Do you know an individual with broad or deep experience in the field of educator preparation? Do you think someone’s guidance would benefit the educator preparation community nationally? Nominate that person (or yourself!) by May 9 to serve an important role in the governance of AACTE.
AACTE is currently accepting nominations for the AACTE Board of Directors and standing committees, which are the committees on:
03 Mar2014
By Kristin McCabe
A news crew has captured highlights of the 66th Annual Meeting, producing a series of brief videos that convey the feel of the event. Click here to watch session footage, interviews, and more from the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, where the conference is wrapping up today.
Video recordings of the general sessions and major forums will also be posted as soon as they are available. Stay tuned for details!
03 Mar2014
By Aimee Hall
AACTE is now accepting proposals for the 2015 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, February 27 – March 1.
“As our profession embraces change, we must be mindful of forces that enrich as well as interfere with its development. National, state, and local efforts to improve multiple dimensions of the educational process provide the impetus for practitioners, researchers, and community leaders to re-examine challenges that address our purpose and our intentions. These challenges include strengthening professional preparation; making the moral commitment to educate all individuals to develop their abilities; attending to emerging organizational structures; harnessing technologies that support the teaching and learning processes; modeling inclusive practices; and engaging in research focused on impactful practices that nurture student learning.” – 2015 Call for Proposals
01 Mar2014
By Lucy Berrier
The annual vote by AACTE members on changes to the Association’s bylaws will occur March 10-24 via online ballot. The proposed changes were approved by the AACTE Board of Directors at its February 28 meeting and are now available for member review.
The amendments to the bylaws will update Article II, Section 2 (Member Meetings/Quorum), and Article VI, Section 1 (Appointments to NCATE). Click here for the proposed bylaws changes.
01 Mar2014
By Kristin McCabe
AACTE today announced the official launch of an initiative to support innovation in the professional community and speed the pace of change in university-based educator preparation. The Innovation Exchange will serve as a forum for AACTE members, partners, and other constituents to share experiences and findings as they work together to address the most urgent issues of student achievement, curriculum reform, and educator preparation program advancement.
Through this national initiative, AACTE will seek to strengthen educator preparation, demonstrate the necessity and effectiveness of educator preparation, and enhance members’ opportunities to collaborate on key issues.
26 Feb2014
By Sharon Robinson
When Mary Brabeck, dean of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University, agreed to grant me a recorded in-person interview (see link below) regarding her new role as board chair of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), I was thrilled.
It is fair to say that I have a long-standing relationship with Mary Brabeck. In 2005, Dean Brabeck chaired the Board of AACTE when I was selected to be the president and chief executive officer.
24 Feb2014
By Catherine Emihovich
In addition to my work in educator preparation at the University of Florida, I am a member of the Anthropology Education Task Force (AETF) of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). Among other things, our task force is charged with examining the potential role of anthropology in teacher education programs to prepare teachers for working in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. We would greatly appreciate AACTE members’ input on this work, if you are able to take 15-20 minutes from your busy schedule to respond to our survey (see below).
As readers of this blog are aware, the rapid demographic changes sweeping across the United States bring increasing importance to ensuring that teachers are well prepared to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students. AAA is eager to partner with AACTE members in this endeavor, and to demonstrate that key anthropological concepts can play a significant role in helping teachers develop more effective strategies for addressing diverse students’ needs. For example, through its award-winning RACE Project exhibit (http://www.understandingrace.org/), AAA has enabled thousands of teachers and students across the country to deconstruct destructive myths surrounding racial differences. The web site provides numerous thought-provoking activities and curricular materials to engage students in more meaningful classroom dialogues about a topic that has long ruptured our social fabric.
24 Feb2014
By Kristin McCabe
AACTE, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) have announced a partnership to support teacher preparation programs in including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues in their curriculum.
Research suggests that positive, supportive, and inclusive classroom environments lead to better academic and psychosocial outcomes for students. While some teacher preparation programs incorporate LGBT-inclusive content and awareness into their curriculum, there has been no deliberate, comprehensive effort to expand the practice throughout the profession.
21 Feb2014
By Zachary VanHouten
Next week’s AACTE Annual Meeting calls on us to “take charge of change.” Heed the call by signing up now to join your peers this June in Washington, DC, for action in advocacy!
With federal education programs facing budget cuts, potential teacher preparation regulations on the horizon, reauthorization looming for the Higher Education Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and partisan gridlock, now is a crucial time to learn how you can become an effective advocate for the profession. AACTE’s signature advocacy conference, Washington Week, offers three key events to assist in building members’ capacity for advocacy: Day on the Hill, the State Leaders Institute, and the Holmes Scholars Summer Policy Institute.
21 Feb2014
By Joyce Nutta
The author is a member of AACTE’s topical action group on Preparing Educators of English Learners. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Are you interested in meeting other educators who address teaching English learners in their teacher preparation programs? Would you like to discover new ways your colleagues are preparing all candidates to support the success of these students? Come to the inaugural meeting of AACTE’s Preparing Educators of English Learners (PEEL) Topical Action Group to learn about joining our current projects—and help brainstorm future projects and opportunities for advocacy by our group.
21 Feb2014
By Gloriatine Jones
Have you heard about AACTE’s incentive for new members? Institutions that join AACTE by March 31, 2014, can save 50% off their regular AACTE dues for 2014, giving these institutions a chance to experience all of AACTE’s many benefits and services at a significantly reduced cost.
Under this membership incentive program, participating institutions will have full access to all AACTE benefits and services such as these:
- The Journal of Teacher Education – AACTE’s highly regarded, peer-reviewed journal on policy, practice, and research in teacher education, mailed to all AACTE Institutional Representatives five times a year, plus free online access to each issue and the complete archives.
19 Feb2014
By Victor Nolet
The author is a member of AACTE’s topical action group on Education for Sustainability. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Does your teacher preparation program include course content or field experiences related to education for sustainability? If you are a typical teacher educator in the United States, you probably answered either “No” or “I don’t know.” Sustainability may be the defining issue of our time, yet very few teacher preparation programs in this country address education for sustainability.
Teacher educators: this is a call to action. If your program does not currently include course content or field experiences related to education for sustainability, make it your personal mission during this coming year to change this situation! You’ll have two opportunities at the upcoming AACTE Annual Meeting to get started. First, join the Education for Sustainability Topical Action Group (TAG) for a reception Sunday, March 2, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Lincoln Room of Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Then on Monday, March 3, attend this TAG’s annual meeting to become directly involved.
