Deadline for 2023 Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award Extended to Aug. 26

By AACTE

There is still time to nominate a book for the AACTE 2023 Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award. The deadline to submit entries has been extended to Friday, August 26.

This national award recognizes exemplary books that make a significant contribution to the knowledge base of educator preparation or of teaching and learning with implications for educator preparation. The award-winning book and its author/editor(s) will be recognized at AACTE’s 75th Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN, February 24 – 26, 2023.

AACTE Partners with Digital Promise to Elevate Learner Variability Tools that Support Equitable Teaching

By Nicole Dunn

AACTE has teamed up with the leaders of Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project to address systems-level transformation that directly addresses the challenges students face by using the Learner Variability Navigator (LVN); a free open-source tool to make learning sciences research accessible to educators.  Earlier this year, a representative group of AACTE members were introduced to the project and navigation tools, and using their feedback, AACTE is  pleased to bring you the webinar series that lifts up tools and practices with the Learner Variability Project most relevant to the educator preparation field.

Paraprofessionals Awarded Full-Tuition Scholarships to Become Certified Teachers

By Idaho State University

More than 35 paraprofessionals working in the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 are set to receive full-tuition scholarships awarded by the Idaho State University College of Education to earn a college degree and teacher certification through the Paraprofessional to Certified Teacher (PaCT) program.

Pathways Alliance Releases a Shared Vision for Diverse, High-Quality Teachers

By Natalie Khairallah

Teacher residency programs seek to offer an innovative approach to teacher certification, shifting the landscape of education to better recruit and retain high-quality teachers. These residencies can help attract a diverse pool of teachers — aiming to offset the shortage crisis and address the immediate staffing needs — by offering a supportive and affordable path to teaching.

VCU School of Education Develops Statewide DEI Training

By Owen Wachter

Research has shown that addressing unconscious bias will contribute to creating a more equitable society. A team at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education is leading statewide diversity, equity and inclusion training for those who work with people with disabilities — a training that is open to all.

The Partnership for People with Disabilities in the School of Education is collaborating with the School of Education’s Office of Strategic Engagement to lead a six-session online training course on diversity, equity and inclusion this fall, aimed primarily at employees of Medicaid home- and community-based organizations.

Salem State University Receives Largest Cash Gift to MA State University

Cummings Foundation donates $10 million to Diversify and Strengthen Teacher Pipeline

By Salem State University and Cummings Foundation

Cummings Foundation has donated $10 million to Salem State University’s School of Education to support programs and initiatives aimed at diversifying, strengthening, and sustaining the next generation of educators. The gift represents the largest cash contribution ever made in the history of the nine Massachusetts state universities.

PVAMU Welcomes Students with Aldine ISD, Impact Leadership Academy Partnership

By Prairie View A&M University

Prairie View A&M University students, faculty and staff were on hand bright and early to help welcome students to the first day of school at Aldine ISD’s Impact Leadership Academy (ILA), the district’s first all-boys school. PVAMU is partnering with the ILA to cultivate learning experiences rooted in identity, leadership, community, and activism, all designed to address academic achievement and support social and emotional needs for young Black and Latino male students.

AACTE to Participate in Department of Education Webinar

By Michael Rose

On August 31, AACTE representatives will participate in a webinar sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education (register here). Officially titled, “Helping Teachers Afford Comprehensive Pathways into the Profession and Achieve Loan Forgiveness,” the webinar will discuss TEACH Grants and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) programs, valuable tools to help attract and retain individuals interested in pursuing a career in education.

Congratulations Matthew J. Wales

By Lynn M. Gangone

After 16 years of service to the association (for which we are extremely grateful!), Matthew J. Wales will depart AACTE at the end of this month. While at AACTE, Matt engaged with many members through his leadership in Annual Meetings, Leadership Academies, and Washington Weeks, as well as innumerable member engagement activities.

Matt joined the AACTE staff in 2006 as the coordinator for state relations, overseeing state chapter management. In October 2007, he transitioned to the associations’ Meetings and Events team. When promoted to Vice President of Member Services & Events in 2018, Matt provided program management, business development, constituent services and event coordination and implementation expertise to the association’s Membership, Marketing and Communications, and Events team.

What’s Your Membership Status? Renew to Lock in 2023 Benefits

By Meghan Grenda

Membership with AACTE demonstrates the commitment in advocating and building capacity for high-quality educator preparation programs in a dynamic landscape.

This is an early reminder that membership expires in December 2022. To thank you for your continued support of AACTE, dues rates for 2023 membership will remain the same. Renew today.

University of Kansas Launches New Center for PreK-12 Equitable Learning

By University of Kansas

The Achievement & Assessment Institute (AAI) at the University of Kansas has announced the new Center for Evaluation and Educational Leadership (CEEL), whose mission is to support district- and building-level leaders to lead, organize and implement the most effective and equitable learning environments for PreK-12 students.

Federal Agency Funds STEM Project for Next Five Years

Funding will enable 18 more Noyce scholars to become STEM instructors

By Nicola Paerg

Sacred Heart University has received a grant of nearly $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. SHU will apply the grant to the preparation of educators to teach elementary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Butler University’s Program Provides Training for Teachers with Alternative Credentials

By Butler University

Butler University is addressing Indiana’s teacher shortage through a new program designed to support new teachers, alternatively credentialed teachers, emergency-permitted teachers, or long-term substitute teachers with the training they need to succeed in the classroom. Butler’s first cohort of teachers will begin the first module of training in its “Teacher-Led, Teacher Education” program at the end of August.

According to a 2016 report from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, 8.5 percent of Indiana educators leave the field for reasons other than retirement (the third highest rate in the nation). The high attrition of educators, coupled with an insufficient pipeline of teacher candidates from bachelor’s degree programs, has led to drastic increases in alternative teaching credentials and emergency permits.

Public Broadly Supports School Security Measures – But Not Armed Teachers and Staff

By Albert C. Chen, M.E.

The 54th annual PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools demonstrates broad support for school security measures, with 80% of respondents supporting armed police officers on duty while classes are in session. When it comes to arming teachers and staff, however, support falls to only 45%.

Despite the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, overall attitudes are similar to the 2018 PDK Poll, which asked the same questions of public school parents after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Pathways Alliance to Release Seminal Report Defining Teacher Residency Programs

By Jonathan Barry Wolf

The Pathways Alliance, a coalition of education organizations dedicated to supporting and implementing diverse and inclusive educator preparation pipelines, announces the release of their latest report, “Towards a National Definition of Teacher Residencies.” Based on input from teacher residency programs and other education leaders from across the country, this groundbreaking first-of-its-kind report offers a condensed yet thorough definition to guide policies that can support high-quality residencies to attract, prepare, and retain a robust and diverse teaching workforce. The report was written by the Pathways Alliance Teacher Residency Working Group, co-chaired by the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) and Prepared To Teach, Bank Street College. The working group participants included state education departments, educator preparation programs, and national nonprofit organizations. In addition, more than 40 organizations gave feedback and reviewed the report and definition.