06 Apr2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By Lynn M. Gangone
During this unprecedented time, AACTE’s number one concern is you, your loved ones, your colleagues, and your institutions. We will get through this together! While we all navigate the impact of the coronavirus, AACTE is working to provide you support through its COVID-19 Resource Hub and collaborations with key stakeholders from the field. Please take a few minutes to watch the video above and learn more.
27 Mar2020
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
By AACTE
The following AACTE Statement was sent to the National Governors Association.
During the health emergency of COVID-19, AACTE is encouraging its members, as well as states and districts, to explore partnerships between district and educator preparation programs to address the increased workforce demands for special educators in our nation’s schools. In particular, we urge stakeholders to
Identify opportunities for special education teacher candidates to continue their contributions to educational opportunities for students with disabilities (e.g. clinical practice opportunities or paraprofessionals in temporary positions) for the duration of the impact of COVID-19 on our school system.
24 Mar2020
By Lynn M. Gangone
The AACTE national office team is thinking of everyone in our community during this uncertain time. While we also are experiencing the upheaval resulting from this pandemic, our primary goal is to continue to serve all of our members. To that end, AACTE is engaging in a number of efforts to support our members at this time.
To empower you to continue to access critical support and resources, AACTE is extending the membership renewal deadline to April 30, 2020. We want to ensure members remain informed as matters related to COVID-19 continue to develop.
09 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
William Earl Gardner, a former AACTE president and dean of the College of Education at the University of Minnesota, passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on February 16 in St. Paul, MN. During his AACTE tenure, he greatly influenced the international program efforts and reshaped the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), along with his colleague, the late Dale Scannell.
Dr. Gardner earned three degrees from the University of Minnesota: B.S. and M.A. degrees in education and social sciences and a Ph.D. in education and American history. After teaching junior and senior high school social studies, he joined the University of Minnesota’s College of Education faculty, serving as department chair and associate dean before being named dean of the College in 1977. In addition to his leadership role at AACTE, Dr. Gardner was a St. Louis Park School Board member and affiliated with numerous state, national, and international educational organizations. His many publications include scholarly articles, books, textbooks, and a social studies curriculum.
A celebration of life party for Dr. Gardner will be held June 6 at Bradshaw, 2800 Curve Crest Blvd., Stillwater, MN. Memorial contributions may be given to the William E. Gardner Scholarship Fund, University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development.
09 Mar2020
By Katrina Norfleet
Former AACTE Board member Dale Paul Scannell died at the age of 90 on February 14 at Abington Hospital near his home in Flourtown, PA. Dr. Scannell made many contributions to the field of education preparation, including the development of the country‘s first integrated five-year program in education at the University of Kansas in 1981. He received the AACTE Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education in 1989.
Dr. Scannell earned his B.A., Masters and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Iowa. Rising quickly in the education field, he was appointed dean of Education at the University of Kansas in 1969 and continued in that role for 16 years. He then served for six years as dean of education at the University of Maryland in College Park, followed by posts at the University of South Carolina and at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). Throughout his tenure, he mentored many faculty, both men and women, and he created a special program at the University of Maryland to encourage women to enter administrative roles in the College of Education. He ended his professional career at age 70 after serving for 10 years as a consultant to the United Arab Emirates University, College of Education.
06 Mar2020
By Jacqueline King
At its meeting prior to the 72nd Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA, the AACTE Board of Directors elected the following board members to leadership positions on the AACTE Executive Committee:
Chair-Elect
Robert Floden
Dean, College of Education and University Distinguished Professor
Michigan State University
Member-at-large
Patricia Alvarez-McHatton
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Student Success, and P-16 Integration
University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
02 Mar2020
By AACTE
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) announced today Ann Larson, Ph.D., of the University of Louisville (UofL) (KY) as the new chair of its Board of Directors. During her one-year term, Larson will support AACTE and its President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone in implementing the Association’s new strategic plan, addressing challenges of recruiting qualified teacher candidates representing underrepresented and diverse backgrounds into the teaching profession and growing the Association’s membership.
“AACTE is resolute to represent and increase its membership of postsecondary institutions with educator preparation programs, and is dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are profession-ready,” said Larson. “AACTE and its Board of Directors are committed to a set of shared beliefs, values, attitudes and professional behaviors that characterize revolutionizing education, including shaping education policy and practices that advance learning for all students.”
26 Feb2020
By Kimberly White Smith
The American education system was not created to support the liberation of the powerless. Instead, it was designed to instill skills, habits, beliefs, and discipline that would allow for better control of the masses. The colonizers who became the architects of this country built a system that perpetuates the status of white-skinned privilege and wealth, while leaving those in the lower and middle classes burdened with the laborious task of building and supporting our nation’s economy and infrastructure.
Throughout the history of the United States, minoritized racial groups and those who live in poverty have suffered disparities in education through laws and policies that prohibited them from socioeconomic advancement, physical safety, and basic civil rights. The anti-literacy laws enacted before, during, and after the Civil War are just one example of how white-skinned privilege and power was used to perpetuate the oppression of enslaved Blacks and concretize a system that generated more wealth for those in power.
Our current education system continues to enable inequity through policies and practices that claim to be fair, colorblind, and neutral, but tend to privilege a small, elite portion of the U.S. population. We can no longer live by the adage “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” when those who deserve a better education continue to be plagued by disparities. Addressing the persistent opportunity gap between our nation’s socioeconomic classes requires sustained engagement from leaders across every field of education.
06 Feb2020
By Amanda Morales
This year will mark the fourth year that ACCTE’s Diversified Teaching Workforce (DTW) Topical Action Group (TAG) will host a preconference Institute. This year’s Institute: Advancing Research and Policy in Praxis, will convene a group of national leaders from colleges and universities across the United States to spotlight and explore innovative efforts for addressing ethnoracial teacher diversity across the teacher development continuum. The preconference will take place February 27, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
31 Jan2020
By Lara Luetkehans
The AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology is charged with developing the Association’s classroom reform and technology agendas related to PK-12 and postsecondary education. This year the committee’s focus has been on promoting use and facilitating communication and interaction in learning and technology. To do so, committee members have been planning the third iteration of the Information and Technology Preconference Workshop to be offered at the Annual Meeting in Atlanta on Feb. 27.
The Preconference Workshop will highlight Exemplars and Partners in Integrating Technology in Teacher Preparation. This half-day session will provide attendees with an opportunity to engage with key stakeholders from universities and professional organizations who are committed to preparing future educators to effectively integrate technology for student learning. Panels and sessions on academic program and faculty development, partnerships, diversity, and social justice will showcase the work and outcomes of exemplary researchers, practitioners, and organization leaders. Participants will engage in thinking about how to build capacity at their own institutions. Please join us on February 27, 1:00-5:00 p.m. for a packed agenda. To learn more and register, visit aacte.org.
